The Elliott State Forest was established as Oregon’s first state forest in 1930 on land taken forcibly from Tribal Nations. For several decades beginning in 1955, the timber harvested on the Elliott helped fund Oregon public schools through the Common School Fund. More recently, the Elliott was steeped in controversy for its continued role in helping fund public schools through timber harvest instead of being managed for its many other potential values. As a result, in late 2018, the Oregon State Land Board requested that OSU and the Department of State Lands explore the transformation of the forest into a state-owned and university-managed public research forest. This work continues, with a goal of having an approved working plan for the ESRF by 2024.

The ESRF is an 18-mile by 16-mile tract of forestland that spans Coos and Douglas counties in the Oregon Coast Range, located between the towns of Coos Bay and North Bend to the southwest and Reedsport to the northwest. The forest lies just south of the Umpqua River and extends to within six miles of the Pacific Ocean to the west.

The ESRF is located on the traditional lands of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Tribes, who were the original stewards of the land prior to Euro-American settlement and the forcible removal of the Tribes to reservations. Tribes managed this land using traditional stewardship practices, such as cultural burning and harvesting timber to build longhouses, canoes and other structures. Years later, in 1930, the Elliott State Forest was established. Since that time, the land has been managed by the Oregon Department of State Lands and Oregon Department of Forestry for the purpose of helping fund the state’s public schools via timber revenue.

The mission of the ESRF is to become an enduring, publicly owned, world-class research forest that advances and supports all aspects of forestry such as forest health, climate resilience, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, recovery of imperiled species, water quality and quantity, recreational opportunities and local economies.

OSU is committed to partnering with Tribal Nations to develop co-stewardship plans for the ESRF that honor Sovereignty Rights and support Tribal cultural values.

At the direction of the State Land Board, which includes Oregon's Governor, Secretary of State and State Treasurer, the Oregon Department of State Lands and OSU have been working together since 2019 to establish the ESRF.

From 2019-2022, planning work for the ESRF was guided by the State Land Board and a 15-member advisory committee established by the state representing diverse perspectives on conservation, timber, schools, recreation, local governments and more. Their input and insight, along with extensive engagement of Tribal Nations, community stakeholders and the public, has helped resolve many challenging issues. The research proposal was formally approved by the Department of State Lands, the advisory committee and the State Land Board in April 2021.

Starting in 2023, the 15-member advisory committee was replaced with a newly appointed prospective board of directors for the ESRFA, the new public agency that will administer the forest.

Senate Bill 1546, passed by the Oregon Legislature in March 2022, legally established the ESRF and formation of an independent public agency to oversee it — The ESRFA — which would contract with OSU to manage and conduct research on the forest. The bill also established specific requirements regarding timeline, expectations for public accountability and transparency, and mandated the ESRF’s ongoing contributions to conservation, economic growth, recreation, education and forest research. 

In spring 2023, the Department of State Lands and state leaders sought a legislative amendment to extend the approved timeline for establishing the research forest and its management by OSU and the College of Forestry. This legislative amendment, Senate Bill 161, was passed in June 2023. The additional time is allowing for adjustments to the HCP based on public comment and input from the ESRFA Prospective Board and the Services (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service). The extended timeline also allows for any adjustments to be reflected in the forest management plan and financial plans.

OSU remains committed to collaborating with the State of Oregon, Department of State Lands, U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, NOAA Fisheries and the ESRFA Prospective Board to bring the ESRF to reality.

The establishment of the ESRF has been a collaborative effort inclusive of many diverse groups and stakeholders, including those of the Department of State Lands, Tribal Nations, timber and conservation interests and local residents, among others. OSU is specifically responsible for the research design and the forest management plan, which includes a detailed financial analysis.

The Oregon Department of State Lands convened the 15-member advisory committee, which included a diverse representation of forest perspectives. Committee members included representatives from: The Oregon Outdoor Council; Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians; Douglas Timber Operators; Coos County; OSU; Oregon Department of State Lands; Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians; Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde; Oregon Hunter’s Association; Oregon School Boards Association; The Audubon Society of Portland; The Nature Conservancy; and Wild Salmon Center.

