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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Saved by the Pit Crew ... Our View: Campaign money train has left the station ... Prosecution: Father tried to arrange assault on babysitter ... Saved by the Pit Crew ... Our View: Campaign money train has left the station ... Prosecution: Father tried to arrange assault on babysitter ... OUR VIEW Our View: Land takeover a sincere but empty gesture Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Dec. 7, 2014 at 12:01 AM Posted Dec. 7, 2014 at 12:01 AM » Social News Jackson County leaders — along with a considerable portion of the populace — are frustrated with the failure of federal forest managers to increase timber harvest levels and restore some of the revenue that once flowed into county coffers and local workers' bank accounts. That frustration is legitimate. Trying to fix it through a takeover of federal lands is not. The notion that states or counties can somehow "take back" federal land so it can be managed to generate more income is increasingly popular in the Western states, where more than half of the land is under the control of the  federal government. In Oregon, the figure is 53 percent. So far, seven states have enacted or considered legislation calling for the federal government to turn over control of federal land to the states, where it presumably would generate more income for state and local governments. Oregon is not one of those states — yet — and isn't likely to be as long as Democrats control the Legislature. The latest state to do so was Utah, where lawmakers adopted a Transfer of Public Lands Act demanding that the federal government turn over its 20 million acres of land to the state. A study ordered by the legislature concluded that the move would be financially feasible, as long as oil and gas prices remained high and the federal government agreed to let the state collect 100 percent of royalty payments that now are split 50-50. Both of those caveats are questionable at best. Oregon, of course, does not have oil and gas reserves. It has timber. Jackson County commissioners on Wednesday voted to urge the Oregon Legislature to study the feasibility of taking control of federal land now managed by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. Commissioner John Rachor said the county does not have the resources to manage federal land within its boundaries, but the state does. That's also questionable. The state Department of Forestry certainly has the ability, but hardly enough staff to assume management of all federal timber lands without considerable expansion. The state could seek to cover those costs with revenue gained from increased logging, assuming there is an increase. But the environmental stalemate that now has federal forests tied up in knots would not go away with state takeover of the lands. Environmental rules would still apply; lawsuits could still be filed. The matter probably will probably never get that far anyway. While some conservative legal scholars say there are good arguments to be made in favor of transferring federal land, the federal courts have consistently rejected such attempts in the past, and overturning those precedents now seems unlikely. Legislation pending in Congress to restore timber harvests stands a better chance of success than a Sagebrush Rebellion-style takeover. Such an attempt might feel good as an expression of frustration, but in the end it's little more than a symbolic gesture.     MailTribune.com Writer Posted Dec. 7, 2014 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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