Oregon’s vast forests are truly remarkable. They offer a wealth of benefits to Oregonians, as well as the visitors to our state, year after year. The abundant scenic beauty, clean water, wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities are just some of the reasons why they’re so special.

Oregon’s forests also sustain the state’s forestry and wood products sector, employing tens of thousands of Oregonians. Wood harvested from sustainably managed forests contributes billions of dollars to our economy and provides essential materials for so many things we depend on in our daily lives.

So, whether you’re a lifelong Oregonian or a curious visitor, exploring these forests will deepen your connection to the land and inspire you to support and cherish these natural wonders. 

For the forest,

Jim Paul

Executive Director

An upcoming webinar series for foresters, forest landowners and managers, and others with an interest in forestry, will focus on the health of Oregon’s forests. Topics will include the current condition of Oregon’s forests, forest health trends, challenges, current research findings and possible solutions.

The two-day webinar series, Forest Health in Oregon 2024: State of the State, will take place Feb. 27-28. OFRI is co-hosting the series with Oregon State University’s College of Forestry and Natural Resources Extension and the Oregon Departments of Forestry and Agriculture.

Both webinars will take place from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The first day of the webinar series will focus on invasive species, pests, diseases and forest health west of the Cascades. First-day webinar participants will learn the latest information about the threats of the invasive Mediterranean oak borer, the emerald ash borer and Phytophthora ramorum, a plant pathogen that causes sudden oak death. Webinar speakers will also share current forest health conditions in western Oregon based on an aerial detection survey.

On the second day of the series, the webinar will start with a focus on forest health east of the Cascades and then discuss the unique interactions between fire and forest health in central and eastern Oregon.

The webinars are free to attend, but registration is required. More information about the webinars, including an agenda, is available on the events tab at KnowYourForest.org. 

Oregon State Forester Cal Mukumoto has appointed Courtney Griesel and Eric Kranzush to represent large and medium-sized Oregon timber producers, respectively, on the OFRI board of directors.

OFRI’s board has 11 voting members appointed by the state forester, plus two non-voting members. Voting board members include nine representatives of timber producer classes, with three each from small (Class 1), medium (Class 2) and large (Class 3) producers; one member representing small woodland owners; and one representative for forest industry employees.

Griesel, who is the Oregon community relations manager for Sierra Pacific Industries in Eugene, is filling a Class 3 board position for timber producers of 100 million board feet per year or more.

Kranzush, a forest manager with Eugene-based Giustina Land & Timber, will fill a Class 2 position on the OFRI board for producers of at least 20 million, but less than 100 million board feet of timber per year

All OFRI board meetings are open to the public and include the opportunity for public comment. A schedule of upcoming meetings, agendas and past meeting materials are available on OFRI’s board meetings and materials webpage. 

Registration is now open for Tree School Clackamas on March 23 at Clackamas Community College in Oregon City.

Presented by the Oregon State University Extension Service Clackamas County in collaboration with OFRI and other members of the Partnership for Forestry Education, Tree School is a mini-college program designed to attract a broad audience and offer a diverse array of educational topics to address the goals and challenges facing forest landowners. This year’s Tree School Clackamas will feature more than 70 classes on topics such as wetland habitat restoration, best practices for burning logging slash piles, keeping forests healthy and chainsaw safety.

Online registration for Tree School is available on the OSU Extension Service website, along with a catalog of classes being offered at this year’s Tree School and other information about the event. 

Oregon Logging Conference set for Feb. 22-24 

The 86^th annual Oregon Logging Conference will be held Feb. 22-24 at the Lane Events Center and Fairgrounds in Eugene. This year’s conference will include keynote speakers, social events, a family day, a log loader competition, a forestry workers career day for high school students, a scholarship auction and a wood carver event, among other activities. Learn more and register on the Oregon Logging Conference website. 

Webinars focus on forest fire resiliency 

The Oregon State University Extension Service is holding a webinar series through this spring that will delve into topics related to fires, fuels and density management for a variety of forest types and management objectives across central and eastern Oregon. Webinars in the series will be held on the first and third Thursdays of each month from 6-7:30 p.m. through May 2. They are free to attend, but registration is required. 

Mass Timber Conference coming to Portland  

The International Mass Timber Conference is returning to the Oregon Convention Center in Portland next month. Billed as the largest gathering of mass timber experts in the world, the eighth annual conference for professionals across the forest, manufacturing, design, development and construction industries will be held March 26-28. It will feature speakers, exhibits and tours focusing on the entire mass timber industry supply chain. Learn more and register on the Mass Timber Conference website. 

New publication focuses on forest carbon  

A new publication from the Oregon State University Extension Service gives an overview of forest carbon, carbon offsets, projects and markets. Introduction to Forest Carbon, Offsets and Markets is intended to orient forest landowners, land managers, natural resource professionals and others with forest carbon cycling and storage, along with carbon market terminology and processes. It also provides resources for getting started with a forest carbon project. The peer-reviewed publication can be downloaded from the OSU Extension Catalog. 

Survey seeks input from forest-related businesses 

Oregon's Higher Education Coordinating Commission and the Workforce and Talent Development Board are conducting a survey of forest sector employers. It seeks to gauge employer perspectives on industry workforce gaps, existing talent sources and opportunities to strengthen the talent pipeline to guide the state’s priorities and activities related to workforce development. The survey is available at this link. It will take approximately 20 minutes to complete and all information concerning individual respondents will be kept confidential. 

Trail Building: The basics of Siting, Design and Construction

Feb. 21, Zoom

Oregon Logging Conference

Feb. 22-24, Eugene 

Forest Health in Oregon 2024: State of the State

Feb. 27-28, Zoom 

Tree School Clackamas

March 23, Oregon City

International Mass Timber Conference

March 26-28, Portland