The State Land Board, which includes Oregon's Governor, Secretary of State and State Treasurer, has recommended the appointment of the following nine members to the ESRFA Board of Directors, to begin serving immediately, in an advisory capacity, until their official appointments on Jan. 1, 2024:

• Paul Beck, Mountain Western Log Scaling and Grading Bureau
• Bob Sallinger, Willamette Riverkeeper
• Keith Tymchuk, Reedsport High School
• Melissa Cribbins, Attorney, former Coos County Commissioner
• Mike Kennedy, Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
• Colin Beck, Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians
• Teresa Bird, Botanist and Ecologist Consultant
• Dr. Jennifer Allen, Portland State University
• Dr. Jack Williams, Trout Unlimited

Additionally, the Cheryl Ramberg-Ford and Allyn C. Ford Dean of the OSU College of Forestry, currently Dr. Tom DeLuca, will hold a permanent position as a nonvoting member of the board.

Reciprocity is a core value of the College of Forestry, and even before the ESRF initiative, the college and OSU have stressed the need for Tribal engagement. OSU acknowledges that its facilities and forests are located on the traditional homelands of a diversity of Indigenous Peoples who were forcibly removed from their lands and relocated to reservations. The university navigates and is a part of systems that marginalize people, and takes thoughtful action to decolonize its practices and ensure a diverse, inclusive and equitable environment for work and study that honors Sovereignty Rights.

Early in the ESRF planning process, OSU championed the need for multiple seats on the Department of State Lands’ Elliott State Forest Advisory Committee, giving representation and voice to multiple Tribes in Oregon as stakeholders. In 2019, representatives from OSU and the College of Forestry conducted formal and informal discussions with multiple Tribes, including the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. One outcome of these conversations was an agreement that Tribal Nations are not stakeholders, they are Sovereign Nations, and honoring Sovereignty Rights requires formal Memoranda of Understanding and Data Sharing Agreements between OSU and each Sovereign Tribal Nation involved in guiding our work in the ESRF.

In addition to Tribal representatives serving on the advisory committee and ESRFA Board of Directors, OSU continues to regularly collaborate with Tribal representatives through Government-to-Government Relationships as the FMP is refined.

OSU respects the contributions of Indigenous communities and centers its work around the Seventh Generation Principle — that decisions we make today should result in sustainable conditions seven generations into the future. The College of Forestry incorporates multiple ways of knowing and cultural humility into its understanding and stewardship of natural resources and respects and values local knowledge, including IK, and the critical role it plays in understanding natural systems as well as management and stewardship of forests.

IK, also called Traditional Ecological Knowledge, provides essential insights and practices to create more effective and holistic approaches to natural resource adaptive management. It is important to note that IK is the intellectual property of the Tribes who hold this information, and have passed it down from generation to generation, since time immemorial. Therefore, the way this information is shared with non-Tribal partners, including OSU, is at the discretion of the Tribes.

The College of Forestry shares deep respect and gratitude with Oregon Tribes for their engagement, and OSU is committed to managing the ESRF in a manner consistent with the recommendations from Tribal Nations, including co-stewardship.

The initial timeline set by Senate Bill 1546 indicated that the ESRF would begin operating in its new form in Summer 2023. Senate Bill 161 extended the timeline for completion of the deliverables in Senate Bill 1546 from July 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023, and adjusts the commitment for the HCP.

According to Senate Bill 161, the following actions must be completed within the timeline:

• Financial obligations to the Common School Fund related to the Elliott State Forest are satisfied (completed, April 2022).
• State Land Board votes to decouple the Elliott State Forest from the Common School Fund (completed, December 2022).
• The Oregon Department of State Lands contracts for third-party expertise to provide input informing review of the ESRF financial assessment and concludes that the plan demonstrates financial viability.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service jointly publish notice of a final HCP and Environmental Impact Statement.
• State Land Board approves a forest management plan.
• OSU Board of Trustees authorizes the university to participate in management of the ESRF.

