Timber

The proposed budget bill would increase logging on federal lands, but most of that money won't go to Oregon counties that typically receive a portion of timber sales.

The Port of Portland has granted a lease to Zaugg Timber Solutions. The company makes wood products, sometimes called mass timber.

Backers of a habitat conservation plan say it could serve as a national model for reconciling conservation and science with forest management. But critics remain concerned about how the plan will be implemented, and whether ecological promises will hold under future political and financial pressures.

A year-long communication breakdown between concerned residents and state forestry leaders required investigation and halted one state timber sale.

The bill would allow counties and the timber industry to sue the state forester if Oregon logs less than it promises.

The Yellow Panther timber sale is part of the controversial Blue and Gold project approved by the Bureau of Land Management. Some trees targeted for logging are over 600 years old and crucial for endangered species like the northern spotted owl.

Environmental groups and timberland owners are calling on Oregon lawmakers to support a yearslong agreement that will be financially slashed under current budget proposals.

President Donald Trump called on agencies to expand domestic timber supply. That could influence prospective forest polices that are currently in the works, but implications for Oregon's timber industry are less clear.

The Port of Portland has heavily touted the sustainability and local wood sourcing behind its newly renovated, $2 billion terminal. But a closer look illustrates both lofty ambitions — and a sustainable timber industry that may not exist.

A number of environmental groups filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday against federal land managers for a timber sale in old-growth forest north of Grants Pass.