Farm & Forestland

1000 Friends of Oregon is often known for our efforts to protect Oregon's farm, forest, and range lands from urban sprawl. We rely heavily on Statewide Planning Goal 3 (Agricultural Lands) and Goal 4 (Forest Lands), which provide support for maintaining these resource lands. Our work in protecting farmland includes legislative work, litigation, public education, and working with local farming advocates on local decisions.

We care about maintaining farm and forestland for many reasons: the resource economies contribute significantly to Oregon's statewide and local economies, the industries provide jobs, maintaining our resources lands contributes to our quality of life, and keeping rural lands rural serves as part of a larger land use strategy leading to livable communities and efficient use of public resources.

Yet Oregon's farm, forest, and range land continues to be threatened by low-density residential sprawl, conversion to urban uses, land divisions making resource use impracticable, use of land for golf courses, airports, aggregate mines and other non-resource uses, and efforts to weaken protection for most of Oregon's farmland.

Uses Allowed in Exclusive Farm Use Zones - 3/31/09

1. Farm use
2. Public or private schools and related buildings
3. Churches
4. Cemeteries in conjunction with churches
5. Propagation or harvesting of a forest product
6. Utility facilities for public service, including transmission towers over 200’
7. Utility transmission towers under 200’
8. Relative help dwelling
9. Non-residential accessory structures customarily provided in conjunction with farm use
10. Operations for the exploration and production of geothermal resources
11. Operations for the exploration of minerals
12. Solid waste disposal site ordered by the Environmental Quality Commission
13. Solid waste disposal site permitted by DEQ
14. Greyhound kennels
15. Climbing and passing lanes within right-of-way existing as of July 1, 1987
16. Temporary public road and highway detours
17. Minor improvements to existing public roads and highway-related facilities
18. Farm dwelling to replace dwelling listed on county inventory of historic property
19. Facilities for farm crop processing less than 10,000 square feet
20. Landscaping business in conjunction with farm use
21. Seasonal farmworker housing
22. Creation, restoration, or enhancement of wetlands
23. Existing county law cnforcement facility (Marion County)
24. Services to veterans in exiting rural community centers
25. Wineries
26. Farm stands
27. Replacement dwellings
28. Model aircraft facilities
29. Farm processing facilities
30. Fire service facilities for rural fire protection
31. Irrigation district facilities
32. Utility facility service lines
33. Commercial activities in conjunction with farm use but not including farm crop processing
34. Mining, crushing, or stockpiling of aggregate and other mineral resources
35. Processing of aggregate into asphalt or portland cement
36. Private parks, playgrounds, hunting and fishing preserve and campgrounds
37. Parks, playgrounds or community centers owned by the government or a nonprofit
38. Golf courses
39. Commercial utility facilities for generating power
40. Personal-use airports that did not exist before 1975
41. Boarding of horses
42. "Home occupation" businesses
43. Forest product processing facilities
44. Manufactured and temporary dwellings used for temporary medical hardships
45. Recreational vehicles used for temporary medical hardships
46. Transmission towers over 200 feet in height,
47. Non-greyhound dog kennels
48. Residential treatment and foster homes
49. Cultivation or harvesting of aquatic or insect species
50. New passing lanes or travel lanes, reconstruction/modification of roads, and road and highway related facilities
51. Destination resorts
52. Room and board arrangements for up to five unrelated people
53. Water-bottling facilities
54. Expansions of existing county fairgrounds
55. Living history museums
56. Animal shelter expansion
57. Guest ranches in Eastern Oregon