Your Public Land Neighbors

Bureau of Land Management & Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest

What Can You Expect if Your Neighbor is the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or the U.S. Forest Service?

These agencies manage the majority of public lands in Jackson County and many of these lands are adjacent to or intermingled with rural private properties.

Management of Public Lands That Surround Rural Communities

Much of the beautiful landscape that adds to the quality of life in southern Oregon is made up of public lands that provide open space, recreation, a clean, healthy environment, and resources that contribute to the local economy.

The BLM and the Forest Service manage public land and natural resources in a variety of ways. If you have not lived in this part of the country before, you may not be aware of land management activities that occur on public lands surrounding your community. Public lands are actively managed, to reduce the risk of wildfire, restore healthy ecosystems, protect endangered plant and animal species, and produce timber to contribute to the economic stability of local communities and industries. Other multiple uses of public land include recreation, grazing, and mining.

Why Do the BLM and Forest Service Manage Forests?

Forests are managed to help them return to conditions more resilient to fires, droughts and insect infestations, and provide wood products to our community. The need for treatment of our forests to restore vigor and reduce fire hazard stems from our understanding that until the early twentieth century, frequent fires played a critical role in maintaining the structure and health of forest stands. The exclusion of fire over the last 80 years has had profound ecological consequences, resulting in dense, low vigor conifer, hardwood and shrub lands.

The BLM O&C Lands

The O & C Lands are managed under different laws than any other places in the country. Prior to World War II, Congress passed the O&C Lands Act of 1937. The Act calls for the management of BLM lands for a sustained yield of forest products needed to contribute to the economic stability of local communities, continuing forest values, and health. It requires 50% of the revenue generated from management of the lands be returned to the counties that contained re-vested lands. The 1994 Northwest Forest Plan combined with the six Western Oregon Resource Management Plans provide management guidance for BLM management of federal forest lands in western Oregon.