Private and state-owned forestlands in Oregon are managed according to the Oregon Forest Practices Act (OFPA) of 1971. The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) manages state public lands, and the Private & Community Forests (PCF) Program of the ODF regulates forest operations on private land. Conservation measures under Oregon’s forest practices rules are generally considered weaker than California or Washington’s. The OFPA sets guidelines for harvesting, reforestation, road construction and maintenance, slash disposal, chemical use, and stream, lake and wetland protection. Water bodies must be protected from degrading activities, and activities on slopes, roads and skid trails must include erosion control. Clear-cut logging is allowed, but usually limited to 120 acres. Fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals are permitted in the replanting process, but rules apply to usage near waterways. Sensitive areas such as nesting sites and endangered species sites are protected under the Act. The OFPA is supposed to ensure that state and private forests are managed sustainably, but in recent years the Oregon Department of Forestry has promoted unsustainably high levels of logging in the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests, and politicians in the Oregon Legislature have sought to boost logging even further.

Unfortunately, there are many shortcomings to the OFPA and the ways state and private forests are managed. Abundant clear-cutting and short logging rotations have simplified ecosystems to resemble tree farms rather than forests. Excessive use of herbicides and other chemicals has poisoned land, air, and water, and destroyed forest understories. Careless road construction has led to unnatural peak streamflows, landslides, erosion/sedimentation, and blocked passage for fish and wildlife. Failure to avoid landslide-prone areas and adequately protect riparian areas has damaged waterways. Irresponsible logging has left inadequate habitat for wildlife, while replanting  has created dense plantations that pose high fire risks.