Taxing Big Timber to Protect Communities from Wildfire

On today’s show, Canopy of Titans: the Life and Times of the Great North American Temperate Rainforest!

Canopy of Titans is a new book written by journalists Paul Koberstein and Jessica Applegate which shines a light on the critical importance of protecting the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest.

Paul and Jessica spent years reporting and researching for this book, traveling from the redwoods all the way up to alaska, and interviewing dozens of scientists, activists, experts, and even a few industry shills.  The result is a truly moving celebration of the incredible forests we fight for, and a major contribution to that fight.

Canopy of Titans has just been announced as a finalist for the 2024 Oregon Book awards, and I am thrilled to be joined by one of the authors, Paul Koberstein.

Cascadia Times: https://times.org/

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Where I live in the coast range, I am surrounded in all directions by industrial timber plantations for miles in all directions.

Now, I have no problem with logging.  I think silviculture is a good and noble profession.  But it is plain for anyone to see that the short rotation, financialized plantation management practiced by the Wall Street investors who own the vast majority of private timberland is destroying our communities and ecosystems.

The Coast Range Association has been highlighting the need for an alternative model of forest management that sustains both economies and ecosystems for decades.  So when I heard about today’s guest’s research into community forests, I was all ears.

Alexander Harris is the Land and Water policy manager at the bellingham based non-profit ReSources.   Alexander recently completed a graduate program in Environmental Policy at Western Washington University, where his research explored how community-driven forest stewardship can help restore watersheds.

Research Links/Show Notes:
Restoring The Nooksak Through Community-Driven Forest Stewardship: https://cedar.wwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2151&context=wwuet

Referenced in this episode:
https://www.nwcommunityforests.org/
https://stewartmountaincf.org/
https://nisquallylandtrust.org/our-lands-and-projects/nisqually-community-forest
https://www.dnr.wa.gov/Teanaway
https://co.chelan.wa.us/natural-resources/pages/nason-ridge-community-forest
https://www.sightline.org/profile/kate-anderson/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBKlofDmdpo&pp=ygUOamVycnkgZnJhbmtsaW4%3D

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For those of us who work to make a positive impact on the world, there is often a default towards focusing on big national and international level issues.

Between the rapidly worsening climate crisis, national campaigns to preserve Mature and Old growth forests, decarbonization and electrification fights, never-ending election cycles, on and on,  it’s easy to forget that there are important local, grassroots struggles happening in communities everywhere that deserve our support and attention.

Local campaigns are, for a variety of reasons, overlooked and underappreciated. But that's where a small number of dedicated people can have an outsized impact, and cumulatively, these local fights can translate into big wins..

I am going to work to highlight some of those campaigns this year, and we’ll learn about two of them today.


Research Links/Show Notes:
Winchester Dam

• https://winchesterdam.com/
• Feb 17 Roseburg Protest: https://winchesterdam.com/saturday-february-17-2024-at-100-pm-protest-to-remove-winchester-dam-in-front-of-fred-meyer-in-roseburg/

Pipe Fork Creek/Williams Community Forest Project

• http://williamscommunityforestproject.org/
• https://www.williamscommunityforestproject.org/save-pipe-fork/
• https://www.change.org/p/permanently-prevent-the-clearcutting-of-pipe-fork-mature-forest-in-josephine-county

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I don’t have to tell anyone reading this that here in the west, wildfires are a fact of life. I’m also sure that most folks are already aware that the climate crisis, combined with more and more homes being built in and around forest lands is creating an escalating cycle of devastation in fire prone communities.

There is a tremendous amount of pressure on politicians and agencies to act, or at least to be seen to be acting, but right now, too many people, including many key decision makers, are looking at the problem backwards.

To talk about the real solutions to protecting communities from wildfires, as well as an exciting piece of legislation making its way through Salem, I’m joined by Ralph Bloemers.  Ralph is the Director of Fire Safe Communities for the Green Oregon Alliance, producer of the award winning wildfire documentary Elemental, and has worked on forest conservation issues for decades. 

He is a wealth of information on wildfires, the right and wrong way to protect communities and homes, and current legislative efforts to address these issues.

You can also email me anytime with feedback, questions, or show ideas at michael@coastrange.org

Show Notes:

https://www.opb.org/article/2023/12/23/jeff-golden-preps-proposals-wildfire-preparedness-funding/

https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2024/01/03/oregon-needs-more-money-to-fight-big-wildfires-who-should-pay-for-it/

https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2024/01/10/timber-industry-tied-to-proposal-shifting-wildfire-protection-costs-from-landowners-to-public/

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This is our first episode of 2024, and I can’t think of a better guest to start the year off with than State Representative David Gomberg.

