Douglas County has announced that Commissioner Tim Freeman has been re-elected for his sixth term as the President of the Association of O&C Counties (AOCC).

The AOCC unanimously re-elected its leaders for 2021 at the AOCC annual meeting held on Friday, December 17, 2021. In addition to Commissioner Freeman, Polk County Commissioner, Craig Pope was re-elected as Secretary/Treasurer and Coos County Commissioner, Bob Main was re-elected as Vice President.

“I am truly honored to be re-elected and I am thankful to have the support of the members of the AOCC, who trust me in leading this crucially important work.” Freeman said. “Together with my colleagues and the staff at AOCC, we will continue to work hard to secure solutions to manage our unique congressional designated lands.”

The AOCC represents the O&C lands in 18 western Oregon counties, the 18 counties host 2.1 million acres of O&C timberlands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

AOCC advocates for sustained yield management of O&C lands, as required by federal law under the O&C Act, to protect and support jobs and local economies, county services, and healthy timber land.

During its annual meeting, AOCC members discussed the latest decision filed by Judge Richard Leon of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

On November 19, 2021, Judge Leon continued to validate the claims made by the AOCC Counties, most notable being, that the Bureau of Land Management(BLM) must explicitly follow the terms of the 1937 O&C Act, in which all O&C lands classified as timber land shall be managed for permanent timber production under the principle of “Annual Sustained Yield Capacity”.

He also ordered the BLM to expediate the completion of its rewrite of their 2016 management plan.

The 1937 O&C Act is widely regarded as the first Congressional conservation act.

It regulates the management of the Federal timber resource. The O&C Act signaled an end to the cut and run policies in the early years of the 20th century. By requiring management under the principle of Sustained Yield, timber harvest cannot outpace the annual growth of the forest, resulting in a perpetual supply of timber while concurrently providing quality habitat for wildlife, watershed protection, and recreational opportunities for the public.

Judge Leon's decision not only reaffirms the principles and requirements of the O&C Act, but also provides the foundation to create new job opportunities throughout the entire economic sector. In addition, Sustained Yield management will provide much needed revenue to fund vital County services such as the Sheriff’s Office, 911 Communications, Senior Services, Veteran Services, Public Works infrastructure projects and public health programs.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-12-26 15:12:42

Last Update: 2021-12-26 15:35:06