Other NCFP bloggers Martin and John, and I (to a limited extent) were at the One Third of the Nations’ Land Conference at the University of Colorado Law School this week.. more to come on that.
The timber panel that Martin led on Tuesday afternoon discussed the peacemaking going on between the timber industry and environmentalists through local collaborative efforts. Which is echoed in this morning’s piece in Oregon Live.
The poll by Public Opinion Strategies showed that 77 percent of respondents support the Oregon Eastside Forest Restoration Act drawn up by Sen. Ron Wyden, conservation groups and timber industry representatives. Half the respondents interviewed are residents of the 2nd Congressional District, which covers much of Oregon east of the Cascades. About 75 percent of them approve of the plan, according to the poll.
“The thing that surprised even us is the depth and breadth of support for this … across all demographics,” said Steve Pedery, conservation director for Oregon Wild, the environmental group that commissioned the poll.
Pollsters interviewed 500 voters by telephone from May 22 to 25, with 250 of them living in the 2nd Congressional District of Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Walden. Nearly 73 percent of the statewide respondents agreed with the statement that federal forest policies are outdated and need to be revisited. Eighty-one percent agreed that forest protection and increased timber production are compatible.