Previously sequestered timber payments released to Oregon counties

SALEM, Ore. – Over a dozen counties in Oregon are set to receive almost $20 million in federal timber payments.

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced an additional $1.4 million of funds sequestered during the Obama administration will now be dispersed.

Commissioner Tim Freeman, the Association of O&C Counties’ President, credited the work of Secretary Zinke and Congressman Greg Walden with the successful release of the previously sequestered funds. He said, “Every County will use these much-needed funds for vital services according to their local priorities, from public safety and juvenile programs to elections departments and infrastructure maintenance, and everything in between.”

According to the Association of O&C Counties, 18 counties in Oregon receive their 50% share of receipts from the sale of 2.1 million acres of timber harvested from federal lands within the state.

Secretary Zinke said his next priority is “ensuring that these lands continue to provide sustainable timber harvests that support the community and strengthen the health of the forest.”