Dr. Bob Zybach & the Saga of The Elliott Forest Pt. 4

3 PM Monday, June 2, 2025

Dr. Zybach is the foremost expert on The Elliot Forest, and he will explain the effects of Senate Bill 147 A and the newly established Habitat Conservation Plan. Dr. Zybach wrote an article in the Northwest Observer titled "Elliott Forest Plan Hides Secrets." He also has a new book out, Spotted Owls, Murrelets, Coho & Their Critical Habitats: An Anthology (Zybach Forestry Anthologies), and many of his other works are at Oregon Websites & Watersheds Project, Inc. (orww.org).

Senate Bill 147 A is currently circulating in the legislature, and it would transfer 83,000 acres of the Elliott State Forest from the State Board of Forestry to the State Land Board with the provision that the state designate it for research. The Elliott State Forest in Coos Bay was founded in 1930 and is Oregon's first State Forest. A past piece of legislation initially allowed the Oregon State University to manage the research forest. However, OSU backed out, citing differences between the State Land Board, Tribal Nations, Counties, timber companies, and other stakeholders.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced approval of the habitat conservation plan for the Elliott State Research Forest and issuance of an Endangered Species Act permit for implementing the plan over the next 80 years. The HCP is the state's first for public forest lands and is key as the Elliott begins actively operating in 2025 as Oregon's first state research forest.