Oregon and California Railroad Revested Lands

The Oregon and California Railroad Revested Lands (commonly known as O&C Lands), are approximately 2,600,000 acres (1,100,000 ha) of land located in eighteen counties of western Oregon. Originally granted to the Oregon & California Railroad to build a railroad between Portland, Oregon and San Francisco, California, the land was reconveyed to the United States government by act of Congress in 1916 and is currently managed by the United States Bureau of Land Management.

Since 1916, the 18 counties where the O&C lands are located have received payments from the United States government at 50% share of timber revenue on those lands. Later, as compensation for the loss of timber and tax revenue decreased, the government added federal revenues. The governments of several of the counties have come to depend upon the O&C land revenue as an important source of income for schools and county services.

The most recent source of income from the lands was funded through an extension of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 which allocated $110 million to the counties. The act was renewed each succeeding year at reduced spending levels, most recently for $25.6 million in 2023. The act was not renewed in 2023 and 2024, leaving the affected counties with budget shortfalls. In 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act redirected proceeds from timber sales on the lands from the counties to the federal government, potentially exacerbating the funding gap. Later in 2025, Congress approved an extension of funding for the first time in several years.