The OSU Board of Trustees will base their decision on key factors affecting the long-term viability of the ESRF. These include the financial viability analysis conducted by the Department of State Lands, the identification of adequate startup funds by the State, completion of the FMP and establishment of the contract terms between OSU and the ESRFA.

The primary responsibility of the ESRF is to conduct research while promoting co-stewardship, collaboration, partnerships, inclusive public processes and equity and be consistent with an HCP approved pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Providing environmental education opportunities and public access are other key objectives (SB 1546). All management objectives related to fulfilling other public values as well as revenue generation on the forest will be accomplished within a “research first” context.

The development of the ESRF FMP began in Oct. 2021 and has been led by OSU, with content and input from working groups composed of scientists from OSU and other institutions, Tribal leaders, as well as independent contractors, members of the ESRF advisory committee and the public.

The OSU College of Forestry will conduct research on the ESRF based on the guidelines in the final FMP, expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2023. Research on the ESRF will be long-term operational scale, including forest management practices, ecosystem function, biodiversity, habitat conservation, water quality and quantity, carbon sequestration, rural livelihoods and the resilience of forests to the impacts of climate change.

Updates on the forest management planning process and the draft forest management plan are available for review.

Yes, well-planned and considered timber harvest is an important part of the research design on the ESRF. That said, the management of a research forest is characterized by several key differences when compared to typical plans for managed forests. Rather than being managed with a primary objective of timber production, the “research first” mission of the ESRF will focus forest management activities (including timber harvest) under the vision outlined in the research platform and supported by the HCP, rather than a specific timber yield target.

Timber harvest will be strategically executed as part of the research design and to support long-term forest health, while also contributing revenue to the long-term financial sustainability of forest operations. To learn more about the role of harvest in the “Triad” research design for the ESRF, read “Testing the Triad” in in the Spring 2023 issue of Focus or refer to Section 4.3 of the draft ESRF forest management plan.

Yes, the draft forest management plan anchors biodiversity conservation through contiguous reserves in the Conservation Research Watersheds (CRW), with a network of smaller reserve and Riparian Conservation Areas (RCAs) located throughout the forest.

To learn more about the “Triad” research design and the role of reserves, refer to Section 4.3 of the draft ESRF forest management plan.

The ESRF will use science-based conservation efforts to enhance the productivity, conservation and cultural values of the research forest. Under the mission of the ESRF and structure of the research management program, the forest will advance and support forest health, climate resilience, carbon sequestration, conservation of Tribal culturally significant sites and species (also known as cultural keystones), recovery of imperiled species and water quality and quantity.

The ESRF will preserve and proactively steward high quality habitat for threatened and endangered species as well as other wildlife by fostering the growth of older forest stands, while also providing and enhancing other habitat such as complex early seral forest. The ESRF will conserve, enhance, and sustain essential ecosystem processes, including carbon storage, soil productivity, and vital ecological functions that influence aquatic systems, as well as Tribal culturally significant sites and species using practices informed by IK as part of Tribal co-stewardship.

Collaborative partnerships with institutions and local organizations will support monitoring and habitat restoration efforts, while providing a unique opportunity to conduct innovative research on the intersection of forest ecosystems functions and climate change.

OSU will manage the ESRF and conduct its research in a manner consistent with the HCP prepared by the Department of State Lands under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973. The ESA provides a regulatory framework to conserve, protect and recover endangered and threatened species and the ecosystems upon which they depend.

The ESRF will serve as a laboratory for biodiversity research and the College of Forestry is committed, through its forest management and research plans, to maintain and improve conditions for native species and their aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Additionally, the draft forest management plan anchors biodiversity conservation through the large, contiguous block of reserve in the Conservation Research Watersheds (CRW), with smaller reserve and conservation areas located throughout the forest.

Combined with these conservation measures, restoration treatments planned for existing plantations and implementation of the proposed “Triad” research design are expected to, over time, broadly increase the diversity and quality of habitats available in both upland terrestrial and riparian systems. Research and management actions are also being aimed specifically at benefiting the northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet and Oregon Coast coho under the ESRF HCP.

