TITLE:
Bureaucratic Responses to Conflicting Mandates: The Case of the Elliott State Forest
AUTHORS:
Ryan Merlin Yonk, Jordan Lofthouse, Chayce Kenny
KEYWORDS:
Public Forest Management, Bureaucracy, Administrative Decision Making, Land Management, Sustainable Management
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.11 No.6,
June
29,
2023
ABSTRACT: Federal, state, and local government agencies are often tasked with managing
conflicting legislative, administrative, and public demands. Without clear direction on how to manage these conflicting
interests, a bureaucracy often struggles to determine an optimal
outcome. The Elliott State Forest in southwestern Oregon exemplifies how these
conflicting interests can become problematic. After endangered species concerns
and increased litigation reduced the amount of revenue generated by the
forest’s timber harvest programs, the State Land Board was forced to find a new
way to meet its mandate to generate revenue for a Common School Trust Fund
while protecting endangered species and supply public benefits through the
forest. The Board ultimately decided to sell the forest to a private buyer, but
disallowed competitive bidding in favor of a selection process that examines
how potential buyers will supply public benefits. Without allowing competitive
bidding, the Board may not meet its obligation to maximize revenue for the
trust and is no longer supplying the same degree of public benefits for
Oregonians. The Board’s decision was shaped by its conflicting mandates and
public pressures but ultimately the boards chosen path remains one where its
conflicting mandates remain problematic and at the center of ongoing discussion
and debate.