Oregon Republicans have 19 gubernatorial candidates to choose from in the May Primary. 11 from the crowded field joined the group “Timber Unity,” last week, to debate topics related to natural resources. The forum was broadcast on KBND. On wildfires - Bob Tiernan, Tim McCloud and Bill Sizemore agreed forest management is needed, but their ideas on how to accomplish that goal varied widely. Bob Tiernan: “Fires are a natural occurrence and what we can do as a state is to put them out as soon as possible, wherever they start.” Tim McCloud: “Destroying the pests and beetles that destroy our trees has to be at the top of mind.” Bill Sizemore: “So, the traditional approach to letting us go back in to log when we need to log, thin where we need to thin, spray where we need to spray, that’s what has to happen if we’re going to save our forests.” Other candidates included Dr. Bud Pierce, Jessica Gomez and Marc Thielman who covered a wide range of topics including cap and trade, water conservation and the timber industry.