Oregon’s forests are one of our state’s greatest natural resources. They support rural communities, sustain wildlife habitat, and provide the economic foundation for many counties across our state. But today those forests are increasingly threatened – not just by wildfire, but by political decisions made by leaders who do not understand how forests actually work and who cater to special interest groups who keep funding their campaigns, regardless of the impact on our forests and our people.
For too long, Oregon’s representatives in Washington have sided with national activist groups that oppose responsible forest management. The result has been predictable: overcrowded forests, increased wildfire risk, an annual smoke season, decimated public service funding, and economically devastated local communities.
Oregonians deserve better. And so do our forests and the creatures who live there.
That is why I support Congressman Cliff Bentz’s effort to restore responsible management to Oregon’s O&C lands. These forests were never intended to sit idle. They were specifically set aside to support local communities through sustainable timber production while maintaining healthy ecosystems.
Responsible forest management is not a radical idea; it is a common sense solution. It means thinning overcrowded stands, removing hazardous fuels, maintaining forest access roads, and harvesting timber sustainably so forests remain healthy for generations. When performed properly, these practices strengthen wildlife habitat, protect watersheds, and reduce the risk and magnitude of catastrophic wildfire.
Unfortunately, the policies coming from Washington in recent decades often moved in the opposite direction.
Congresswoman Val Hoyle has repeatedly aligned herself with national environmental groups pushing policies that restrict the very tools needed to manage forests responsibly. In April 2024, she joined dozens of progressive members of Congress in signing a letter urging the U.S. Forest Service to expand preservation policies focused on protecting old-growth forests rather than practical management solutions.
The letter framed old-growth protection as the primary objective of federal forest policy and encouraged federal agencies to expand the categorization of old-growth and prioritize ecological preservation over practical forest management.
Protecting truly ancient forests is important. But the debate today is not about a handful of old-growth groves. It is about millions of acres of second-growth forests that have been left unmanaged for decades.
Those forests are dangerously overcrowded tinderboxes.
When lightning strikes or high winds sweep through the Cascades, those fuel loads turn our forests into a powder keg. The result is the massive wildfires we have watched destroy communities, pollute our air, and devastate wildlife habitat across the West.
Ironically, the very policies promoted by activists in Washington often make these fires worse. When forests cannot be thinned, restored, or responsibly harvested, fuel continues to build until the inevitable happens.
Then the forests burn along with every living creature in them.
Congresswoman Hoyle has also failed to lead when Oregon needed leadership most.
When the federal government sought public comment on potential revisions to the Roadless Rule – a policy that has long limited the ability to maintain roads needed for forest restoration and wildfire prevention – I submitted comments urging policymakers to allow responsible access for forest management and fire mitigation.
Congresswoman Hoyle remains silent on this important but simple reform.
At the same time, she has taken political positions that contradict the needs of the timber-rich counties of the 4th District. She voted against meaningful forest policy reforms in Congress before later supporting a watered-down version that has ultimately stalled in the Senate.
Meanwhile, O&C lands remain stuck in bureaucratic limbo while counties struggle to fund schools, roads, and essential services that were supposed to be supported by sustainable timber revenue. Instead of turning to forest management and timber resources, our politicians turn to us, the working class, to fill the gaps with taxes on our families and our businesses.
This is not environmental leadership. It is political posturing and negligence.
Oregon needs representatives who understand that forest stewardship requires balance. We can protect and continue to treasure our truly old-growth forests while also managing the millions of acres of working forest that sustain rural economies and reduce wildfire risk.
We can and should support wildlife habitat while also ensuring forests remain healthy and resilient. We can restore sustainable timber production on O&C lands while investing in restoration projects that strengthen ecosystems and protect communities.
But none of that will happen if people in Oregon do not show up to vote with discernment and information, and if our elected representatives in Washington continue to listen only to activist groups instead of the people who live and work in Oregon’s forests.
Foresters, firefighters, rural county leaders, and conservation professionals all understand the same reality: unmanaged forests burn and die.
Oregon deserves leaders who care and support solutions grounded in science, stewardship, and common sense – not ideology.
It is time to start managing our forests again and restore the 4th District to prosperity once again. Time for a change in leadership.
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Originally published in The News-Review at the following link: https://www.nrtoday.com/opinion/guest_col/guest-column-our-forests-need-leadership-not-political-posturing/article_52195225-d3e3-4f69-818e-828871cff223.html
Monique DeSpain is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, mother of twin boys, and public policy advocate who resides in Eugene, Oregon. She was the 2024 Republican nominee for Oregon’s 4th Congressional District, running to unseat incumbent Congresswoman Val Hoyle to bring about a safer, more prosperous Oregon. Her campaign website is www.MoniqueForCongress.com, or follow her on Facebook @MoniqueforCongress, X @MoniqueforOR, Instagram @monique4congress, Truth Social @moniqueforcongress, or YouTube @MoniqueDeSpain.
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DeSpain launched her campaign for Congress in OR-04 on October 1st, setting up a rematch with scandal-plagued incumbent Val Hoyle in November 2026. Her launch announcement featured the following video:
https://tinyurl.com/MoniqueCongressLaunchVideo2025
To arrange a candidate interview or obtain additional information about her campaign, please contact the Communications Director, Kevin Hoar, at press@moniqueforcongress.com or call 503-866-3264.