ORS 527.700
Appeals from orders of State Forester

  • hearing procedure
  • rules
  • stay of operation

(1)

Any operator, timber owner or landowner affected by any finding or order of the State Forester issued under ORS 527.610 (Short title) to 527.770 (Good faith compliance with best management practices not violation of water quality standards) and 527.992 (Civil penalties) may request a hearing within 30 days after issuance of the order. The hearing shall be commenced within 14 days after receipt of the request for hearing and a final order shall be issued within 28 days of the request for the hearing unless all parties agree to an extension of the time limit.

(2)

The State Board of Forestry may delegate to the administrative law judge the authority to issue final orders on matters under this section. Hearings provided under this section shall be conducted as contested case hearings under ORS 183.413 (Notice to parties before hearing of rights and procedure) to 183.470 (Orders in contested cases). The board may establish such rules as it deems appropriate to carry out the provisions of this section. Appeals from final hearing orders under this section shall be provided in ORS 183.482 (Jurisdiction for review of contested cases), except that the comments of the board or the State Forester concerning a written plan are not reviewable orders under ORS 183.480 (Judicial review of agency orders).

(3)

Any person adversely affected or aggrieved by an operation described in subsection (4) of this section may file a written request to the board for a hearing if the person submitted written comments pertaining to the operation within the time limits established under ORS 527.670 (Commencement of operations) (9).

(4)

A request for hearing may be filed under subsection (3) of this section only if a written plan was required by rules adopted under ORS 527.670 (Commencement of operations) (3).

(5)

A request for hearing filed under subsection (3) of this section shall be filed within 14 calendar days of the date the State Forester completed review of the written plan and issued any comments. Copies of the complete request shall be served, within the 14-day period, on the operator, timber owner and landowner. The request shall include:

(a)

A copy of the written plan on which the person is requesting a hearing;

(b)

A copy of the comments pertaining to the operation that were filed by the person requesting the hearing;

(c)

A statement that shows the person is adversely affected or aggrieved by the operation and has an interest which is addressed by the Oregon Forest Practices Act or rules adopted thereunder; and

(d)

A statement of facts that establishes that the operation is of the type described in ORS 527.670 (Commencement of operations) (3).

(6)

If the board finds that the person making the request meets the requirement of subsection (5)(c) of this section, the board shall set the matter for hearing within 21 calendar days after receipt of the request for hearing. The operator, timber owner and landowner shall be allowable parties to the hearing. The person requesting the hearing may raise, in the hearing, only those issues that the person raised in written comments filed under ORS 527.670 (Commencement of operations) (9) relating to conformity with the rules of the board. The board shall issue its own comments, which may affirm, modify or rescind comments of the State Forester, if any, on the written plan within 45 days after the request for hearing was filed, unless all parties agree to an extension of the time limit. The comments of the board or of the State Forester concerning a written plan are not reviewable orders under ORS 183.480 (Judicial review of agency orders).

(7)

The board may award reasonable attorney fees and expenses to each of the prevailing parties against any other party who the board finds presented a position without probable cause to believe the position was well-founded, or made a request primarily for a purpose other than to secure appropriate action by the board.

(8)

Intentionally left blank —Ed.

(a)

Upon the written request of a person requesting a hearing under subsection (3) of this section, a stay of the operation subject to the hearing may be granted upon a showing that:

(A)

Commencement or continuation of the operation will constitute a violation of the rules of the board;

(B)

The person requesting the stay will suffer irreparable injury if the stay is not granted; and

(C)

The requirements of subsections (3), (4) and (5) of this section are met.

(b)

If the board grants the stay, it shall require the person requesting the stay to give an undertaking which may be in the amount of the damages potentially resulting from the stay, but in any event shall not be less than $15,000. The board may impose other reasonable requirements pertaining to the grant of the stay. The board shall limit the effect of the stay to the specific geographic area or elements of the operation for which the person requesting the stay has demonstrated a violation of the rules and irreparable injury under paragraph (a) of this subsection.

