Oregon Public Broadcasting

Frontrunners in Oregon's CD-1 special election say they both favor a new forest management plan to support timber dependent counties in Oregon.

The details of the draft plan aren’t out yet. But it will involve a forest trust as a method of oversight.

Republican Rob Cornilles told OPB’s Think Out Loud that he would support whatever arrangement the parties have devised.

John Rosman / OPB

Suzanne Bonamici and Rob Cornilles

"I don't believe the path we've been on for the last 30 years has been good for our state. When our delegation says they want to work together, I'm going to be right there helping them along," Cornilles said.

Democrat Suzanne Bonamici says she agrees with the incumbents in Congress that a new policy is needed to govern federal forests within county lines.

"As someone who sat in committees listening to testimony about what's going to happen if counties go bankrupt. There are no answers to that. It's a very difficult solution. Our services then turn back over to the state," Bonamici said.

Bonamici added she thinks federal payments to timber-dependent counties should continue until their budgets are stabilized.

Counties in the First District received over $2 milion in federal payments in 2011. That was the last year that the payments were in the federal budget.