Oregon has the 5th Largest Share of Total Public Lands in the Nation.

Our public lands provide numerous economic, social, and environmental benefits including the protection of our drinking water and providing habitat for wildlife. They also support tourism and the outdoor recreation economy, and support rural Oregonians. In celebration of Earth Day, Regional Economist Damon Runberg took a a look at the conservation and protection of Oregon's public lands. Here is what he found!

Oregon has the fifth largest share of total land in public ownership (60.4%). Over 37 million acres of Oregon are publicly owned and managed by the federal or state government. The vast majority of this land is managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management; these two federal agencies manage 55.5 percent of all land in Oregon. However, we also have national and state parks, state lands, and many smaller parcels managed by local cities, counties, and tribes.

To view a more detailed picture of the public land ownership in Oregon, visit the accompanying map on the U.S. Geological Survey site, here.

According to a recent study, by the Outdoor Industry Association, public lands across the nation account for $45 billion in economic output annually and support 396,000 jobs. Here in Oregon the outdoor recreation economy directly employs 172,000 Oregonians with total payroll exceeding $5 billion annually. Public lands are the basic infrastructure that the outdoor recreation economy is built upon. Public lands provide lakes and rivers for fishing, game for hunting or wildlife viewing, trails for hiking and biking, OHV areas for motorsports, mountains for skiing, and camping opportunities.

Across the state there are roughly 5,300 people employed by federal, state, and local governments who are actively engaged in managing conservation programs for our public lands. Around 54 percent of these are employed by federal agencies, with the largest share in the Bureau of Land Management. Oregon has a high concentration of folks who are actively managing these conservation programs, with the ninth highest location quotient (industry specialization) of all 50 states. As would be expected, the states with the highest concentration of their employment in conservation programs are western states with large tracts of public lands, such as Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho.

Conservation activities and education programs are more prevalent in the summer months due to better weather and easier access. As a result, employment in public conservation programs is highly seasonal, with summer employment more than 22 percent higher than employment during the winter months. These opportunities are spread across the entire state of Oregon. Rural communities with a high share of public land have relatively high concentrations of conservation activity, such as Klamath, Lincoln, Douglas, Crook, Coos, and Malheur counties.

To learn more, read Damon's full article here.