Representative Gomberg represents House district 10, which encompassess Lincoln County, as well as parts of western Benton and Lane counties, and happens to be my State Representative.

Among many other positions, he serves as co-vice chair of the powerful Ways and Means budgeting committee and co-chair of the subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development, and is the Chair of the bipartisan Coastal Caucus.

Before we get started, if you want to learn more about the Oregon Legislature, how it works, how to meaningfully engage, how to contact your representatives, and more, oregonlegislature.gov is a pretty great resource for a government run website.  There are also links to resources and tutorials in our show notes below.

You can also email me, michael@coastrange.org, with questions, comments, or suggestions about this episode, or anything else.

Show Notes:
David Gomberg Legislative Webpage https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/gomberg
https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/
https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023I1#

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It’s dark, it’s cold, and it’s very rainy.  We may be a couple weeks from the solstice as of this recording, but for my money, we’ve definitely entered another coast range winter.

I love to use this time of year to reflect and take stock, so I figured it was a great time to invite the Coast Range Association’s Executive director, Chuck Willer back for our annual year in review episode.

You can find out more about everything we’ll be discussing today at our website, coastrange.org, and I really want to encourage everyone listening to go to the website and subscribe to our email newsletter.  We only send out a few emails a year, and I can promise that Chuck always has something to say that’s worth reading!

Research Links/Show Notes:

https://coastrange.org/sign-up-for-our-newsletter/

https://coastrange.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Wealth-Income-and-Rural-Communities-sm.pdf

NW Forest Plan Amendment One-pager: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1151261.pdf

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I recently had a great interview with Brenna TwoBears from the Indigenous Environmental Network, but I couldn’t fit our whole conversation into our last full episode.

Brenna came on to talk about IEN’s ongoing fight to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline, and how you can take action by submitting comments to the army corps of engineers by December 13th.   But we also covered a lot more ground, and I really appreciated what Brenna had to say on the broader context of an indigenous just transition, the proposed Thacker Pass lithium mine, and more!

I think anyone who likes this show will too, so I’m putting out an extended version of our conversation.

If you like what we’re doing here on Coast Range Radio, please help us out by sharing this episode with your friends, and consider leaving us a nice review on whatever podcast app you use.

Ps- if you don’t know how to do that, feel free to email me at michael@coastrange.org and I’ll send you directions.

As always you can find all episodes of Coast Range Radio on apple podcasts, spotify, or any other podcast app, and at coastrange.org .

And, last plug I promise, it would mean a lot to us at the coast range association for you to become a monthly donor at coastrange.org, or click this donate link.  We are a small outfit, but we’re extremely passionate about this work, and your support is critical to our ability to be effective.

Research Links/Show Notes:

• Indigenous Environmental Network: https://www.ienearth.org/
• IEN’s DAPL action alert: https://www.ienearth.org/dapl-deis-public-comment-period-extended/
• Register for Dec 7th virtual comment writing party: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrcuusqjIiHNSQqFH0ID1davrVIBxBkAs1#/registration
• Further reading on DAPL:
• https://truthout.org/articles/5-years-after-standing-rock-native-tribes-still-fight-dakota-access-pipeline/
• https://www.npr.org/2023/09/08/1198492185/dakota-access-pipeline-river-crossing-environmental-review

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Today, we have not one, but two amazing guests talking about two important and timely topics: the Dakota Access Pipeline fight, and the recent Elliot State Forest drama.

Bob Sallinger joins to walk me through the bombshell that Oregon State University just dropped on the Elliott State forest process, and why them walking away might actually be good news.

But first, we’ll hear a short excerpt of my conversation with Brenna TwoBears from the Indigenous Environmental Network about their ongoing fight to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline, and how you can take action by submitting comments to the army corps of engineers by December 13th. 

My conversation with Brenna was really fun and we covered way more ground than I could fit into this episode, so I’m releasing the extended interview as a bonus podcast.  I hope you give that a listen, I think fans of this show will really appreciate the full conversation!

Speaking of our podcast feed, we have very few reviews and ratings, and it would mean a lot to me if a few more listeners gave us a rating and review.

And, last plug I promise, it would mean a lot to us at the coast range association for you to become a monthly donor at coastrange.org, or click this donate link.  We are a small outfit, but we’re extremely passionate about this work, and your support is critical to our ability to be effective.

As always, my email is michael@coastrange.org.