(c)

If the board determines in its comments that the written plan pertaining to the operation for which the stay was granted is likely to result in compliance with ORS 527.610 (Short title) to 527.770 (Good faith compliance with best management practices not violation of water quality standards) or the rules of the board, the board may award reasonable attorney fees and actual damages in favor of each of the prevailing parties, to the extent incurred by each, against the person requesting the stay.

(9)

If the board rescinds or modifies the comments on the written plan as submitted by the State Forester pertaining to any operation, the board may award reasonable attorney fees and costs against the state in favor of each of the prevailing parties.

(10)

As used in this section, “person” means any individual, partnership, corporation, association, governmental subdivision or public or private organization of any character. [Formerly 527.240; 1983 c.28 §2; 1987 c.919 §13; 1999 c.849 §110; 2003 c.75 §94; 2003 c.740 §4; 2011 c.54 §2]

Source: Section 527.700 — Appeals from orders of State Forester; hearing procedure; rules; stay of operation, https://www.­oregonlegislature.­gov/bills_laws/ors/ors527.­html.

Notes of Decisions

State Forestry Department is not “party” for purposes of awarding attorney fees against party that presents position without probable cause or requests hearing for improper purpose. Thomas Creek Lumber v. Board of Forestry, 188 Or App 10, 69 P3d 1238 (2003)

527.260
Injuring forest tree of another or extracting pitch without, or in violation of, a permit prohibited
527.310
Definitions for ORS 527.310 to 527.370
527.315
Process components
527.321
Implementation of process by State Forester
527.335
Investigations by State Forester concerning pests
527.341
Forestland owners to implement strategies to carry out resource management objectives
527.346
State Forester to assist owners unable to take action against pest
527.360
Costs of eradication
527.370
Disposition of receipts
527.610
Short title
527.620
Definitions for ORS 527.610 to 527.770
527.630
Policy
527.640
Forest regions
527.650
Forest practice committees
527.660
Committees to review rules
527.665
Notice of reforestation requirements to be given in forestland transfers
527.670
Commencement of operations
527.672
Aerial herbicide applications
527.674
Rules requiring approval of written plan prohibited
527.676
Leaving snags and downed logs in harvest type 2 or 3 units
527.678
Wildlife food plots
527.680
Violation by operator
527.683
Notice of violation
527.685
Civil penalty considerations
527.687
Civil penalty procedure
527.690
Failure to comply with order to reforest or repair damage
527.700
Appeals from orders of State Forester
527.710
Duties and powers of board
527.714
Types of rules
527.715
Rules to establish standards and procedures
527.721
Coordination with state and local agencies for review and comment on operations
527.722
Restrictions on local government adoption of rules regulating forest operations
527.724
Forest operations to comply with air and water pollution control rules and standards
527.730
Conversion of forestland to other uses
527.736
Forest practice standards for operations on public and private land
527.740
Harvest type 3 limitations
527.745
Reforestation of certain harvest types
527.750
Exceeding harvest type 3 size limitation
527.755
Scenic highways
527.760
Reforestation exemptions for land use changes
527.765
Best management practices to maintain water quality
527.770
Good faith compliance with best management practices not violation of water quality standards
527.780
Exemption from liability for trees or debris left on property
527.785
Exemption from liability for large woody debris left on property
527.786
Definitions
527.787
Registering to receive notice of pesticide application
527.788
Notice to State Forestry Department of proposed pesticide application
527.789
Notice to nearby recipient of proposed pesticide application
527.790
Notice to State Forestry Department prior to pesticide application
527.791
Verifying completion of pesticide application
527.792
Designation of forestland units
527.793
Failure to send notice
527.794
Department reporting system
527.795
Daily spray records
527.796
Interference with pesticide application
527.797
Limitations on pesticide applications
527.798
Reporting points of diversion
527.990
Criminal penalties
527.992
Civil penalties
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