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State forests were acquired in different ways, and the two types are owned by different entities – the Board of Forestry and the State Land Board. Each has its own set of legal mandates.
Board of Forestry lands (657,000 acres) comprise 84 percent of state forestland, and Common School Lands (124,000) total 16 percent.
Board of Forestry lands are mostly in the Tillamook, Clatsop and Santiam state forests. The state acquired the lands primarily in the 1940s from counties that had received the cut-over or burned lands from private owners in lieu of back taxes.
Counties transferred deeds to the state to manage, rehabilitate and reforest the lands. In return, counties receive a share of the revenues from the harvest of forest products. The revenue distribution formula is fixed in statute (63.75 percent to counties; 36.25 percent to state for management of the lands).
Common School Lands are primarily in the Elliott State Forest. The federal government granted these lands to the state in 1859 when Oregon became a state. The Oregon Department of Forestry manages the forests for the State Land Board through an agreement with the Department of State Lands.
Revenue generated from these lands goes to the Common School Fund, which helps fund public education in Oregon. The Oregon Department of Forestry’s cost for managing the land is billed to the Common School Fund.
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