Based on stakeholder negotiations documented in the Private Forest Accord Report, the Oregon legislature, in Senate Bill 1501 in the 2022 session, directed the Board of Forestry to update the state’s forest practice rules and established the Adaptive Management Program, OAR 629-603-0000 through 629-603-0600.
The Adaptive Management Program will help design effectiveness monitoring of forest practices rules and the inform future rulemaking to support the state’s application for a programmatic habitat conservation plan (HCP), and subsequent incidental take permits from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The goal of the program is to use the best available science to assess the effectiveness of rules for achieving the biological goals and objectives described in the HCP. The Adaptive Management Program includes two advisory bodies: (1) the Adaptive Management Program Committee (AMPC), which develops the policy direction for the program, including the research questions; and (2) the Independent Research & Science Team (IRST).
INR was selected as the housing agency for IRST and provides staff support.