For additional information, refer to Chapter 9 of the draft ESRF forest management plan.

The initial 15-member ESRF advisory committee included a purposefully diverse representation of interests, including members of the environmental, conservation and Tribal communities. What was initially planned to be a year-long appointment for the committee members turned into a multi-year commitment, in part to ensure the desires and values of all parties around conservation and habitat protection were heard and incorporated into the plans for the ESRF.

The Department of State Lands is responsible for the HCP for the ESRF, with the support of ICF, an environmental consulting firm, and participation of OSU. The HCP is designed to balance forest research and management activities with the conservation of threatened and endangered species and their habitat on the ESRF, such as the northern spotted owl, the marbled murrelet and Oregon Coast coho.

More information on the HCP can be found on the Department of State Lands website.

OSU and the College of Forestry have provided input to the Department of State Lands, its environmental consultant, ICF, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service when requested. The draft HCP served as the basis for the research design and forest management plan developed by the College of Forestry.

Senate Bill 1546 established that the ESRF will be administered by an independent public agency, the Elliott State Research Forest Authority. The ESRFA will be governed by a nine member board of directors who will work in collaboration with OSU to manage the forest operations and research.

The ESRF is expected to be financially self-supporting, with management and operations funded by forest activity revenue, including timber harvest and research grant revenue. OSU is working to finalize the forest management plan, which includes a detailed financial analysis and modeling to ensure the forest can be sustainably operated.

The ESRF will be funded by multiple sources of revenue, including:

• Startup Costs: As identified in the initial OSU Research Proposal, startup funding from the state is necessary for financial viability of the forest. This funding includes support for necessary infrastructure and equipment as well as bridging for the annual costs until timber revenue begins in year four of operations. OSU and the Department of State Lands have both received federal funds to support some of the startup costs, with other funding requests pending. The state is pursuing additional funds along several avenues, which will be critical to successfully launching hiring and operations of the research forest.
• Timber Harvest: Timber harvests will occur as part of the research treatments on the ESRF, according to the ESRF Research Proposal and guidance in the FMP. This includes intensive allocations, extensive (ecological forestry) allocations, and restoration harvests in reserve plantations and RCAs. The draft budget is designed to fund the core or “backbone” research and associated long-term monitoring on the forest as described in the ESRF Research Proposal and FMP Chapter 10. This core research includes the Triad design in the MRW, CRW restoration and riparian restoration experiments in Douglas-fir plantations, and the Marbled Murrelet Research Experiment. Monitoring associated with this core research includes biodiversity, aquatic, landslides, forest carbon (vegetation and soil), forest yields and logging costs, and recreation/human dimensions and Tribal cultural values associated with the forest. OSU is working with forestry consultants to refine a bracketed range of revenue projections based on current data, guidance in the draft HCP and FMP, and input from members of the ESRFA Prospective Board. Updates to the HCP and further vetting will help determine adjustments to current financial modeling.
• Research Grants: Other external and internal funding sources will provide funds for other experiments proposed by collaborators, such as OSU and other universities, Tribes, agencies and other researchers from across Oregon and around the world. There are a multitude of research projects that fit under the umbrella of the ESRF research platform either nested within the MRW, the CRW or the more than 10,000 acres in the partial watersheds. Successful research grant proposals have already begun funding some work on the ESRF with the anticipation that researchers will seek grant funds to support a range of short- and long-term research on the forest.
• Foundation Support: OSU, in collaboration with the ESRFA Board of Directors, will seek to secure external private funding support for the research and learning activities associated with the forest.
• Carbon Monetization: The legislation that enables the creation of the ESRFA requires that all carbon offset opportunities be reviewed and approved by the ESRFA Board of Directors prior to making any form of carbon offset sales or commitments. Any forest carbon offset agreements must not conflict or constrain the research design or research activities on the ESRF. No forest carbon offsets will be sold prior to the final transfer of the forest to the ESRFA.

