One of the most serious problems in the State of Oregon is adequately funding public schools. Yet we literally have money growing on trees in our state. While the management of all our forest lands can support school funding indirectly, the state’s Common School Fund lands have been designated specifically for funding public education. The purpose of this resolution is to call on the State Land Board to maximize the financial returns from these lands.
WHEREAS, nearly 100,000 acres of Oregon’s state-owned forest lands are designated Common School Fund lands administered by the State Land Board, and
WHEREAS, the Oregon Constitution mandates that revenue from these lands be used to fund public schools, and
WHEREAS, school funding has become one of the most vexing problems in the State of Oregon, and
WHEREAS, the Common School Fund lands are not being managed in a manner that maximizes revenue for our schools and by some estimates timber harvest levels from these lands could be increase dramatically within the bounds of environmental laws, and
WHEREAS, more intensive management and higher timber harvest levels will directly benefit the public school system in the State of Oregon.
THEREFORE, LET IT BE RESOLVED that the Oregon Logging Conference go one record in full support of maximizing timber harvest levels on the state’s Common School Fund lands to fulfill the Constitutional purpose of these lands to fund public schools.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oregon Logging Conference communicate this position to the State Land Board, comprised of the Governor, the Secretary of State and the State Treasurer, and ask that they fulfill its responsibility as administrators of these lands to maximize revenue to the state’s public schools..