The dilemma of being human
It's a fact of life that in order for humans to live, something is sacrificed. Whether you are carnivore or vegetarian, the very act of eating means something had to die. In similar fashion, many of our clothes come from materials that were once living.
When it comes to shelter - for home, work or play - we can choose either living or non-living building materials. One problem in choosing concrete or steel is that they come from finite resources, though both are recyclable. Wood-based materials have an advantage because not only are they recyclable and renewable, they also require less energy to manufacture and store carbon, a greenhouse gas linked to global warming.
The dilemma is that wood use requires timber harvest, which results in the absence of trees for a time. Landowners can choose from a range of harvest options, but to meet our needs for wood and paper products, trees must die.
It is indeed fortunate for us humans that trees grow back. And with proper care and stewardship, they can serve our needs in perpetuity.
For the forest,
Paul Barnum
Executive Director
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New report on timber harvests
OFRI has published a new special report discussing the range of timber harvest methods used in Oregon, and the motivations behind them.
The 16-page report,
Not So Clear-Cut
, examines how different types of timber harvests, such as clearcutting, restoration thinning and variable-retention, help meet society's demand for wood and paper products, improve forest health and fire resiliency, and create wildlife habitat. In the report, forest managers and forestry experts explain how harvests vary depending on landowner objectives, tree species, climate and historic wildfire patterns. The report also highlights how science, economics, and state and federal laws shape timber harvests.
"When it comes time to harvest timber, Oregon's forest landowners have many options depending on their management objectives," says OFRI Executive Director Paul Barnum. "Regardless of the type of harvest, the long-term goal is responsible, sustainable forestry."
Copies of Not So Clear-Cut were mailed out last month to state lawmakers, policy leaders, educators, industry partners and Oregon media. Print and electronic versions of the report are also available to order or download through OFRI's website,
OregonForests.org
.
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Trio of videos focuses on harvest methods
A new OFRI-produced video series features public and private forest managers explaining the mechanics and motivations behind three different timber harvest methods used in Oregon.
The three-part "Harvest Methods in Oregon" video series examines how harvesting timber varies throughout the state based on factors such as landowner objectives, trees species, geography and topography. The three-minute videos visit a Weyerhaeuser clearcutting timber harvest in western Oregon, a Deschutes National Forest restoration thinning project in central Oregon and a Bureau of Land Management variable-retention harvest in southern Oregon.
The brief videos serve as a companion to OFRI's latest special report, Not So Clear-Cut, which discusses the range of timber harvest methods used in Oregon. All three videos can be viewed on OFRI's YouTube page.
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Tree Farm System honors OFRI staffer
The American Tree Farm System (ATFS) has recognized OFRI Director of Forestry Mike Cloughesy for partnering with the organization to help educate family forest landowners about sustainable forest management.
Cloughesy, who leads OFRI's landowner education program, received the ATFS Valued Forest Stewardship Partner award during the Oregon Small Woodlands Association annual meeting last month in Baker City. The June 9-11 event also celebrated the 75th anniversary of the ATFS, a sustainable forest certification program administered by the American Forest Foundation.
American Forest Foundation President Tom Martin and Oregon Tree Farm System President Scott Hayes presented Cloughesy with the award. It honors individuals and partner organizations that have played an important role in the long-term success of the ATFS.
"OFRI has been one of those special organizations helping nurture the success of ATFS through many, many years," Martin says. "In recent years, Mike Cloughesy has provided energy, insight and leadership to help ATFS continue to help family landowners become better stewards of their land. Mike and OFRI are a large part of what has made ATFS successful in Oregon."
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Teachers learn about sustainable forestry
T
hirty high school teachers from across Oregon attended a three-day tour and workshop last month in Bend that highlighted sustainable and collaborative forest management practices.
OFRI and Central Oregon Community College hosted the June 26-28 tour to offer field training for teachers on the social, economic and ecological aspects of sustainable forestry. The workshop focused on forest health, forest threats and collaboration. Speakers included
natural resource professionals from private companies and federal, state and county agencies who are working together to improve the health of central Oregon's forests by supporting active restoration projects that achieve common goals.
The field portion of
the tour visited federal and private forestland near Bend. The teachers toured an active timber harvest operation and a small-diameter log mill. They also explored the site of a recent forest fire and visited areas where collaborative forest restoration projects are underway.
Central Oregon Community College faculty taught the group how to collect tree-stand data that is used to make forest management decisions.
"This was an amazing learning experience," says Amber Horn, a teacher at St. Helens High School who participated in the tour. "Seeing the collaborative approach is a great example of how groups can work together and create long-term solutions."
