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Forest Service overhaul threatens Portland's role

Federal changes could move research and policy roles out of Portland.

News

A sweeping reorganization of the U.S. Forest Service is poised to reshape how millions of acres of Western <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="forests" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2025/05/09/public-trails-hiking-research-forest-oregon-state" data-vars-content-id="8a111d47-cf98-4870-8cb9-0edcacfe3f83" data-vars-headline="Forest Service overhaul threatens Portland&#x27;s role" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2025/05/09/public-trails-hiking-research-forest-oregon-state" target="_self">forests</a> are managed, and will likely force the relocation of hundreds of researchers from Portland.Why it matters: Portland has long been a hub for wildfire planning, timber policy and scientific research across Oregon, Washington and Alaska.

Portland road conditions worsen as city weighs new fee

Plus: Northwest 23rd Avenue may be the most despised corridor by drivers.

<figure><img alt="Cars drive across an intersection that has cracked pavement and deep wheel ruts in Portland&#x27;s Northwest 23rd neighborhood." height="450" id="37c6efa8-1917-4c7b-9799-7eb770d044c4" src="https://images.axios.com/Ma9j9UWlrc1LBtVgWWX-PdTNu3U=/2026/03/31/1774989898549.gif" width="800"/><figcaption>Portland&#x27;s Northwest 23rd Avenue corridor is one of the worst for drivers. Or as reader Joel S. calls it: &quot;Can you say &#x27;Oregon Trail&#x27;?!&quot; GIF: Meira Gebel/Axios</figcaption></figure>From deep wheel ruts to uneven pavement and even sinkholes, Axios Portland readers shared their frustration about our bumpiest streets and how little has been done to fix them.Why it matters: These recurring concerns come as city leaders weigh new ways to fund road maintenance, including a proposed <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="transportation utility fee" data-vars-click-url="https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2026/03/portland-could-charge-you-a-monthly-fee-to-help-fix-its-deplorable-streets.html" data-vars-content-id="2f1d819c-13a9-4644-824c-1b7b76060228" data-vars-headline="Portland road conditions worsen as city weighs new fee" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2026/03/portland-could-charge-you-a-monthly-fee-to-help-fix-its-deplorable-streets.html" target="_blank">transportation utility fee</a> that would charge residents monthly.

Portland bucks national immigration slump

New Census data shows immigration falling nationwide, but Portland saw slight growth.

Population growth is slowing in most counties nationwide amid a massive drop in immigration, new U.S. Census data shows. <ul><li>Portland, however, ever so slightly bucked the trend.</li></ul>Why it matters: The new data offers the best look yet at how tighter immigration enforcement is affecting America&#x27;s demographic makeup.

What Portland homeowners do for a living

Rising costs reshape who can buy homes in Portland, with educators leading.

Real Estate

Those in the education and social services sectors are most likely to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="own homes" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/19/affordable-homes-metro-income" data-vars-content-id="424fc0ab-e71f-494b-88fe-e4aedea7cd6a" data-vars-headline="What Portland homeowners do for a living" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/19/affordable-homes-metro-income" target="_self">own homes</a> in Portland, according to a new analysis shared exclusively with Axios.Why it matters: Who can afford to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="own a home" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2026/01/27/home-down-payment-time-2025" data-vars-content-id="424fc0ab-e71f-494b-88fe-e4aedea7cd6a" data-vars-headline="What Portland homeowners do for a living" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2026/01/27/home-down-payment-time-2025" target="_self">own a home</a> is shifting — reflecting rising housing costs and changing job geography, per the National Association of Realtors analysis of census data.

The future of native Willamette River fish is in limbo

Advocates and tribal leaders suggest dam drawdowns to increase passage.

The fate of threatened <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="native fish" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2024/02/09/columbia-river-basin-salmon-restoration" data-vars-content-id="3546802b-019b-4932-958e-aa0a1803ed75" data-vars-headline="The future of native Willamette River fish is in limbo" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2024/02/09/columbia-river-basin-salmon-restoration" target="_self">native fish</a> in Oregon&#x27;s Upper Willamette River Basin remains in limbo after a federal agency missed a key deadline to file a report to Congress on whether eight hydroelectric dams are still necessary.Why it matters: Altered river flows and blocked spawning routes caused by the dams have put Chinook salmon and steelhead trout at increased risk for extinction by 2040, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/lack-passage-drives-continued-decline-upper-willamette-chinook-salmon-and-steelhead" data-vars-content-id="3546802b-019b-4932-958e-aa0a1803ed75" data-vars-headline="The future of native Willamette River fish is in limbo" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/lack-passage-drives-continued-decline-upper-willamette-chinook-salmon-and-steelhead" target="_blank">report</a>.

What's next for Columbia River salmon restoration efforts

Local tribes worry that without continued investment salmon could still be threatened.

Water

Local tribes are hoping a historic, billion-dollar agreement with the federal government will help <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="save native fish" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2023/08/09/columbia-river-hatcheries-fail-native-fish" data-vars-content-id="85427a28-d98d-41bb-a7aa-2ed78d9dddff" data-vars-headline="What&#x27;s next for Columbia River salmon restoration efforts" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2023/08/09/columbia-river-hatcheries-fail-native-fish" target="_self">save native fish</a> in the Columbia River Basin from extinction, but worry that without additional long-term investment, salmon may still be threatened.Why it matters: Salmon and steelhead populations in the basin have dwindled for decades in part due to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="extensive damming" data-vars-click-url="https://media.fisheries.noaa.gov/2022-09/rebuilding-interior-columbia-basin-salmon-steelhead.pdf" data-vars-content-id="85427a28-d98d-41bb-a7aa-2ed78d9dddff" data-vars-headline="What&#x27;s next for Columbia River salmon restoration efforts" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://media.fisheries.noaa.gov/2022-09/rebuilding-interior-columbia-basin-salmon-steelhead.pdf" target="_blank">extensive damming</a> — decimating a vital food source, commodity and sense of identity for tribes.

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