One of the Oregon Board of Forestry’s newest members faced concerns this week over a June trip to potential state timber harvest sites in Clatsop County at the invitation of an environmental nonprofit.

Earlier this year, two proposed clearcuts in the 2025 annual operations plan for the Department of Forestry’s Astoria District Office — Mothball Hill and Davis Ridge — drew unprecedented local pushback from neighbors and organizers with North Coast Communities for Watershed Protection, who were frustrated by what they described as a lack of notice and transparency.

Bob Van Dyk, the former policy director for the Wild Salmon Center, was appointed by Gov. Tina Kotek to the Board of Forestry and confirmed by the state Senate this spring. In June, North Coast Communities for Watershed Protection invited him to visit Mothball Hill and Davis Ridge east of Astoria and hear from property owners. He went with Astoria District Forester Dan Goody and other local Department of Forestry staff, using travel reimbursement and a per diem approved by Jim Kelly, the chairman of the Board of Forestry, and Cal Mukumoto, the state forester.

“I went out there because there was concern about process and communication, and it feels to me like it’s certainly in the purview of the Board of Forestry to know how the department is interacting with citizens who have concerns about the department’s plans,” Van Dyk told The Astorian. “The folks out there felt like they didn’t have any notice. They were surprised.”

Van Dyk said he had no intention of representing the Board of Forestry — a message he made clear in his correspondence with North Coast Communities for Watershed Protection. Still, some see the trip as an overstep.

Kelly said Van Dyk’s request for travel reimbursement and a per diem was one of the first of its kind he and Mukumoto had received. While he acknowledged their approval, he feels in retrospect that the visit was not a duty of the board.

“Yes, we approved. Yes, we discouraged you, and you went ahead anyhow,” Kelly told Van Dyk at a Board of Forestry meeting in Salem on Sept. 4. “That is your right, absolutely. Any board member has the right to go anywhere they please. They don’t have a right to represent the board. You did not … but there is a perception issue, and perceptions are important. And a lot of people thought you were representing the board.”

Criticism

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Clatsop County Commissioner Lianne Thompson shared similar concerns, describing the situation as a breach in “ethical integrity.” Speaking as a private citizen, she called on the board to address the issue.

“I would also hope that you would do a bright, clear line between visiting and learning about people and responding to invitations and interfering against the statute — interfering with a timber sale as part of an annual operating plan,” Thompson said. “It’s really disingenuous to say, ‘Oh, I was just going out to meet with people.’ No, this was an active part of the annual operations plan. This should be distinguished, I would hope, in your policies, so that you can all evolve and grow together.”

Clatsop County Commissioner Courtney Bangs had previously called out Van Dyk’s visit as a breach of protocol. Bangs, who has clashed with environmentalists over the state’s habitat conservation plan, posted on her Facebook page that Van Dyk was acting “outside of his lane as a Board of Forestry member” and described him as “an activist just here to stir the pot.”

The upset highlights potential gray areas in the Board of Forestry’s policies when it comes to what can and can’t be reimbursed. Kelly said the decision ultimately falls to him and Mukumoto, and he doesn’t anticipate running into a similar issue in the future.

Despite the criticism, Van Dyk maintained that he had covered all of his bases. Although he did relay citizens’ concerns about the public comment process to the state forests division chief, he said he didn’t advocate for any changes to the operations plan.

Goody, the Astoria District forester, moved the Mothball Hill site to the 2025 alternate list but kept Davis Ridge as a primary harvest site. He said the decision was made through a collaborative process, but that Van Dyk did not have undue influence.

Listening

Anna Kaufman, the Astoria chapter coordinator for North Coast Communities for Watershed Protection, said she views Van Dyk’s visit as a step in the right direction.

“Though I’m sorry for the upset it caused, I feel it was important when board member Bob Van Dyk accepted our invitation to visit the sites and meet with residents living next to them. He was clear that he had no jurisdiction over ODF’s timber sales,” Kaufman said during public comment at the Salem meeting. “Thank you to Mr. Van Dyk and to the three Astoria District ODF employees who also attended. This was a huge step to increase communication between citizens and ODF.”

Nevertheless, Kaufman said she feels there’s still work to be done. The Department of Forestry was not required to send any notice to landowners adjacent to the proposed timber sales prior to the public comment period on the annual operations plan. She suggested increased communication, an expansion of the department’s 45-day public comment period on annual operations plans and more opportunities for involvement on local citizen advisory groups.

Kelly said the Board of Forestry plays a role in listening to constituents’ concerns, but they must follow board policies when doing so.

“People shouldn’t have to be digging to find out that something’s going to be happening on the property right next door to them, like a timber sale,” Kelly said. “So I hope the department is hearing us loud and clear, and I think we do have a role there to represent the public, but beyond that, we have to follow the statute.”