Title 44, Forestry and Forest Products

(1) Forests make a vital contribution to Oregon by providing jobs, products, tax base and other social and economic benefits, by helping to maintain forest tree species, soil, air and water resources and by providing a habitat for wildlife and aquatic life. Therefore, it is decla…

Nothing in the Oregon Forest Practices Act shall prevent the conversion of forestland to any other use. [Formerly 527.730]

The State Board of Forestry shall establish a number of forest regions, but not less than three, necessary to achieve the purposes described in ORS 527.630. [1971 c.316 §6]

(1) The State Board of Forestry shall establish a forest practice committee for each forest region established pursuant to ORS 527.640. Each such committee shall consist of nine members, a majority of whom must reside in the region. Members of each committee shall be qualified by…

Each forest practice committee shall review proposed forest practice rules in order to assist the State Board of Forestry in developing rules appropriate to the forest conditions within its region. Committee recommendations are advisory only and the committees need not be consult…

(1) In any transaction for the conveyance of an ownership interest in forestland, the transferor must provide to the transferee, prior to the date of execution of the conveyance, written notice of any reforestation requirements imposed upon the land pursuant to the Oregon Forest …

(1) The State Board of Forestry shall designate the types of operations for which notice shall be required under this section. (2) The board shall identify by rule the types of operations that require a written plan. (3) In addition to any other types of operations identified by …

When a forest operation involves applying herbicides by aircraft near an inhabited dwelling or school, the operator is responsible for leaving an unsprayed strip of at least 60 feet adjacent to the dwelling or school. The responsibility of the operator under this section is in ad…

The State Board of Forestry may not adopt or enforce a rule under ORS 527.610 to 527.770 that requires that the board or the State Forester approve written plans as a required precedent to conducting a forest practice or operation. [2003 c.740 §13]

(1) In order to contribute to the overall maintenance of wildlife, nutrient cycling, moisture retention and other resource benefits of retained wood, when a harvest type 2 unit exceeding 25 acres or harvest type 3 unit exceeding 25 acres occurs the operator shall leave on average…

(1) As used in this section: (a) “Forest tree species” has the meaning given that term in ORS 527.620. (b) “Small forestland” means forestland as defined in ORS 527.620 that: (A) Has an owner that owns or holds common ownership interest in at least 10 acres of Oregon forestland b…

(1) Whenever the State Forester determines that an operator has committed a violation under ORS 527.990 (1), the State Forester may issue and serve a citation upon the operator or authorized representative. The State Forester shall cause a copy of the citation to be mailed or del…

(1) No civil penalty prescribed in ORS 527.992 shall be imposed until the person incurring the penalty has received notice in writing from the State Forester specifying the violation. Such notice is in addition to the notice required in ORS 183.745. (2) The citation issued pursua…

(1) The State Board of Forestry shall by rule establish the amount of civil penalty that may be imposed for a particular violation. Except as provided in subsections (5) and (6) of this section, a civil penalty may not exceed $10,000 per violation. (2) In imposing a penalty autho…

(1) Subject to the notice provisions of ORS 527.683, any civil penalty under ORS 527.992 shall be imposed in the manner provided in ORS 183.745. (2) In no case shall a hearing requested under ORS 183.745 be held less than 45 days from the date of service of the notice of penalty …

(1) In the event an order issued pursuant to ORS 527.680 (2)(b) directs the repair of damage or correction of an unsatisfactory condition, including compliance with reforestation requirements, and if the operator or landowner does not comply with the order within the period speci…

(1) Any operator, timber owner or landowner affected by any finding or order of the State Forester issued under ORS 527.610 to 527.770 and 527.992 may request a hearing within 30 days after issuance of the order. The hearing shall be commenced within 14 days after receipt of the …

(1) The State Forester, or a representative of the State Forester, shall conduct a program of inspections of forestland within the operating areas of operations for which notifications are filed pursuant to ORS 527.670 (6), at regular intervals, to assess compliance with ORS 527.…

(1) As used in this section, “photogrammetric mapping” has the meaning given that term in ORS 672.002. (2) To aid in monitoring compliance with ORS 527.610 to 527.770 and rules adopted thereunder, the State Board of Forestry shall adopt rules that: (a) Require persons that file n…

(1) In carrying out the purposes of ORS 527.610 to 527.770, 527.990 (1) and 527.992, the State Board of Forestry shall adopt, in accordance with applicable provisions of ORS chapter 183, rules to be administered by the State Forester establishing standards for forest practices in…

(1) The State Board of Forestry shall, as a single rule package following a single, consolidated rulemaking process: (a) Adopt rules consistent with the requirements of the Private Forest Accord Report dated February 2, 2022, and published by the State Forestry Department on Febr…

If a person is party to an agreement with the National Marine Fisheries Service or the United States Fish and Wildlife Service under the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 to 1544) and is engaging in a forest practice in compliance with the agreement, the fore…

(1) The rulemaking authority of the State Board of Forestry under ORS 527.610 to 527.770 consists generally of the following three types of rules: (a) Rules adopted to implement administration, procedures or enforcement of ORS 527.610 to 527.770 that support but do not directly r…

The State Board of Forestry shall establish, by rule, the standards and procedures to implement the provisions of ORS 197.180, 197.270, 197.825, 215.050, 477.440, 477.455, 477.460, 526.009, 526.016, 526.156, 527.620, 527.630, 527.660, 527.670, 527.683 to 527.724, 527.736 to 527.7…

By rule or by cooperative agreement entered into following an opportunity for public comment before the State Board of Forestry, the board shall provide for coordination with appropriate state and local agencies regarding procedures to be followed for review and comment on indivi…