The ESRF will be managed to advance and sustain science-based research that does not introduce statistical bias. Research on the ESRF should aim to remain relevant across many years, generations, and social, economic and environmental contexts.

The ESRF will be a center — both in Oregon and worldwide — for research on forest ecosystems and sustainable forest management using the scientific method. Research on the forest will typically fall into seven thematic research areas: biodiversity and at-risk species; climate change adaptation and forest carbon; natural and human-caused disturbance; stand structure; socio-cultural intersections; water in relation to forest management; landscape and scale issues.

At more than 83,000 acres, the size and scale of the ESRF is unmatched in North America. This large-scale laboratory will provide scientists with a backdrop to test various approaches that minimize tradeoffs between timber production and biodiversity conservation. Specifically, OSU researchers will launch a long-term Triad study across 40 different sub-watersheds in the ESRF that will evaluate the impacts of multiple combinations of three landscape level treatments, designed to produce approximately equivalent wood yields using different combinations of stand-level treatments: reserves, extensive and intensive management.

To learn more about the proposed Triad research design, see chapter 4 of the draft ESRF forest management plan or read “Testing the Triad” in the Spring 2023 issue of the College of Forestry’s Focus on Forestry magazine.

The ESRF will be managed by OSU. OSU will partner with Tribes as Sovereign Nations, not stakeholders, to advise on co-stewardship practices that honor Sovereignty Rights, as outlined in the College of Forestry’s Principles and Best Practices for Partnering with Tribal Nations. The ESRF research and operations staff will be based locally and will be hired by OSU to run the research forest operations and core (“backbone") research and associated long-term monitoring on the forest. This team will include foresters, a GIS/inventory specialist, data specialist, research lead (PI), faculty, forestry technician, and research technicians. Support for students to work on the ESRF is also planned. The ESRFA will have an executive director and support staff to support the functioning of the new public agency and board of directors. Partnerships with stakeholders such as local watershed councils, natural resource agencies, and others will help support research on the forest.

Research operations will be based locally, with the Department of State Lands, OSU, and other partners working together to identify options for office space in existing and/or new facilities near the ESRF.

Yes. There are many opportunities for studies on the ESRF proposed by collaborators, such as OSU and other universities, Tribes, agencies and other researchers from across Oregon and around the world. There are a multitude of research projects that fit under the umbrella of the ESRF research platform either nested within the MRW, the CRW or the more than 10,000 acres in the partial watersheds. Additional research proposed would go through an approval process as outlined in the FMP to ensure it doesn’t conflict with the broader ESRF research goals or other existing studies on the forest. As part of the approval process, proposed studies will need to demonstrate that funding has been secured and appropriate capacity planned to complete the work.

Yes, the ESRF will ensure public access that supports diverse recreational experiences that are compatible with research and ecological integrity considerations around public safety, ongoing research, harvest, and conservation of both at-risk species and historically present species. The forest will remain publicly accessible by both motorized and non-motorized transportation, but not all places at all times. Research and monitoring conducted on the forest will address sustainable recreation practices and track social values for the forest over time.

The ESFRA, College of Forestry and OSU fully support the Sovereignty Rights of Tribal members — including the rights to hunt, gather traditional foods and medicine, fish and practice ceremony on public lands — and expect the state and other governing agencies to honor these rights on the ESRF.

Public use of the forest will be supported and managed for different recreational opportunities consistent with a management plan reflecting stakeholder interests and historical activities in concert with public safety, ongoing research, harvest, and conservation of at-risk and historically present species.

The ESRF recreational program will leverage partnerships within the local community and others to accommodate multiple and diverse recreational uses to provide a range of user experiences within the context of a working forest landscape. Recreational planning will not favor any one recreational type over another but will seek to ensure high-quality experiences on the forest by managing to minimize the potential for conflict between users while safeguarding research and management objectives, and conservation values.

Public access and recreation on the ESRF will be managed by ESRF research operations staff who live in the community, and the ESRFA. The FMP provides a high-level description of public access on the research forest, and a recreation plan for the ESRF will be developed to address specific details.