The Wasco County Forest Collaborative steering committee nominated John Paul Anderson as the forest products representative, a choice approved by the board unanimously at their Dec. 16 board meeting.
The forest collaborative represents a broad constituency of stakeholders interested in healthy forest ecosystems, economic vitality and quality of life in the wildland urban interface within Wasco County. The collaborative provides the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) with proposals for management of national forest lands, and supports the utilization of forest resources and related opportunities to strengthen local communities, according to an overview provided by the county.
The collaborative includes 11 individuals representing the forest products industry, environmental concerns, community wildfire protection, watershed and water resources, local government, state agencies, recreation and tourism, private landowners and native American tribes, as well as two at large members.
Anderson has been working with the collaborative for five years, according to his application. He works for High Cascade, Inc., which owns three sawmills in the Columbia River Gorge.
“I would like to see active forest management and job growth,” he wrote in his application. “I wish to continue active participation in the collaborative, to provide valuable insight into projects the USFS brings forward. I also strive to help provide local mills with the sustainable flow of logs needed for the continued employment of about 450 people.”
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