Chavez-DeRemer bill would allow special forest products harvesting without a permit or fee, if for personal use

WASHINGTON (KTVZ) – Reps. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) recently introduced the bipartisan Special Forest Products Program Reauthorization Act, which would allow for the sustainable harvest of special forest products on lands in the National Forest System -- without a permit or fee, if for personal use.

“Our national forests are full of resources that Oregonians, including tribal residents, benefit from and enjoy. The Special Forest Products Program Reauthorization Act would continue to allow these products to be harvested in a sustainable manner – benefiting communities across the region while also contributing to healthy forest management,” Chavez-DeRemer said.

“Part of being responsible stewards of the woods is making sure that everyone is able to take advantage of the resources that the woods provide,” Gluesenkamp Perez said. “This bipartisan bill ensures access for folks looking to harvest special forest products and help us keep our symbiotic relationship with the woods.”

The U.S. Forest Service Special Forest Products pilot program allows the public to harvest natural forest resources for personal or commercial use – including mushrooms, roots, seeds, Christmas trees, and firewood – after they’ve obtained a permit and paid a fee to USFS.

Despite this program’s success, it must be reauthorized yearly during the House Appropriations process. 

The Special Forest Products Program Reauthorization Act would:

• Direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make the program permanent and standardize fees and permits required to participate – making the fees enough to recover a portion of fair market value of the harvest;
• Exempt individuals harvesting products for personal use from having to acquire a permit or pay a fee; and
• Exempt Tribes gathering products for medicinal use or traditional purposes from having to acquire a permit or pay a fee.

Last week, Chavez-DeRemer and Gluesenkamp Perez also joined together to introduce the Jobs in the Woods Act. The proposal seeks to expand workforce training opportunities to the next generation of forestry workers to address the current labor shortage.