Study: Oregon doing well preserving forests, farms, rangeland

Oregon has done remarkably well in preserving forests, farms and rangeland from development, according to a recent study by state and federal land managers,

In “Forests, Farms, and People: Land Use Change on Non-Federal Land in Oregon, 1974-2014,” researchers pored over thousands of aerial photographs to compare changes in the use of private and non-federal public lands from the mid-1970s through 2014.

Conducted by the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station and the Oregon Department of Forestry, the study included three key findings:

1. Ninety-nine percent of all non-Federal land in Oregon that was in resource land uses in 1984 (after comprehensive land-use plans were implemented) remained in those uses in 2014.

2. Development of resource land to low-density residential or urban uses was consistent with land-use goals, plans and zoning. Most development of resource lands occurred adjacent or close to existing developed areas, thereby minimizing development scattered though Oregon’s forests and farm lands.

3. Structures continued to be built on lands remaining in forest, agricultural and range uses at high rates, even after the implementation of county comprehensive land-use plans. But the impact of these additional structures on management of Oregon’s resource lands was lessened, because most of the structures built are relatively close to land in low-density residential or urban uses.

According to forest economist Gary Lettman, one of the study’s authors, questions remain despite the recent slowdown in building on Oregon’s resource lands.

“With projected economic growth and increasing populations, how will these increases in population be accommodated while protecting remaining resource lands from development?” he said.

“And will it be possible to have affordable housing in Portland, Bend and other Oregon cities while still protecting remaining resource lands from development?”

Other questions in need of answers, he said, include how development is affecting wildland fire protection and suppression costs, water quality, and land-use conflicts. Research should also be conducted to look for opportunities where under-productive resource land can be released for development.