Bill would leave intact tax by Forest Resources Institute Senate changes skirt controversy, but House also has to approve forest products harvest tax rates. The Oregon Senate has passed a bill that skirts a controversy about the Oregon Forest Research Institute, a quasi-governmental agency that has come under criticism from some lawmakers and drawn scrutiny from news accounts. The Senate voted 19-10 on Wednesday, June 23, to approve new rates for forest products harvest taxes for various programs. But the bill leaves untouched the maximum rate of $1.12 per thousand board feet that the institute can levy under state law. It attached the rates to House Bill 2434, "relating to revenue," which also makes permanent what had been temporary increases in aviation and jet fuel. Those rates would drop automatically on Jan. 1, 2022, without legislative action.