Oregon high court declines appeal in $1 billion timber suit

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from 13 counties in a long-running $1 billion timber revenue lawsuit. The denial ends a six-year legal battle over forest management on 700,000 acres and is a victory for the state Department of Forestry and environmental groups. The counties gave forestland to the state decades ago and Oregon manages the land and funnels timber revenue to the counties. But 13 counties took Oregon to court, alleging the state was not maximizing logging on the forests. An appeals court this year overturned a $1.1 billion jury verdict against the state.