OFRI ads best way to reach general public
Have you seen our educational ads on television? Or perhaps online?
We began our annual educational advertising program in mid-February, and it will continue through the first week of May. The ads run in the state's three primary television markets - Portland, Eugene and Medford - as well as online throughout the state on sites such as Hulu, the popular television streaming alternative, and Pandora, a music streaming station. We also run Internet banner ads.
Using advertising to communicate to the general public has long been a tool in OFRI's public education toolbox. There's simply not a more efficient, cost-effective way to reach a broad audience.
I get a kick out of "Forecast." It features actors who pose as meteorologists forecasting rain as the narrator asks the question, "You know that Oregon weather we're always talking about?" The ad goes on to explain that Oregon's weather is perfect for growing trees, especially evergreens. This is no doubt why our state tree is the Douglas-fir.
Our timing couldn't be better for that ad, with record amounts of rainfall in February. It has been a wet one, and I agree with the ad's conclusion: "The forecast calls for trees."
For the forest,
Paul Barnum
Executive Director
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OFRI represented at leadership conference
Julie Woodward, OFRI's senior manager of forestry education, joined a 14-member delegation from Oregon that attended the American Tree Farm System's 2017 National Leadership Conference last month in Greenville, S.C.
Woodward represents OFRI on the executive committee for the Oregon Tree Farm System (OTFS), a state chapter of the ATFS. She received an OTFS scholarship for emerging leaders to attend the three-day conference focused on leadership development, fellowship and shared learning. Woodward and other members of the Oregon delegation were among the more than 200 people representing ATFS chapters from across the United States who attended the conference.
The conference was a great opportunity to learn more about how the Tree Farm System works on a national level, and to interact with members of other state chapters, Woodward says.
"It was interesting to learn from people who are doing similar work in other parts of the United States and find out what is working well for them, which will help make our Oregon projects more successful," she says.
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Tour to highlight mass timber projects
OFRI is sponsoring a sold-out tour later this month that will give attendees of the International Mass Timber Conference a chance to visit some of Portland's newest cross-laminated timber (CLT) and mass timber buildings.
The day-long tour will make seven stops. These include Ankrom Moisan Architects Inc.'s new headquarters in Portland's Old Town Chinatown neighborhood; Albina Yard, a recently completed office building in north Portland; and Carbon12, an eight-story condominium project under construction in north Portland. Tour attendees will also have the chance to visit Fire Station 76 in Gresham.
Because the Mass Timber Building Tour proved so popular, conference organizers created a second tour with stops highlighting mass timber school construction and research. Attendees will visit Hamlin Middle School in Springfield, which is being built with CLT, and learn about the latest research on mass timber and advanced wood products at Oregon State University in Corvallis.
Timm Locke, OFRI's director of forest products and a member of the conference steering committee, organized the Portland tour.
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County Economic Fact Sheets updated
A set of OFRI-produced fact sheets offering a snapshot of how the forest products industry impacts each of Oregon's 36 counties has been updated with the latest data.
Digital copies of the newly updated County Economic Fact Sheets are now available to download through OFRI's website, OregonForests.org. The fact sheets contain information on each county regarding topics such as forest sector employment, timber harvest levels and forest ownership. A new one-page State of Oregon Economic Fact Sheet showing the overall economic impact of Oregon's forest sector is also available to download and is included with each county fact sheet
"Oregonians are employed in forestry and wood products jobs in every one of Oregon's counties," says ORFI Director of Forestry Mike Cloughesy. "These fact sheets demonstrate the important role the forest sector has in our state's economy, and serve as a handy reference guide to how that plays out at the county level."
OFRI updated the economic fact sheets in partnership with the Oregon Employment Department and the Oregon Department of Forestry.
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Summit to focus on fire in the Pacific Northwest
An upcoming summit for forest managers and fire professionals will focus on the latest science and research on fire regimes for forests, woodlands and grasslands west of the Cascade Range in Oregon and Washington.
"Fire in the Pacific Northwest - Past, Present, & Future" is scheduled May 24-25 at the Downtown Hilton in Vancouver, Wash. The event is targeted to federal, state and private land managers, fire and fuel specialists, and members of forest collaborative groups. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss shared field experiences and exchange knowledge.
Summit speakers hailing from the fields of fire ecology and operations will discuss the past, present and future roles of west-side fire regimes. A theme of the summit will be understanding fire as a process and a tool for restoration efforts.
The registration cost for the summit is $225. The fee covers all materials, meals and refreshments during the event as well as an opening reception.
OFRI is co-sponsoring the summit along with the Oregon State University Forestry & Natural Resources Extension, the U.S. Forest Service and the Northwest Fire Science Consortium.
