SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Two members of the state land board voted to sell Oregon’s oldest state forest, while a third member, Gov. Kate Brown, insisted it remain in public hands.
Amid Tuesday’s vote on the Elliott State Forest in the Department of State Lands, Brown took to Twitter to rally public support for her position. She said on Oregon’s 158th birthday, it was important to come together to keep the Elliott State Forest in public hands. Voting for selling were state Treasurer Tobias Read and Secretary of State Jim Richardson.
The vote did not appear to be a final decision on the fate of the 82,500-acre forest. An official said Brown asked the lands director to present other options for public ownership at the next land board meeting.