Gov. John Kitzhaber delivered a report last week that is crucial to Douglas County’s future and should spur congressional action. He supplied a road map, based on science, which could increase timber industry jobs and provide more money for Western Oregon counties while protecting precious ecosystems. Basically, Kitzhaber expanded on a bipartisan plan crafted by Oregon’s congressional delegation for managing the unique forests known as the Oregon & California Railroad trust lands. Those 2.6 million acres of land, of which 706,321 acres are in Douglas County, have been seen as the answer to financial woes for Oregon counties that have …



