Officials in Ore. oppose plan for Douglas fir monument

ALBANY, Ore. — Local officials say they strongly oppose a proposal by environmental groups that would create a Douglas fir national monument in Western Oregon.

A coalition of environmental groups would like to designate nearly 500,000 acres in Linn and Marion counties as a national monument. That would include most of the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land in Linn County, said county commissioner Will Tucker, plus nearly 50,000 acres of private land if it becomes available for purchase.

“This is very scary that this is being proposed,” Tucker told the Albany Democrat-Herald. “We’re definitely against this. We need to stop it now.”

Linn County Commissioners John Lindsey and Roger Nyquist also opposed the idea this week.

But creating the monument wouldn’t mean any additional regulations on state or private land unless it was acquired by the federal government, according to conservation lobbyist Andy Kerr. He said a national monument designation would draw tourists to the area.

“They will spend money locally while they are enjoying the forest,” he said. “The difference is in branding. If it shows up as a different color on the map, they will think, ‘Hey, here’s something special,’ and come see it.”

Kerr, who owns the Larch Company, said the coalition views the draft proposal as a way to start a conversation about conserving the Douglas fir forests for future generations.

In an email, Tucker called the move “the worst case of land grab.”

“The old trees they talk of, the 300- to 900-year-old trees are already protected,” he wrote. “We do not need more protection, we need better science applied to forest management. We do not need more private land to be taken from private ownership. We need more public access to federal lands and federal land returned to Oregon.”