Due to the expiring of the SRS act last year, the federal government is paying less profits to counties that host national forest land based on timber sales within those regions. Oregon County appears to be really feeling the heat from this change, prompting Oregon County Associate Commissioner Jake Parker to issue a public response. This address can be read below.
Public Release Statement on U.S. Forestry and Rural America
Advertisement
The ongoing reduction in fair compensation from U.S. forestry programs is devastating rural America. Payments from timber sales were designed to offset the loss of tax revenue from federally managed lands, ensuring that counties could maintain schools, roads, and essential public services.
Impact on Local Economies
– Rural America is in jeopardy from dwindling U.S. forestry reimbursements.
– Schools are suffering, and our children are paying the price.
– Local sawmills are in jeopardy, hurting the backbone of our rural economy.
– Inadequate payments have forced communities to cut back on infrastructure, public safety, and education funding.
Broken Promise of Support
– The federal government’s commitment to pay adequately for timber sales was not charity—it was recognition of the burden placed on communities that host national forests.
– Salvage sales have become a loophole to harvest timber without proper reimbursements.
– Clear-cutting timber leaves nothing for future generations and strips communities of long-term sustainability.
– By underpaying for timber, Washington is shifting the costs of federal land management onto rural residents, forcing citizens to cover the gap with more local tax dollars.
– They are shutting down our land, failing to maintain infrastructure, and not allowing use of federal land—the very land that belongs to the People.
Consequences of Inaction
– Shrinking payments accelerate population decline in rural areas, as families move away in search of better-funded schools and job opportunities.
– Public safety is compromised when counties cannot afford adequate law enforcement or emergency services.
– The erosion of trust between local communities and federal agencies deepens, making collaboration on forest management more difficult.
Call to Action
We demand that Congress and the U.S. Forest Service pay adequately for timber sales to affected counties. Rural communities should not be punished for stewarding America’s forests. Sustainable forest management must go hand-in-hand with sustainable local economies.
We cannot afford this. The current system is a direct and purposeful kill to rural America. It is time to take a stand—for our kids, our grandkids, and the backbone of America. Without fair compensation, U.S. forestry is not just managing trees—it is destroying the very communities that have long been the backbone of our nation’s natural resource economy.
Thank you.
Im asking for help bringing this situation to the public eye.
Please share to get the message out. Our kids future in rural America truly depends on correcting this issue.
Jake Parker, District Two Associate Commissioner Oregon County, Missouri
Advertisement
