Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current, April 12, 2011, Page 2, Image 2

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    2
april12
2011
Vernonia Realty & Insurance Center
NEW LISTING
Looking for a 1 acre parcet within the city
timits? YOU FOUND IT! Wonderfut tocation
that backs to farmtand. Catt tisting agent to
watk property. Check with City of Vernonia
for Buitding Restrictions and/or variance if
any. Partition to be comptete by ctosing.
953 Bridge Street,Vernonia, OR, 97064
Office 503.429.6203 Cell 503.780.3466
vernoniarlty@agalis.net
List Price $150,000
RMLS# 11585622
Ken & Helen Bateman, Brokers
Properties Available Now!
SO
COUNTRY LIVING IN THE CITY LIMITS!
www.508MistDrive.com - RMLS# 10092118
List Price $239,900
!
LD
523 Mist Drive: You’ll feel like
you’re on vacation 24/7/365 in
this cozy, updated 2 bdrm home.
Lg deck overlooks the Nehalem
River w/views of Vernonia Lake &
the linear trail. Fish for steelhead &
trout in your back yard & enjoy life
to its fullest. $124,500
1299 E Alder: Instantly
appealing and an outstanding
buy with 4 bdrms, 2 baths plus a
2 car garage all on a large lot, it is
NOT a fixer. Kitchen has oak
cabinets & handy island. FR
w/view out into private back yard.
New paint in & out. $199,500
64077 Nehalem Hwy N: Attention
outdoor enthusiasts! Great
riverfront building site or nice
get-a-way property. Over 2½
acres along the Nehalem w/ a nice
fishing hole plus a concrete floored
garage & fixer mobile. Build new
or fix up old mobile. $119,000
You witt say WOW when you drive up the private drive to this 1.67 acre country home in
the city timits of Vernonia! Great horse property with 3 statt barn and fenced pasture.
Lots to offer with a 36x36 three-car shop with 220 power and finished office. Large deck
on back of property overtooking a pond and private back yard. The manufactured home
is 2025 sq.ft. with tots of tite ftoor. Just minutes from the take and downtown Vernonia.
Corner of Alabama & Spencer:
Cleared 8712 sq ft, corner lot,
high above flood plain. A few blocks
from Vernonia Lake, Linear Trail &
new schools. Terms avail. $40,000
85914 Northrup Ck Rd: A
charming country road will lead
you to this wooded building site.
Over 12 ½ acres w/barn, silos, and
storage buildings. Spring fed water
source plus septic system is in.
Quiet area West of Birkenfeld.
$199,000
67675 Nehalem Hwy N: Great
views and Nehalem River
frontage. Approximately 3 acres
with a 36x60 ft metal shop w/gas
heat, green house, outdoor
entertainment area, storage
building and 2 bdrm single-wide
mobile home. North of Vernonia.
$159,000
West F off Springboard Ln: Need
some quiet time? You’ll find it
here on this 20,000 sq ft building
site ½ mile from city center. Level
w/trees, cleared area. $65,000
Springboard Lane: Off the
beaten path. Build your dream
home on this 1.37 acre building
site w/city utilities available.
Plenty of room for outbuilding
and gardens. $90,000
Sharon A. Bernal
Real Estate Broker
Cell: (503) 819.7924
Email: Sharon@Bernals.com
The Western Oregon Forest Health – Human Health Initiative
This project will develop the business plan for an innovative model that aggregates forestland owner carbon payments to fund family and rural commu-
nity health care while servicing community thermal energy needs. This is one of several articles to follow in the Vernonia’s Voice regarding the Forest 
Health-Human Health Initiative.  We know you have many questions, and will be addressing the 10 most-asked questions about the Forest Health-
Human Health Initiative in the next issue of the Vernonia’s Voice.  For starters – we want to share with you an overview of how this all got started.
Background:  Since 2007, The Pinchot Institute for Conserva-
tion has been engaged in forestland owner offspring research 
projects – documenting the issues and concerns that face the 
next  generation  of  family  forestland  owners  in  the  US.  Over 
600 offspring interviews have been conducted primarily in four 
states:  Oregon (100), Washington (100), Pennsylvania (260), 
and  Wisconsin  (260).    Much  has  been  learned  as  a  result  of 
those  interviews,  but  key  findings  hold  relevance  to  the 
Western Oregon (Vernonia) Forest Health – Human Health 
Initiative. Amongst the most compelling findings: much of the 
conversion  from  forest  to  non-forest  cover  will  occur  when 
offspring – who plan to inherit the family forestland - are faced 
with  medical  care  expenses  they  do  not  anticipate  nor  can 
afford  to  pay  for  without  selling  the  family  forests  (ranked 
higher  than  concern  over  tax  payments  in  some  states). 
Offspring across the US also identified payment for ecosystem 
services – particularly carbon banking – as a financial tool they 
would  find  important  or  most  important  in  helping  them  to 
keep the family forests.   
The  community  of  Vernonia  Oregon,  located  in  the  NW 
region of Oregon ~40 miles due west and north of Portland, 
after suffering two 500-year floods in the last 7 years, is in the 
process  of  rebuilding  the  entire  community:    relocating  all 
schools,  public  buildings  (including  the  community  health 
clinic),  and  50%  of  the  residential  homes  outside  of  the  flood 
plain.  The community has decided to make sustainability the 
backbone  of  the  rebuild  effort;  including  rebuilding  the  K-12 
schools  to  LEED-certification  standards.    The  community 
was originally built around the forest products industry and 
today still remains one of the most productive forested areas 
in the state.  Included in the rebuild effort is the process of 
using  woody  biomass  from  both  public  and  private 
surrounding  forestlands  for  thermal  energy  for  the  public 
facilities being relocated outside the floodplain.  It has been 
estimated  that  approximately  1,000  gT  of  woody  biomass 
will  be  needed  annually  to  service  the  community  facility 
heating and cooling needs. Aside from the public forestlands 
surrounding the Vernonia area (national forests, state forests, 
BLM lands, university demonstration forests), there are ~700 
private  non-industrial  forestland  owners  just  in  Columbia 
County  with  Vernonia  at  the  center.    Many  of  these 
forestland  owners  are  at  the  age  where  their  family  forests 
will  transition  to  their  offspring  in  the  immediate  future.  
This  Forest  Health  –  Human  Health  Initiative  is  the  first 
project in the US to link forestland owner offspring concerns 
regarding  health  care  access  to  carbon  banking  payments, 
while  providing  additional  regional  markets  for  woody 
biomass from the family forestlands.
health care clinic, the community would agree to purchase 
woody biomass from participating family forest operations 
to service community thermal energy needs. 
Human
Health
Family of insurance products
Community
health facility
Insurance
provider
Carbon
investor
The Forest Health – Human Health Process:
Forestland  owners  in  Columbia  County  would  engage  in 
carbon contract with a carbon aggregator/investor;
Carbon  payments  from  investors  would  be  derived  from 
family forestland carbon credits.  Payments  would go direct 
to  landowner-selected  insurance  companies  and  the 
government-funded community health care clinics;
  