Sponsors of the tour and workshop included Oregon State University, the Oregon Society of American Foresters, the Oregon Department of Forestry, the U.S. Forest Service and the Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project.
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OSU hires new forestry staff
The new hires fill vacancies for timber harvesting and forest operations and extension agent positions in Douglas County and the north and south coast regions. All four positions will contribute to the program's mission to provide research-based knowledge and problem-solving educational programs designed to foster new ways to manage and use Oregon's forest resources wisely.
Francisca Belart, who recently completed her Ph.D. in sustainable forest management at OSU, will serve as the extension program's new timber harvesting and forest operations specialist starting this month. Prior to OSU, she worked as a forest planning engineer in Chile.
Also joining the extension program this month is Alicia Jones, the new Douglas County forestry and natural resources extension agent. Jones recently earned a master's degree in natural resources from Humboldt State University.
Valerie Grant will join OSU as the new forestry and natural resources extension agent on the north coast. Most recently, she worked as a youth, families and communities education specialist with the University of California Cooperative Extension Service. She has a bachelor's degree in forestry from California Polytechnic State University and a master's degree in forestry from West Virginia University.
A former Oregon Department of Forestry district forester, Norma Kline, has been appointed the new forestry and natural resources extension agent for the south coast. Kline, who most recently was the ODF district forester in Coos Bay, will be based out of Myrtle Point.
In addition to the new extension program hires, the OSU College of Forestry has named Anthony Davis as associate dean of research. Davis joins OSU from the University of Idaho, where he served as the director of the Center for Forest Nursery and Seedling Research, and as an associate professor of native plant regeneration and silviculture in the Department of Forest, Rangeland and Fire Science.
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The Oregon Legislature created the Oregon Forest Resources Institute in 1991 to advance public understanding of forests, forest management and forest products and to encourage sound forestry through landowner education. A 13-member board of directors governs OFRI. It is funded by a portion of the forest products harvest tax.
Copyright © 2016, Oregon Forest Resources Institute. All Rights Reserved.
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See what OFRI's been up to on Facebook
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We've updated our
Facebook page, and are posting more outings and interesting articles than ever.
Check us out and give us a like!
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Ag teachers hold conference
More than 135 teachers gathered last month in John Day for the 2016 Oregon Agriculture Teachers Association Summer Conference.
OFRI co-sponsored the June 21-23 conference, and provided outreach for learning about the local forest sector to the
135 teachers who attended. Conference
participants toured the Malheur Lumber Co. mill to see the production of dimensional lumber, forest biofuel and other wood products.
They also toured the site of a recent wildfire
, the Canyon Creek Complex, and the Silvies Valley Ranch to learn about stream restoration efforts to boost beaver populations.
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Tree genetics center celebrates anniversary
T
he U.S. Forest Service's Dorena Genetic Resource Center - a regional service center for Pacific Northwest tree and plant genetics - is celebrating its 50th anniversary next month.
A celebration will be held Aug. 25 at the Cottage Grove-based center, 34963 Shoreview Road. The event will feature public tours of the center, which is known internationally for its programs to develop tree disease resistance to non-native pathogens.
The resource center houses disease-resistance breeding programs for five-needled pines and Port-Orford-cedar, and a native plant development program. It is also home to the Forest Service's National Tree Climbing Program.
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Nominations sought for Wood Design Awards
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WoodWorks
, an educational initiative of the Wood Products Council, is seeking nominations of non-residential and multi-family wood projects for its 2017 Wood Design Awards.
The deadline to submit nominations is Sept. 30, 2016. The awards celebrate excellence in wood design, engineering and construction, as well as innovative projects that showcase attributes of wood such as strength, beauty, versatility, cost-effectiveness and sustainability.
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Forest ed program schedules fundraiser
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Forest stewardship education program
Forests Today & Forever
will host its third annual Soiree & Silent Auction Sept. 15 in Eugene.
Registration
is now open for the event, which will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at Sweet Cheeks Winery, 27007 Briggs Hill Road.
All proceeds from the auction will support Forests Today & Forever's educational efforts to connect young people to Oregon's forests and promote appreciation of forest stewardship.
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Get Outside:
Amanda's Trail
The 3.7-mile Amanda's Trail travels from the town of Yachats through a Sitka spruce and alder forest to Cape Perpetua, a scenic vista and the highest point on the Oregon Coast. A stop on the hike features a statue of the trail's namesake, Amanda, a blind Native American woman who was forced to walk alongside the coast to an internment camp in 1864.
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