Malheur National Forest, Iron Triangle Sign Stewardship Agreement

Officials with central Oregon’s Malheur National Forest signed a restoration-focused stewardship agreement with John Day, Ore.-based Iron Triangle LLC in early summer. The 20-year agreement establishes guidelines for “landscape-scale” forest restoration that includes hazardous fuels reduction, timber harvesting, watershed improvement and habitat restoration. The agreement projects roughly 5,000 acres treated annually, along with 25MMBF in timber harvests.

The agreement and Iron Triangle’s involvement are another chapter in a long-running effort to support forest health restoration in central Oregon. Iron Triangle, which operates multiple logging crews and forest restoration equipment, purchased the Malheur Lumber sawmill in John Day earlier this year. The mill has been on site for decades, was originally a pine cutting mill and later modified to handle small logs before it closed in early 2025. It’s a critical part of regional forest health activities and provides a key market for logs coming off forest health projects.

Iron Triangle employs more than 110 people. According to owner Russ Young, the company is investing to preserve the region’s wood products capacity. “The 20-year nature of this agreement provides important long-term stability for our employees and their families,” said Russ Young of Iron Triangle. “It also gives us the stability needed to invest in our workforce, equipment and infrastructure for the future. Our workforce takes a great deal of pride in the work they do, and this agreement allows them to continue delivering meaningful restoration work that  benefits s  the forest and the surrounding communities.”