Forests

View of the Cascade Range from BLM's Mt. Horeb. Photo by John Craig, BLM.

The BLM forest lands in Oregon and Washington are administered under two management programs. One is for the Oregon & California (O&C) lands in western Oregon. The other is for public domain lands which are mostly in eastern Oregon and Washington. The BLM manages 2.4 million acres of forests and woodlands in western Oregon, including 2.2 million acres of commercial forest and 200,000 acres of woodlands.

Forestry Programs and Initiatives

These forests are managed under a number of different programs and initiatives including the Healthy Forests Restoration Act, the O&C Lands Act of 1937, the Healthy Forests Initiative and many others. Additional information can be found on the Forestry Programs and Initiatives page.

Western Oregon

Some of the most productive forests in the world are managed by the BLM in western Oregon. The objectives of the O&C program are to manage for a sustained yield of forest products and qualities needed to contribute to the economic stability of local communities, and continuing forest values and health. The 1994 Northwest Forest Plan and the six 1995 Western Oregon Resource Management Plans provide management guidance for management of federal forest lands in western Oregon. See the O&C Counties Historical Information page for additional information.

Eastern Oregon and Washington

Intermixed with grasslands and shrubsteppe in eastern Oregon and Washington are ponderosa pine, juniper, and white fir forests. On public domain lands, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 requires public lands and resources to be managed under the principles of multiple use and sustained yield, without impairment of the productivity of the land and the quality of the environment, and with recognition of the nation's need for timber from the public lands.

Western Oregon Plan Revisions

The BLM has issued the six Records of Decision (ROD) for the Resource Management Plans (RMP) that were developed under the Western Oregon Plan Revisions. With this action, the BLM has completed its revision of the land use plans that will guide the management of 2.6 million acres in western Oregon in the BLM's Salem, Eugene, Roseburg, Medford, and Coos Bay Districts, and the Klamath Falls Resource Area of the Lakeview District. The RMPs also comply with all applicable Federal laws including the O&C Lands Act, Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act.

The RODs formally adopt the Proposed Resource Management Plan (PRMP) that was put forward in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which was released in October 2008. Overall, when fully implemented, the six land use plans are expected to increase the timber harvest from current levels, increase receipts to the O&C Counties, meet the conservation needs of the northern spotted owl, increase habitat for marbled murrelet, maintain water quality, and improve habitat for Federally-listed fish.