The Oregon House spent more than a half hour Monday debating a proposal that has no teeth other than the ones on the chain saw that Rep. Tim Freeman, R-Roseburg, hoisted onto his desk.

Freeman acknowledged that Senate Joint Memorial 201 does not carry the force of law. It merely asks the President and Congress to allow Oregon counties to manage federal forests that currently fall under the designation "O & C" lands, an abbreviation for about 3 million acres that once belonged to the Oregon and California railroad.

"The counties are capable of managing those lands in a balanced and responsible manner," Freeman said. "It's time to start managing these lands...and get people back to work."

The memorial specifically supports legislation drafted by Oregon congressmen Greg Walden, Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader. Their plan would convert approximately 1.5 million acres to a "public trust" that would be managed by a committee selected by the governor. The trust property would be managed for commercial purposes with some of the revenue going to counties for such critical local functions as education and law enforcement.

Anytime there's a debate over logging Oregon's forests, lawmakers get emotional. But Monday, both Republicans and Democrats shared their frustration with the federal government.

Rep. Phil Barnhart, D-Eugene, said Creswell used to be a thriving town before the last mill closed a couple of years ago. At the very least, Barnhart said, forests should be thinned to restore healthy stands.

"The best way to get timber jobs back in Oregon is to start thinning the trees," he said.

The memorial passed with 50 to 10, with nine Democrats and one Republican voting no.

ARTICLE