The results are in on the vote deciding the future of the Elliott State Forest in Oregon.
On October 15, the three members of the State Land Board approved the plan proposing the forest usage for a research area that will work on protecting animal habitats and increasing carbon storage capacity to mitigate climate change and generate income from the sale of CO2 credits.
In a unanimous vote, Gov. Tina Kotek, Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade, and state Treasurer Tobias Read greenlighted this future agenda.
The proposal was also made available for public comments in the period between June 12 and August 4, when more than 450 people provided feedback, with most of them expressing their support for this scenario.
With this decision, the Elliott State Forest will now be able to register all of its 83,000 acres of territory in the voluntary carbon crediting market with brokerage provided by carbon crediting company Anew Climate.
According to a 40-year feasibility study delivered by Anew Climate, this new forest management plan could potentially capture and store up to 435,000 additional metric tons of CO2, which over the next decade could reach a worth of around $9 million.
In the past, the Elliott State Forest was mostly used for logging as a means to support schools in Oregon, an activity that was brought to an end in 2016. In 2022, the forest was declared a research area, developing into one of the largest forest research centers in the US.
Relevant: Elliott State Forest In Oregon Poised To Pioneer Carbon Storage, Carbon Credit Sales
Under the new management plan, officials will reintroduce partial forest logging, where intensive activity like clear-cutting would be permitted on about 25% of the forest, while selective cutting of trees old between 80 and 100 years will be possible on around 13% of the forest.
The decision was met with disapproval from representatives from Oregon State University and the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, who refused to partner on the forest management plan, voicing concerns about the carbon crediting intentions and the limitations imposed on forest logging.
