Jan. 6—Douglas County recently announced that Commissioner Tim Freeman has been re-elected for his eighth term as the president of the Association of O&C Counties.

The AOCC unanimously re-elected its leaders for 2023-24 at the AOCC annual meeting held on Friday, December 15, at the Grand Hotel in Salem. In addition to Freeman, Polk County Commissioner Craig Pope was re-elected as secretary/treasurer and Coos County Commissioner Bob Main was re-elected as vice president.

This meeting also marks the end of the first year for the new Executive Director Doug Robertson.

“It is truly an honor to be re-elected once again as president of the AOCC. I am thankful for the continued support of my fellow AOCC members, who trust me in leading this crucially important work,” Freeman said. “Together with my colleagues and the staff at AOCC, we will continue to work hard to secure solutions to manage our unique congressionally designated lands.”

AOCC represents the unique O&C timberlands in 18 western Oregon counties, the 18 counties host 2.1 million acres of O&C timberlands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. AOCC advocates for sustained yield management of O&C timberlands, as required by federal law under the O&C Act, to protect and support jobs and local economies, county services, and healthy timberlands.

During its annual meeting, AOCC members were presented with an update from the Bureau of Land Management Oregon State Director Barry Bushue regarding O&C timberland management, timber sales, fire salvage, reforestation efforts, and some of the challenges facing the agency in 2024. One of those challenges centered around filling key positions within the Department of Interior that have been vacated by retirements and employee movement. Roseburg BLM District Manager Heather Whitman was among several staff members in attendance and reported on activities within the local Roseburg District. Christiana Woods, the new O&C State forester also reported on proposed activities in 2024 including volume and value estimates that could impact payments to O&C counties.

Next on the agenda was a report from AOCC’s Washington DC representative on activities and proposed legislation including the status of the Secure Rural Schools Program which expired on September 30. Freeman then introduced staff members from the congressional offices of Oregon US Representatives Lori Chavez DeRemer, Val Hoyle, and Cliff Bentz. The guest speaker for the annual meeting was Travis Joseph, the executive director of The American Forest Resource Council. The meeting concluded with a detailed presentation from Dominic Carollo, the association’s general council, on the current litigation and the joint effort with AFRC to get the O&C lawsuit, originally filed against the 2016 BLM Resource Management Plan, accepted, and will ultimately be ruled on by the US Supreme Court.

The 1937 O&C Act is widely regarded as the first congressional conservation act. It regulates the management of the federal timber resource. The O&C Act signaled an end to the cut-and-run policies in the early years of the 20th century. By requiring management under the principle of Sustained Yield, timber harvest cannot outpace the annual growth of the forest, resulting in a perpetual supply of timber while concurrently providing quality habitat for wildlife, watershed protection, and recreational opportunities for the public.

Judge Leon’s decision not only reaffirms the principles and requirements of the O&C Act, but also provides the foundation to create new job opportunities throughout the entire economic sector. In addition, Sustained Yield management will provide much needed revenue to fund vital County services such as the Sheriff’s Office, 911 Communications, Senior Services, Veteran Services, Public Works infrastructure projects and public health programs. For more information on AOCC click here: http://www.oandc.org/.