The Act makes changes related to a forest products tax. The Act creates a new fund related to wildfire costs. The Act makes changes related to forest protection districts. Increases the portion of the Forest Products Harvest Tax dedicated to the Oregon Forest Land Protection Fund from $0.625 to $1.00 per thousand board feet and then indexes the tax to inflation. Makes changes to the Forest Land Protection Fund. The Act makes changes related to the Emergency Fire Cost Committee.
Repeals an acreage assessment. Takes effect on the 91st day following adjournment sine die.
The theory is that large landowners in the eastern part of the state are most concerned about the rising per-acre costs of fire suppression. They feel they’re paying a premium for protection that’s more valuable for counterparts in the western part of the state, who have timber holdings worth billions.
But rather than shifting more of the per-acre costs on large timberland owners, it’s a shared approach adding $10 annual fee to private owned forestland and grazing land, and provides for adjustment according the CPI.
This bill is the opposite of SB 1593, which puts a greater portion of forestry’s wildfire budget on industrial timber companies.
And the majority legislators continue to cry about the high cost of housing and renting. Thanks to bills like this that just make it more and more expensive to build anything. Stupid is as stupid does.