(1) Notwithstanding any provisions of ORS chapters 195, 196, 197, 197A, 215 and 227, and except as provided in subsections (2), (3) and (4) of this section, no unit of local government shall adopt any rules, regulations or ordinances or take any other actions that prohibit, limit…

Subject to ORS 527.765 and 527.770, any forest operations on forestlands within this state shall be conducted in full compliance with the rules and standards of the Environmental Quality Commission relating to air and water pollution control. In addition to all other remedies pro…

(1) It is the policy of the State of Oregon that regulation of forest practices for the protection of aquatic species shall, in addition to other statutory requirements, be subject to a process of adaptive management, whereby goals and objectives are validated, and modified if ne…

(1) The Adaptive Management Program Committee is established as an advisory committee to the State Board of Forestry. (2) The committee shall consist of 10 voting members and up to three nonvoting members. (3) The board shall select a voting member from among two candidates recom…

(1) The Independent Research and Science Team is established as an advisory committee to the State Board of Forestry. (2) The team shall consist of an odd number of at least five voting members. The voting members must: (a) Have demonstrated subject matter expertise in a relevant…

(1) Subject to subsection (2) of this section, the State Board of Forestry may not adopt, amend or repeal a rule described in ORS 527.714 (1)(c) that relates to aquatic resources until the board has first received and considered reports that pertain to the rule from the Adaptive …

(1) The standards established in ORS 527.740 to 527.750 shall be administered by the State Forester as standards applying to all operations in the state, including those on forestland owned by the state or any political subdivision thereof. Pursuant to ORS 527.710 the State Board…

(1) As used in this section: (a) “Common ownership” means direct ownership by one or more individuals or ownership by a corporation, partnership, association or other entity in which an individual owns a significant interest. (b) “Small forestland owner minimum option” means any …

In any tax year that a tax credit allowed for use of the standard practice in lieu of the small forestland owner minimum option is not available to small forestland owners, State Board of Forestry rules must provide that restrictions on using the small forestland owner minimum op…

(1) No harvest type 3 unit within a single ownership shall exceed 120 acres in size, except as provided in ORS 527.750. (2) No harvest type 3 unit shall be allowed within 300 feet of the perimeter of a prior harvest type 3 unit within a single ownership if the combined acreage of…

(1) The State Board of Forestry shall adopt standards for the reforestation of harvest type 1 and harvest type 3. Unless the board makes the findings for alternate standards under subsection (2) of this section, the standards for the reforestation of harvest type 1 and harvest ty…

(1) Notwithstanding the requirements of ORS 527.740, a harvest type 3 unit within a single ownership that exceeds 120 acres but does not exceed 240 acres may be approved by the State Forester if all the requirements of this section and any additional requirements established by t…

(1) The following highways are hereby designated as scenic highways for purposes of the Oregon Forest Practices Act: (a) Interstate Highways 5, 84, 205, 405; and (b) State Highways 6, 7, 20, 18/22, 26, 27, 30, 31, 34, 35, 36, 38, 42, 58, 62, 66, 82, 97, 101, 126, 138, 140, 199, 2…

(1) The State Board of Forestry shall review its rules governing changes in land use and adopt or amend rules as necessary to assure that only bona fide, established and continuously maintained changes from forest uses are provided an exemption from reforestation requirements. Th…

(1) The State Board of Forestry shall establish best management practices and other rules applying to forest practices as necessary to insure that to the maximum extent practicable nonpoint source discharges of pollutants resulting from forest operations on forestlands do not imp…

A forest operator conducting, or in good faith proposing to conduct, operations in accordance with best management practices currently in effect shall not be considered in violation of any water quality standards. When the State Board of Forestry adopts new best management practi…

(1) A landowner is not liable in tort for any personal injury, death or property damage that arises out of the leaving of trees and other debris on the property of the landowner under the provisions of ORS 527.610 to 527.770, under any rules adopted pursuant to ORS 527.610 to 527…

(1) A landowner is not liable in tort for any personal injury, death or property damage that arises out of the leaving of large woody debris on the property of the landowner under the provisions of ORS 527.610 to 527.770, under any rules adopted pursuant to ORS 527.610 to 527.770…

As used in ORS 527.786 to 527.793: (1) “Department reporting system” means a forest activity electronic reporting and notice system operated by the State Forestry Department. (2) “Nearby recipient” means a person registered under ORS 527.787: (a) Whose parcel location information…

(1) A person may register with the State Forestry Department to receive notices of proposed or scheduled pesticide applications by helicopter to forestland near the residence of the person. To obtain registration, the person must provide the department with: (a) A description of …

(1) To the extent of any conflict between this section and ORS 527.610 to 527.770, the provisions of this section prevail. (2) Notwithstanding ORS 527.670, an operator, timber owner or landowner proposing to conduct a pesticide application by helicopter to forestland shall send t…

(1) Upon receipt of a notice under ORS 527.788 (2), a State Forestry Department reporting system shall provide the operator, timber owner or landowner that provided the notice with a list of, and contact information for, any nearby recipients for the proposed pesticide applicatio…

(1) An operator, timber owner or landowner that sends notice under ORS 527.788 of a proposed pesticide application by helicopter to forestland shall notify the State Forestry Department prior to the pesticide application by helicopter being made. A notice under this section must:…

(1) If a forestland unit identified in a notice sent under ORS 527.790 receives an incomplete pesticide application on the date specified in the notice, the operator, timber owner or landowner shall send a notice of incompletion to a State Forestry Department reporting system no …

(1) If the State Forestry Department receives a notice under ORS 527.790, at the beginning of the 90-day period identified in the notice, the department shall designate the forestland units identified in the notice as being in available status. Except as provided in subsection (2…