Northwest Forest Plan—The First 10 Years (1994–2003): Socioeconomic Monitoring of Coos Bay District and Three Local Communities
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Date
2006-07
Authors
McLain, Rebecca J. (Rebecca Jean)
Tobe, Lisa
Charnley, Susan
Donoghue, Ellen M. (Ellen Mary)
Moseley, Cassandra
Pacific Northwest Research Station (Portland, Or.)
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station
Abstract
This case study examines the socioeconomic changes that took place between 1990 and
2000 in and around lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Coos Bay
District in southwestern Oregon for purposes of assessing the effects of the Northwest
Forest Plan (the Plan) on rural economies and communities in the Coos Bay region. The
case study included an analysis of changes in the district’s programs, as well as socioeconomic
changes that occurred within the communities of Coos Bay, Myrtle Point, and
Reedsport. Data were gathered during 2003 and 2004 from multiple sources including
U.S. census databases, county and state criminal justice and economic development
databases, and BLM annual reports. Interviews with BLM employees and community
residents provided additional insights on how the Plan affected local socioeconomic
conditions and the district’s interactions with local communities.
The study indicates that by the time the record of decision for the Plan was signed,
the Coos Bay region’s timber sector had already lost a substantial portion of the wood
products processing capacity and employment opportunities. Additionally, the changes in
socioeconomic conditions that took place in the mid and late 1990s—an outflow of younger
workers, inmigration of older workers and retirees, school closures, increased levels of
educational attainment, declines in manufacturing sectors, and expansion of the services
sector—are changes that took place during the same period in rural communities across
much of the Western United States. It is thus likely that the types of overall socioeconomic
changes observed in the Coos Bay region between 1990 and 2004 would have occurred
with or without the Plan.
Owing to legal challenges, the Coos Bay District was unable to provide a steady and
predictable supply of timber from 1994 onward. District foresters shifted their focus toward
developing thinning techniques for density management of stands less than 80 years old.
Barring legal action, sales from these younger stands will enable the district to provide a
predictable supply of smaller diameter timber in future years. In the post-Plan years, the
Coos Bay District also significantly expanded its capacity to carry out multiple-use land
management. It played a key role in community-based watershed restoration and recreation
and tourism development efforts. As a result, the district is now in a much better position to
provide the public, including residents of local communities, with a broad array of forest
values and opportunities (i.e., improved fish habitat, more recreation sites, more cultural
sites, etc.). Key factors in the success of post-Plan community-district partnerships included
ongoing and substantial support from upper level leadership, a stable district budget (in
marked contrast to the budget declines in neighboring national forests), and a relatively
stable staffing level (in contrast to the downsizing that occurred in neighboring national
forests).
Description
160 p.
Print copies of this title are available through the UO Libraries under the call number: KNIGHT SD11 .A4557 no. 675; and: SCA OrColl SD11 .A4557 no. 675
Print copies of this title are available through the UO Libraries under the call number: KNIGHT SD11 .A4557 no. 675; and: SCA OrColl SD11 .A4557 no. 675
Keywords
Social assessment, Economic assessment, Regional planning -- Oregon -- Coos Bay Region, Rural development -- Oregon -- Coos Bay Region, Coos Bay Region (Or.), Northwest Forest Plan (U.S.), Forest policy -- Economic aspects -- Oregon -- Coos County, Forest policy -- Social aspects -- Oregon -- Coos County, Forests and forestry -- Economic aspects -- Oregon -- Coos County, Forests and forestry -- Social aspects -- Oregon -- Coos County, Forestry and community -- Oregon -- Coos County