Douglas County’s economy lags behind the state average, dragged down by prolonged unemployment, loss of blue collar jobs and federal forest policies, panelists said Thursday at a forum in Roseburg. About 100 people at the Roseburg Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual economic forecast heard a litany of reasons why the county’s jobless rate of 12 percent exceeds the statewide rate of 8.7 percent. Economist Eric Fruits, a private consultant and adjunct professor at Portland State University, said he foresees only a slight improvement in the year ahead and warned against expecting too much. “It’s going to be positive, but it’s …