February 19, 2026 3:20 a.m. 

On Wednesday. the American Forest Resource Council welcomed the Department of the Interior’s Notice of Intent to initiate a revision of the Bureau of Land Management Plans governing the O&C Lands in western Oregon.

An AFRC release said the action begins a long-overdue reassessment of the 2016 management plans that have constrained active forest management on more than two million acres of some of the most productive timberlands in the world.

The O&C Act of 1937 requires these unique lands to be managed under principles of sustained yield timber production, with revenues shared with western Oregon counties to fund essential public services. For decades, that framework supported family-wage jobs, stable county budgets, and healthy, working forests.

AFRC President Travis Joseph said, “The Department of the Interior is taking an important and necessary step”. Joseph said, “The O&C Lands were set aside by Congress to be actively managed for the benefit of O&C counties and rural communities in Western Oregon. The 2016 plans failed to meet a clear legal mandate and limited the ability of land managers to responsibly steward these lands”.

AFRC expressed its commitment to working constructively with the Department of the Interior, BLM, O&C counties and stakeholders throughout the revision process.

Joseph said, “We appreciate the Department’s leadership in initiating this review”. Joseph said, “This is a unique and rare opportunity to restore responsible management of the O&C Lands and ensure they once again support both healthy forests and healthy communities”.