Oregon Advocates for School Trust Lands
Field Notes

Dated notes on the Oregon school-trust case.

Field Notes records important changes in the case record: new filings, court rulings, source documents, and public updates that help readers follow what is happening and why it matters.

Week of July 6, 2026
July 11, 2026

OASTL demands the Board of Forestry exclude school trust lands from the new 70-year forest plan — or pay for them.

Ahead of the Forest Trust Land Advisory Committee's July 16 meeting on the process for final approval of the Western Oregon State Forest Management Plan, OASTL sent a formal demand letter to the Board of Forestry, the State Forester, and the Committee. Roughly 28,000 acres of Common School Forest Lands sit inside the plan's 640,000-acre permit area; the letter demands they be excluded from the plan's conservation dedications or that the Common School Fund be compensated at full fair market value. Written public testimony is open to anyone through 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 14.

Read the full story and how to weigh in  ·  The letter (PDF)

Week of May 18, 2026
May 24, 2026

Six updates to the Oregon case record.

This update added six pieces of context that help readers follow the active Oregon school-trust cases:

  1. The State's May 13 Motion for Summary Judgment is now noted on the case-history page.
  2. Judge Andrew Combs's two letter opinions, dated February 26, 2024 and March 6, 2025, are identified as key rulings in Siuslaw School District 97J et al. v. State of Oregon, 24CV38372.
  3. Comcast of Oregon II v. City of Eugene, 346 Or 238 (2009), is included because it helps explain why claims about lawmaking are not treated like ordinary tort claims under Oregon law.
  4. The Pendleton School District 16R connection is explained: the same district that won a 2009 school-funding enforcement case is part of the 2026 Advocates plaintiff group, and Siuslaw 97J plays a similar role in 24CV38372.
  5. The January 28, 2026 Court of Appeals ruling is described as Oregon catching up with other school-trust states that already allow beneficiaries to sue, rather than as a national first. The State asked the Oregon Supreme Court to review the ruling. Update, July 23, 2026: the Oregon Supreme Court denied review in S072734, and the Court of Appeals decision is final.
  6. Cascadia Wildlands v. Department of State Lands, 365 Or 750 (2019), is included because the State relies on it, and OASTL points readers to the limits of that argument.
Related page · OASTL · Legal Desk
The July 24, 2026 summary-judgment ruling, the January 2026 Court of Appeals decision, and the full case file →
Related page · OASTL · Briefing Room
The Oregon record — Common School Fund, Elliott State Forest, Cascadia Wildlands, and the repair path →