Payments  directed  to  insurance  companies  will  pay  for 
landowner-selected health insurance products for themselves 
and/or their offspring. A portion of these payments may be 
tax deductible to the landowner.  
Payments to the community health care clinic would come 
from  a  percentage  of  the  carbon  credit  payments  derived 
from the same family forests as above.  These payments will 
be  earmarked  for  increasing  access  to  medical  care  for  all 
citizens  in  the  community  (new  telemedicine  technology; 
other). These payments may be tax deductible to the carbon 
investor. 
In  exchange  for  the  family  forestland  contribution  of  a 
percentage  of  their  carbon  payments  to  the  community 
For more information contact:     Catherine M. Mater at mater@mater .com; 541-753-7335; or  
 
                                             Brian Kittler at bkittler@pinchot.org; 202-797-6585
 
 
 
       www.pinchot.org
Forestland
aggregator
Carbon
contract
Forest landowners
(and offspring)
Forest
Health
Woody biomass to
community thermal
energy needs
The  Pinchot  Institute  has  just  been  awarded  $200,000  in 
grant  funds  from  Regence  BlueCross  BlueShield,  the 
Kelley Family Foundation, and USDA to engage in Phase 2 
of the Forest Health-Human Health Initiative in Vernonia:  
This  includes  developing  the  business  plan  for  the  Forest 
Health  -  Human  Health  Initiative  in  Columbia  County, 
verifying landowner and offspring interest to participate in 
the  initiative,  determining  carbon  pricing  and  contract 
conditions,  determining  sustainable  biomass  supply 
capability  from  family  forestlands,  etc.    Assuming  project 
results  document  market  and  financial  viability,  the 
Initiative could be launched in Columbia County by the end 
of 2011, with expanded application throughout other regions 
in Oregon, the PNW, and the US.