T AUTOPSY OF A FORESTRY BALLOT INITIATIVE Characterizing Voter Support for Oregon ’ s Measure 64

In November 1998, Oregon residents voted on a ballot initiative called the Oregon Forest Conservation Initiative. Known in Oregon as Measure 64, its stated intent was to promote sustainable forest practices and protect forest ecosystems by restricting clearcut logging and the use of chemical herbicides and pesticides on all forestlands in the state (Oregon Elections Division 1998a). Oregon voters rejected Measure 64 by a margin of 4 to 1, with many environmental groups calling it poorly written and too extreme. Interest in restricting certain forestry practices in Oregon continues. Currently, efforts are being made to place a new Forest Restoration Initiative on the November 2002 ballot (Oregon Elections Division 2000). Based on early drafts of this new initiative, some observers have suggested that it could gain broader public support (Bernton 1999). The forest industry long has been an important feature of Oregon’s economy. In recent years, however, its relative importance has been declining as other nonforest sectors have grown. Oregonians also have been changing, due in large part to population growth and inmigration from other states. Oregon residents gradually have become more likely to live in urban areas and less likely to be directly involved with the forest industry. How might these socioeconomic changes affect the future of forestry in Oregon? What do they imply about the likely outcome of future forJeffrey D. Kline and Catriona Armstrong