Initial Posting Date:

03/17/2025

Application Deadline:

/

Agency:

Department of State Lands

Salary Range:

$0,000 - $0,000

Position Type:

Employee

Position Title:

Elliott State Research Forest Board Member

Job Description:

Overview of the Elliott State Research Forest

The Elliott State Forest was established northeast of Coos Bay in 1930 as Oregon's first state forest. The Hanis (Coos) and Quuiich (Lower Umpqua) people are the original people and stewards of the lands that we now refer to as the Elliott State Research Forest.

Today, the Elliott’s approximately 83,000 acres are overseen by the State Land Board and managed by the Department of State Lands pursuant to oversight by a public Board of Directors.

In October 2024, the State Land Board officially established the Elliott State Research Forest, adopting the initial forest management plan. DSL is continuing collaborative work to implement the plan and complete other key actions outlined in the Elliott State Research Forest and 2024 workplan.

The Elliott State Research Forest is intended to serve as a nationally important center for forest science and management that also contributes to conservation, education, recreation, Indigenous culture, and local economies right here in Oregon. The research forest’s Mission is an enduring, publicly owned, world-class research forest that:

(1) Advances and supports forest health, climate resilience, carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, recovery of imperiled species, water quality and quantity, recreational opportunities and local economies as well as scientific research that improves knowledge related to forest management’s role in achieving these qualities; and

(2) Is managed to promote collaboration, partnerships, inclusive public processes and equity.

History of the Elliott State Research Forest’s creation

After years of uncertainty, idled management, and conflict, the State Land Board voted in 2017 to keep the Elliott State Forest in public ownership. It directed the Department of State Lands to move forward with work to achieve the Land Board's vision for the Elliott, which includes:

• Keeping the forest publicly owned with public access
• Decoupling the forest from the Common School Fund, compensating the school fund for the forest and releasing the forest from its obligation to generate revenue for schools
• Continuing habitat conservation planning to protect species and allow for harvest
• Providing for multiple forest benefits, including recreation, education, and working forest research

After an independent assessment and related collaborative process, the pathway of the Elliott becoming a research forest emerged as the way to achieve the above vision.

Decoupling the Elliott from the Common School Fund

The Land Board vision calls for “decoupling” the forest from the Common School Fund – compensating the Fund for the Elliott and releasing the forest from its obligation to generate revenue for schools.

​On December 13, 2022, the State Land Board voted to decouple the Elliott State Forest from the Common School Fund. The decoupling action was made possible through an appraisal process (2016, revisited in 2022) and support of the Oregon Legislature ($100 million in 2019 from sale of legislatively approved bonds, and $121 million in 2022 from general funds). DSL then finalized corresponding payments totaling $221 million to the Fund in order to satisfy Common School Fund obligations and free the forest of its historic obligation to generate revenue for K-12 public schools.​

Developing a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP)

The Land Board also directed DSL to seek an HCP from the federal agencies responsible for administering the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). The purpose of this HCP is to establish permitted approaches for active management and timber harvest on the forest in compliance with the ESA, and to ensure conservation of at-risk species such as salmon, spotted owls, and marbled murrelet.

DSL has finalized and submitted the Elliott State Research Forest Habitat Conservation Plan to federal agencies, which is currently pending final review and decisions under the federal ESA and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Visit the federal Elliott HCP website.​

For more information, please visit our website on the Elliott: https://www.oregon.gov/dsl/Pages/Elliott.aspx

ESRF Board of Directors: Duties & Responsibilities

At its April 2024 meeting, the Land Board adopted an ESRF Oversight Structure, which not only sets forth the research forest’s mission and management policies but clarifies Land Board and DSL roles as well as establishes a public Board of Directors structure. DSL and the Land Board have since operationalized the Board and appointed members. The ESRF Board’s Duties and Responsibilities are:

The ESRF Board shall advise the DSL Director and ESRF Forest Manager, and advance recommendations if it has them, on the following:

Evaluation, or contract for evaluation, of whether management of the forest (operational planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting) is being effectively integrated with a lead research entity or entities.

Evaluation of whether the mission and management policies for the Elliott State Research Forest are being effectively implemented.

The operational and fiscal integrity of the ESRF.

The hiring of an ESRF forest manager as well as delegation of responsibilities to this position.

The scope of biennial operations plans.

The advancement and/or implementation of operations and research programs, whether prospective (based on proposed programs) or retrospective (based on ongoing or past implementation of programs).

After considering public comments received in response to the Department’s circulation of materials related to items below, as well as any further input the ESRF Board solicits, the ESRF Board shall advise the ESRF Forest Manager and/or DSL Director with recommendations on:

Department budgets for the ESRF, including related to its Agency Request Budget.