Research Links/Show Notes:

• Previous CRR interview w Bob Sallinger on the Elliot: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1046044/10000241
• Bird Conversation Oregon: https://www.birdconservationoregon.org/
• Oregon Dept of State Lands Elliott page: https://www.oregon.gov/dsl/Land/Pages/Elliott.aspx
• Indigenous Environmental Network: https://www.ienearth.org/
• IEN’s DAPL action alert: https://www.ienearth.org/dapl-deis-public-comment-period-extended/
• Register for Dec 7th virtual comment writing party: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrcuusqjIiHNSQqFH0ID1davrVIBxBkAs1#/registration
• Further reading on DAPL:
• https://truthout.org/articles/5-years-after-standing-rock-native-tribes-still-fight-dakota-access-pipeline/
• https://www.npr.org/2023/09/08/1198492185/dakota-access-pipeline-river-crossing-environmental-review

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This is part three of our Forests Over Profits series, featuring selected presentations from the Forests Over Profits Conference that the Coast Range Association helped organize this September.

I’m so excited for you to hear this talk by John Brush of the Cedar Moon Collective and Tryon Life Farm, entitled, "Should Anyone Own The Forest?".

From the "Rights of Nature" legal movement, to community forestry, and resurgent indigenous sovereignty, Brush shared a diverse and creative set of approaches that seek to undermine capitalist extraction as the primary human relation with land.

I really appreciated how Brush’s approach made me think about forest ownership and relation to the land from a completely different perspective.

If this show helps give you a different perspective or inspires you, please consider subscribing to Coast Range Radio on apple podcasts, spotify, or any podcast app, and I would be so grateful if you would leave a good review. 

You can also learn more about the Coast Range Association at coastrange.org and my email is michael@coastrange.org.

Research Links/Show Notes:
 - ‘Should anyone "own" the forest?’, by John Brush, brush@riseup.net, (includes research links in the endnotes)
https://tryonfarm.org/who.owns.forest.pdf
- New Zealand forest and river given rights of “legal person”
http://maorilawreview.co.nz/2014/10/tuhoe-crown-settlement-te-urewera-act-2014/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/16/new-zealand-river-granted-same-legal-rights-as-human-being

This episode is dedicated to the memory of Sean Jacobson.  Sean was an incredibly passionate activist, permaculture practitioner, and an active member of many many different organizing efforts.  I knew Sean through our work with the Pacific Northwest Forest Climate Alliance, which put on the Forests Over Profits conference.

I know how bleak the world can often feel, and it can be hard not to feel hopeless sometimes.  But there is always beauty in the world, and there is always something to keep living and fighting for.

If you’re struggling, it’s not your fault and you are not alone. 

Please reach out to someone, whether it’s a friend or family member, a therapist, or as comedian Maria Bamford says, any random stranger who will listen.   Speaking of, again, my email is michael@coastrange.org, and I’ve always got a willing ear to lend.

https://988lifeline.org/

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This episode is part two of our Forests Over Profits series, featuring excerpts from our Forests Over Profits conference and protests this past September.  If you’re not familiar with this series, here’s what you need to know:

This September, the Coast Range Association, in partnership with many other amazing organizations, organized a series of protests and a day long Forests Over Profits conference in response to a corporate timberland investment conference called, and this is their title, “Who Will Own the Forest”.

Who Will Own The Forest brings together some of the world’s biggest climate polluters, corporate clear-cutters, finance giants, and false climate solutions peddlers, to network and scheme on how to extract maximum short-term returns from while devastating our communities and the climate.

If you want to learn more about the Who Will Own The Forest conference, I would highly encourage you to go back and listen to the episode I did a few weeks back called, “Who Will Own the Forest, with Brenna Bell”, which you can find on the Coast Range Radio podcast feed.

You can also learn more at forestsoverprofits.org.

Ok, back to this episode. Today, we’ll hear from Coast Range Association executive Director Chuck Willer.  Chuck spoke about the groundbreaking work Coast Range Association has done highlighting the devastating role that wall street style capitalism has played in northwest forests, his Green New Deal for Northwest Forests proposal, and new directions his research is taking him.

You can learn more about everything discussed here today, and a lot more, at coastrange.org.

Research Links/Show Notes:

Coast Range Association: https://coastrange.org/

• Green New Deal for NW Forests: https://coastrange.org/gnd-proposal/
• Wealth, Income, and Rural Communities: https://coastrange.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Wealth-Income-and-Rural-Communities-sm.pdf

Forests Over Profits:

• Forestsoverprofits.org
• https://www.worldforestry.org/who-will-own-the-forest/

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