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State considers tree farm exchange
Discussion involves exchanging state forest property for 90,000 acres of timberland
By TY BEAVER
H&N Staff Writer
June 17, 2008
The state of Oregon may exchange state forest property for
90,000 acres of timberland in central K lamath County and transfer it to
the Klamath Tribes.
State Rep. Bill Garrard, RKlamath Falls, and a spokesman for the
state Department of Forestry confirmed discussions were under way.
“I think it’s safe to say it’s a dynamic conversation with a lot of
different options,” said John Shea, business development director with
Olympic Resource Management, the company that manages the property.
The property, known as the Mazama Tree Farm, is part of the Klamath
Basin Restoration Agreement, which allocates water rights among
stakeholders in the Klamath Basin watershed. If the agreement is
implemented and funded, federal funds would be provided to the Tribes to
buy the land for economic development. It is currently owned by Fidelity
National Investments.
Garrard said his knowledge of discussions involves the state
exchanging two pieces of property in Klamath and Deschutes counties for
the Mazama Tree Farm.
The state would then work to transfer ownership of the property to
the Tribes during a transition period.
Dan Postrel, a spokesman for the state forestry department, said the
exchange would be part of a larger transaction involving other land
parcels around the state. The state is also looking at an arrangement
that would establish a purchase agreement with the Tribes to give them
ownership.
“We’ve been looking for opportunities to preserve large parcels
rather than having them sold piecemeal,” he said.
Conceptual stage
It is unclear when or if the deal will go through, and Postrel added
that talks are “very, very conceptual at this stage.”
Will Hatcher, a Klamath Tribes councilman, said he was unaware of the
discussion and could not comment. Officials at Gov. Kulongoski’s office
said it was too early to comment on the issue.
If the state buys the tree farm, Garrard said that legislation and
local community support would be needed to successfully transfer the
property to tribal ownership.
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