Biennial operations reports.

Biennial operations plans.

Proposed research plans or programs.

Recreation plans.

Education plans.

A forest management plan.

Any sale of carbon credits or entry into easements or other encumbrances of lands in the forest.

Any expansion or exchange of lands in the forest.

Any amendments to a habitat conservation plan related to the forest

Any proposed amendments to the Elliott State Research Forest Proposal.

Any other submission to federal or state agencies that relates to revising or clarifying ESRF management or policy direction.

Any proposed receipt of funds, including bequests, or funding requests made to the federal government, private sector, state agencies or the Legislative Assembly not otherwise covered in subsection 2(A), including any request for issuance of revenue bonds, certificates of participation financing, or state-funded debt service.

Any other plans or decisions DSL intends to make of significance to advancement of or compliance with the ESRF’s mission and management policies.

In advancing oversight, advice or recommendations, the ESRF Board shall review DSL proposals, plans, reports or other information submitted to it (by DSL, the public or otherwise) relevant to the subject matter in subsections (1) and (2) above. While DSL and the State Land Board have responsibility for decisions on plans, amendments, or other decision areas referenced in subsection (1) and (2), the ESRF Board’s review and any advice or recommendations related to those subsections will focus on and strive to ensure consistency with the direction and intent of the applicable Forest Management Plan, Habitat Conservation Plan, research direction, or overall mission and management policies of the ESRF. The ESRF Board shall also:

Review DSL’s biennial or other programmatic reports to the State Land Board on the ESRF and may provide recommendations to the State Land Board on the DSL reports.

Promote transparency around decisions concerning the forest, including forums to provide public input in association with ESRF Board meetings or separately.

The ESRF Board may also:

Form advisory bodies or subcommittees as the Board deems necessary and appropriate.

Request that DSL pursue funding of ESRF operations and/or research through state issued bonds, certificates of participation or similar instruments as well as other opportunities identified by the ESRF Board.

For more details about the board’s oversight and structure, please see plan approved on April 9th, 2024: https://www.oregon.gov/dsl/Documents/ESRF_OversightStructure.pdf

ESRF Board Application Process

The Department of State Lands and the Elliott State Research Forest Board are committed to ensuring that all boards represent the growing age, racial and gender diversity of the state. This is an amazing opportunity to pool our collective viewpoints, visions, and hopes for Oregon — and all community members are welcome and encouraged to serve. Please note that you must be an Oregon resident and taxpayer to participate unless otherwise noted.

If you are a current State of Oregon employee or a current Board Member with an OR number, you must apply through your employee Workday account.

Only completed applications will be considered for appointment to the board. The online application will take you through the following steps:

• Contact Information
• Short Personal Biography
• Supplemental Questions
• Demographic Questions
• Resume (upload PDF)
• Background Check Questions*
• Voluntary Disclosures
• Additional Task**

*All applicants are subject to a criminal history and revenue check. Additional vetting may apply for some board positions. Notifying us about something in your past does not necessarily mean that you can’t or won’t be appointed, but it is important that you disclose this information in the beginning of the process to minimize delays.

**The State of Oregon requires Board and Commission member applicants to supply their social security number for the purpose of background checks, and for those members appointed, to be put in the state's HR/Payroll system. You will receive a task immediately following the submission of your application. Please complete the task with valid information to finish the application process.

Submitting the Application

If at any time you close your browser window prior to submitting your application, the application will be saved as a draft; however, you may lose some information entered on the application. Once you submit your application, you will not be able to edit the information you provided. If changes need to be made to your submitted application, you may withdraw your application and submit a new one.

If you are unable to complete the application online, please contact a member of the Department of State Lands Human Resources:

• Tricarico Schwartz: Tricarico.schwartz@dsl.oregon.gov
• Jimmie Phillips: Jimmie.jr.phillips@dsl.oregon.gov

You may submit an application at any time, regardless of whether there is a current opening, as resignations may occur throughout the year. You will be notified by a member of the Department of State Lands Human Resources if your application is selected to move forward for further consideration.

Important Notes

• All demographic questions are optional and are elicited in order to ensure that this administration considers the talent and creativity of a diverse pool of candidates. In addition, specific backgrounds or qualifications are legally required for some Boards and Commissions. You may, therefore, wish to provide this information in order to ensure that you are considered for relevant Boards and Commissions.
• All applications are considered public records and subject to the public records law. Should your materials be requested as a public record, the state will make every effort to protect all personal information (i.e., addresses, phone numbers, and narrative information that would be considered an invasion of privacy).

Thank you for your interest in serving on the Elliott State Research Forest Board!