Corvallis Seeks Public Input on New 10-Year Forest Plan
A brief summary of the 176 page plan...
The City of Corvallis is asking residents to weigh in on a newly released draft plan that will guide how the city manages its municipal forest for the next decade.
The draft Corvallis Forest Stewardship Plan (2026–2036) lays out how the city intends to balance drinking water protection, wildlife habitat, wildfire risk, and climate resilience across one of its most important natural assets.
What is the Corvallis Forest?
The Corvallis Forest is a 2,370-acre city-owned forest located about 12 miles southwest of Corvallis, on the eastern slopes of the Oregon Coast Range near Marys Peak.
It sits within the Rock Creek watershed, a critical water source that supplies roughly 30% of Corvallis’ drinking water each year.
While often referred to as the “watershed,” most of the city-owned forest actually lies below the main water intake areas, and is managed specifically to protect water quality while supporting broader ecological goals.
What the Draft Plan Does
The new plan serves as the city’s policy roadmap for forest management through 2036, guiding everything from restoration work to public access and wildfire planning.
The draft is 176 pages. Oh my! Key priorities in the draft include:
Protecting drinking water as the top priority
Increasing forest resilience to wildfire and climate change
Supporting wildlife habitat and biodiversity
Maintaining and expanding carbon storage in the forest
The plan shifts away from older timber-focused practices and continues a decades-long move toward ecological forest management, emphasizing long-term ecosystem health over logging revenue.
How the Forest Will Be Managed
Rather than a single rigid blueprint, the plan sets up a flexible, adaptive framework.
It outlines:
Long-term goals (“desired future conditions”)
Rules and guidelines for management activities
Short-term action plans and project-level decisions
That means future work could include:
Forest thinning to reduce fire risk
Habitat restoration
Invasive species control
Road and watershed maintenance
Public Input Now Open
City officials say public feedback is a key part of shaping the final plan. The draft was developed with input from a community task force and will ultimately be reviewed and approved by the Corvallis City Council.
Community members are encouraged to share comments, ideas, or questions at any time by emailing the Task Force at cfsputf@corvallisoregon.gov
Why It Matters
The Corvallis Forest isn’t just open space, it’s part of the city’s drinking water system and a major piece of its climate and environmental strategy.
How it’s managed over the next 10 years could impact everything from water quality and wildfire risk to local ecosystems and carbon emissions.
— The Corvallis Inquirer, March 18, 2026
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