Oregon’s timber industry is prepared to forego a bill that’s key to its compromise with environmentalists if lawmakers force through climate legislation this year, according to the leader of a timber group.

Several top forest products companies recently signed a deal with environmental groups under which both sides would cease pursuing controversial ballot initiatives affecting Oregon’s timber industry.

One of the linchpins of that agreement is the passage of legislation regulating forestry aerial pesticide spraying, House Bill 4168, during the 2020 legislative session that will wrap up in early March.

The deal has sparked concerns that the pesticide bill will be tied to the carbon cap-and-trade legislation being considered in the House and Senate, effectively discouraging Republican lawmakers from walking out of the Capitol to prevent a vote on the divisive climate proposal.

However, the Oregon timber industry believes the cap-and-trade legislation — which would likely limit emissions for companies such as sawmills — is so destructive that it’s willing to let the pesticide spraying bill die, said Kristina McNitt, president of the Oregon Forest & Industries Council, which represents timber interests.

“There is no deal on cap and trade,” McNitt said Feb. 20 at the Oregon Logging Conference in Eugene, Ore.

If the compromise with environmentalists does fall apart, the timber industry will need to call upon loggers and others in the forest products industry to fight ballot initiatives that would greatly restrict timber harvest around streams and on steep slopes, among other provisions, she said.

The Timber Unity movement of Oregonians who have come out in force to the Capitol oppose climate legislation is a great example of “real grassroots literally coming out of the woodwork,” McNitt said.

The willingness of people to show up at rallies is tremendously helpful as it puts a human face on the issue of climate legislation that will harm rural economies, she said.

Lobbyists aren’t as effective at conveying that message, because they tend to make lawmakers “think of trees — they don’t think of people,” she said.

If environmentalists prevail with ballot initiatives, though, the impacts on Oregon’s timber industry would be severe: Logging on private lands would decrease by roughly 25% under the environmentalist approach, McNitt said.

“We’re not in a position to sustain that kind of reduction,” she said.

Other speakers at the Oregon Logging Conference also praised the Timber Unity movement for bringing more people into the political process, which may prove instrumental in upcoming policy battles.

“We’re in this together and we’re in for a fight,” said Todd Stoffel, a log truck driver who helped found Timber Unity. “We’ve got to stand up and say enough is enough.”

Aside from showing up to rallies, loggers and others should contact their elected officials to express their points of view and praise those who stand up for the timber industry, said Nick Smith, executive director of the Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities nonprofit.

“You should really know who those people are,” he said.

Engaging in social media activism and writing letters to the editor of local newspapers is also helpful, Smith said. “Our opponents are doing it every day.”