BEND, Ore. — An Oregon land trust says it might be able to follow through on its proposed Skyline Forest project despite an investment company’s purchase of the land it was planning to use.
Singapore-based Whitefish Cascade Forest Resources bought nearly 200,000 acres of Oregon forestland for $855 million in Feburary, reported The Bulletin. That included the 33,000 acres that Deschutes Land Trust had hoped to turn into a community forest.
For 12 years, the trust had been thinking of turning the former Bull Springs Tree Farm into 51.5 square miles of trails and outdoor space just minutest from Bend. The Deschutes Land Trust came close to purchasing the property from its previous owner.
Land trust executive director Brad Chalfant says his organization hasn’t abandoned that dream.
“We’re in dialogue with the new owners,” he said. “It’s going to take them some time to really get a feel for what they’ve got out there.”
Chalfant wants to set up his organization as a potential buyer if Whitefish Cascade ever decides to put the land up for sale. The trees on the east side of the Cascades aren’t worth much money, he said.
“Frankly, the drying of our forests make these relatively low-production and low-value forests from a commercial perspective,” explained Chalfant. “As (Whitefish Cascade) comes to terms with that, we think it’s very likely they’ll look to get out of these properties.”
He said wildfires also make it more difficult to develop in the area.
Whitefish Cascade officials did not return calls for comment. The investment company has a local office in Sunriver.
Central Oregon LandWatch’s Paul Dewey said he’s concerned that as Bend grows, Whitefish Cascade will be tempted to build homes on the property.
“As Bend starts to expand, there’s a tremendous push for growth,” he said. “Our fear all along is that the area might be developed.”
He said the timber could be a decent long-term investment if allowed to grow.
“The real danger is fragmentation,” he added. “If that 30,000 acres are parceled out, it becomes so fragmented it’s no longer functional (in terms of winter migration for animals). On top of that, there’d be the scenic and recreation problems. Once fragmented with different owners, the public won’t have the same access they have today.”
In the community forest model, the woods are owned by locals under community forest authorities with the power to issue bonds. In 2005, Deschutes County created its own community forest authority in hopes of purchasing the Skyline Forest land.
“Our whole approach from the beginning has been to figure out a way to preserve and protect the property,” said Chalfant. “The whole community forest concept where we owned it was the approach we took before when the property was coming up for sale. If the landowner wants to do that, we’ll do that.”
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