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Oregon projects win Wood Design Awards
WoodWorks - The Wood Products Council has honored three Oregon projects in its 2017 Wood Design Awards, which celebrate excellence in wood building design across the United States.
Emerge
, a project designed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln architecture students and constructed at the Bauman Family Tree Farm outside Eugene, also received a regional award. The 100-square-foot structure was designed to hold small gatherings of teachers and students visiting the tree farm through the Forests Today & Forever program, which promotes forest stewardship through education. The floor and walls of the structure are made from cross-laminated timber (CLT), and the roof is a combination of CLT, glulam and dimension lumber.
The WoodWorks Wood Design Awards annually recognize building projects that exemplify attributes of wood such as its beauty, strength, versatility and sustainability.
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New OFRI publications ready to order
Two new OFRI publications are now available for digital download and to order online: Oregon Forest Facts 2017-18 Edition and Forest to Frame, a special report on advanced wood products.
Oregon Forest Facts
has been updated with the latest data about Oregon's forests and forest-based economy. The pocket-size publication offers a detailed reference guide to Oregon's forest sector, including information, graphs and statistics, from cited sources - about forestland ownership, timber harvest, forest-based employment and wood products production.
Forest to Frame
showcases the ways in which Oregon is setting the pace for the rest of the country in a fast-growing movement that's reshaping how apartments, hotels and offices are constructed. The 20-page report profiles Oregon developers, architects and contractors who are at the forefront of using advanced wood products such as cross-laminated timber (CLT) to build multistory structures - even skyscrapers - almost entirely out of wood.
Free print copies of both publications can be ordered through the Learning Library section of OFRI's website, OregonForests.org. The Learning Library also includes the option to download PDF versions of the publications.
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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 © 2017, Oregon Forest Resources Institute. All Rights Reserved.
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On the blog
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Proposed 2017-18 OFRI budget available
OFRI's proposed fiscal year 2017-18 budget will be available for public review this spring.
The proposed budget can be reviewed during business hours from March 31 through April 13 at OFRI's Portland office, 317 SW Sixth Ave., Suite 400, and at the state forester's office in Salem, 2600 State St.
A public hearing on the 2017-18 budget is scheduled for 9 a.m. April 14 at the Chemeketa Eola Center, 215 Doaks Ferry Road, Salem.
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Rural leaders to gather in Salem
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The Oregon Rural Development Council and other rural leaders and stakeholders will gather at the Oregon State Capitol next month to share rural Oregon priorities with state leadership during Rural Oregon Day.
The free event will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 4, starting with exhibits and speakers at the Oregon State Library in Salem. At 1 p.m., participants will march to the State Capitol building to visit with state legislators and for networking. A happy-hour gathering starts at 4 p.m.
Morning refreshments and lunch will be provided to those who register for the event by March 28.
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OSAF to hold
annual meeting
The Oregon Society of American Foresters will hold its annual meeting April 26-28 in Tigard.
The 2017 meeting, "Foresters: Connecting Forests, Products, People," will be co-hosted by the Portland and Tillamook-Clatsop SAF chapters at the Embassy Suites Washington Square.
The meeting agenda includes a keynote address by the national SAF's immediate past-president, Clark Seely, and presentations on wood products, wildlife, research, new technologies and the public perception of forestry. The annual meeting will also feature several field tours, including a Portland mass timber building tour led by OFRI Director of Forest Products Timm Locke.
Registration for the meeting is available online.
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Starker Lecture
series continues
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Oregon State University's annual Starker Lecture Series continues this spring with one more planned lecture and a capstone field trip.
The 2017 theme for the free lecture series hosted by the OSU College of Forestry is "Recreation in the Forests: Finding a Healthy Balance."
The final lecture in the series, which is co-sponsored by OFRI, will take place from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on April 12 at the LaSells Stewart Center, 875 SW 26th Ave., Corvallis. Utah State University economics professor Paul Jakus will discuss the topic, "Is National Monument Designation an Economic Blessing or an Economic Curse?"
The series concludes with a capstone field trip May 17 at a to-be-determined location. Registration for the field trip is available online.
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For the 13th year in a row, OFRI has received the state controller's Gold Star Certificate, recognizing timely and accurate financial reporting during the 2016 fiscal year.
Oregon's Chief Financial Officer gives the annual award to state agencies that show exemplary financial reporting by maintaining accurate and complete accounting records throughout the fiscal year.
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The Tamanawas Falls hike through Douglas-fir and cedar trees along the banks of Cold Spring Creek in the Mt. Hood National Forest concludes at the 150-foot waterfall, which is especially scenic when surrounded by snow and ice. Scramble up some rocks to access a cave behind the falls. The trailhead parking lot is small, so arrive early to secure a spot.
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