Federal forests comprise 53% of the regions forestlands and include BLM and US Forest Service ownership. Because of historical land grants, lands administered by the BLM in western Oregon tend to be distributed in a checkerboard pattern of alternating square-mile sections of federal and private land. In contrast, lands administered by the Forest Service tend to be more contiguous, with fewer holdings of private land.

BLM and the Forest Service manage these forests under a 'multiple use' mandate. 'Multiple use' is defined as "management of the public lands and their various resource values so that they are utilized in the combination that will best meet the present and future needs of the American people". Current management direction for the federal forests is outlined in the Northwest Forest Plan.

State forests are managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and include approximately 800,000 acres and comprise roughly 4% of the forestland in the state. The majority of state owned lands is located in northwest Oregon. State forests have a role distinct from other public forests based on constitutional and legislative mandates. There is no 'multiple-use' mandate for state lands. State forests in western Oregon are managed under a balanced program to provide sustainable timber harvest and revenues giving due consideration to all other appropriate forest uses and values.

State forests in western Oregon are relatively young, dominated by stands 65 years of age or younger. Older and larger forests are mostly concentrated on federal forestlands. However, ODF has developed forest management plans that manage for a variety of habitats and forest structures. This management direction is expected to result in state-owned forests becoming more diverse over time.

Private lands account for 41% of the forestland in western Oregon with 28% held by industrial landowners and 13% by nonindustrial landowners. Past harvest activates on these lands have largely produced landscapes dominated by younger forests with isolated small tracts of older forests. Because private forest management primarily focuses on managing forests for timber production, these forests are expected to become younger over time.