Be extra cautious this August
With perhaps 1 million visitors expected to come to the Beaver State before and after a total eclipse of the sun on Aug. 21, Oregonians are going to feel the burn with jammed freeways, long waits at gas stations and tons of people, especially in central and eastern Oregon. We could also feel the burn in another way. Hot weather, dry forest fuels and more people is a recipe for increased risk of wildfire.
We will all need to be extra vigilant to prevent human-caused wildfire, which in 2016 accounted for 84 percent of the fires in Oregon and 93 percent of the acres burned - nearly 160,000. The nonprofit organization Keep Oregon Green reminds us that it is everyone's responsibility to help prevent human-caused wildfires. Right now would be a good time to visit KOG's website to remind yourself of basic fire safety.
Paul Barnum
Executive Director
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Forest landowner resource guide updated
OFRI has updated its Family Forests resource guide with the latest information about technical, financial and educational resources available to Oregon's family forest landowners.
The 16-page guidebook organizes these resources geographically and in other logical ways for easy reference to landowner assistance programs provided by state, federal, private and educational institutions. This includes expert technical advice, classes, grants, online resources and forest tours that can help families as they develop long-term plans for their forestland. The guide provides brief descriptions of each program, along with contact information and website links to learn more.
"Managing private family forestlands can be very rewarding, but also challenging," says Julie Woodward, OFRI's senior manager of forestry education. "Fortunately, in Oregon there are many sources of assistance for landowners. This newly updated guidebook can help connect them to those resources."
OFRI produced the 2017-18 edition of Family Forests in collaboration with the Partnership for Forestry Education, a group made up of government, nonprofit and private organizations dedicated to providing educational resources to Oregon forest landowners, managers and operators.
Print copies of Family Forests can be ordered for free through OFRI's website, OregonForests.org. A digital version of the guide is also available to download.
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Oregon Youth Conservation Corps crew readies Rediscovery Forest for eclipse
An Oregon Youth Conservation Corps crew recently assisted with fuels reduction in the OFRI-managed Rediscovery Forest to prepare for increased human-caused fire danger during the total solar eclipse later this month.
OYCC provides funding for youth crews throughout Oregon to complete projects such as trail maintenance, stream restoration and invasive species removal. A Salem-based crew supported by the Boys & Girls Club of Salem, Marion and Polk Counties spent four days working in the Rediscovery Forest, located inside The Oregon Garden in Silverton. Ten crew members cleared pathways, mowed grass and removed ladder fuels and invasive species to help reduce the fire danger to the 15-acre forest.
The timing of the crew's fuel reduction work was especially important with a large number of visitors and campers expected to come to The Oregon Garden for festivities before and during the Aug. 21 eclipse, says OFRI Environmental Educator Rikki Heath.
"It will be great to have the extra visitors, but OFRI and The Oregon Garden are worried about the risk of human-caused wildfires on the dry landscape," she says.
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Forest-sector-supported Habitat home completed
Single mother Nayeli Navarrete Bravo and her 12-year-old daughter, Alitza, have received the keys to a new Habitat for Humanity home in Springfield, sponsored by the American Forest Resource Council.
Springfield/Eugene Habitat for Humanity
hosted a dedication ceremony earlier this summer to celebrate completion of the house after breaking ground on the project about a year ago. It is the 56th home Springfield/Eugene Habitat for Humanity has completed, and the 10th and final home to be built in its Meyer Estates development in east Springfield.
In addition to volunteer hours and cash donations, AFRC and its members, which include lumber manufacturers and forest landowners in five Western states, provided locally produced lumber and other wood products to help build the new home. Major donors to the project included Swanson Group, Timber Products Company, Roseburg, D.R. Johnson, Oregon Women in Timber and Freres Lumber Co.
"This project embodies what the forest products industry is all about," says AFRC President Travis Joseph. "We work in the woods, care for our public lands and make local, environmentally friendly products every Oregonian depends on every day - including the lumber for our homes. Our members care deeply about the communities in which they live, work and play, and this project is another reminder of that commitment."
OFRI has been documenting the project since the groundbreaking last year, to produce a short video highlighting the contributions of Oregon's forest sector. A final version of the video is expected to be released later this summer.
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Wider stream buffer rules go into effect
Revisions to the Oregon Forest Practices Act adopted by the Oregon Board of Forestry last spring to protect cold-water streams that support salmon, steelhead and bull trout have gone into effect.
The new rules, which went into effect July 1, require landowners who harvest timber around small and medium-size streams in western Oregon to leave wider streamside buffers of trees to shade the water and help keep the streams cold. In addition, landowners must leave more trees in the buffers after harvest and better distribute those trees to provide habitat for wildlife.
"The practical result of these rules is not just keeping water cold. Wider stream buffers will also provide other streamside benefits such as improved habitat," Oregon State Forester Peter Daugherty says. "The rule changes build on what Oregon's forests are already doing well: providing the state's cleanest water."
In 2015 the Board of Forestry decided to update and refine rules for harvesting timber to meet the cold-water standards set by the state for salmon, steelhead and bull trout streams. To ensure broad participation in the rule revision process, the board convened an advisory committee consisting of members of the conservation, forestry, fishing and landowner communities.
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OSU researchers test CLT structure
Oregon State University engineering researchers recently put a two-story cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure through a series of seismic tests to aid in designing wooden high-rises that can survive large earthquakes.
The tests were conducted at the National Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure site at the University of California, San Diego. Results could inform the designs of a four-story wood parking garage in Springfield and Framework, a 12-story CLT building that will be constructed in Portland.
OSU joins a consortium of universities, agencies and engineering firms conducting the seismic tests with funding from the National Science Foundation, the TallWood Design Institute, the Forest Products Laboratory, the city of Springfield and others.
Several tests were conducted on the structure at different shaking frequencies, to reflect the stresses associated with a variety of earthquake conditions, including a 9.0-magnitude subduction earthquake. During the tests, measurements tracked how the CLT panels in the structure bent and moved relative to each other, to help develop structural systems that minimize damage to tall wood buildings during earthquakes.
Researchers plan to test a larger, 10-story CLT structure in 2020.
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Applicants sought for OFRI board
OFRI is seeking applications from individuals interested in serving on its board of directors.
Qualified applicants will be added to a list used by the Oregon state forester to fill current and upcoming vacancies on the OFRI board. By law, the state forester appoints 11 of OFRI's 13 board members to serve three-year terms. Two other members serve ex officio: the dean of the Oregon State University College of Forestry, and a public representative appointed jointly by the president of the Oregon Senate and the speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives.
Board members include representatives from forest products producers of varying size that pay timber harvest taxes to support OFRI's programs. The board also contains one member representing small woodland owners, and an hourly-wage employee of a forest products producer or a person who represents such employees.
Those interested in serving on the OFRI board can request application materials from Kathy Storm at storm@ofri.org or 971-673-2953. Applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Aug. 31, 2017.
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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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Career videos now on DVD
The full collection of videos in OFRI's Find Your Path series profiling people who work in the forest sector is now available on DVD.
The new Find Your Path DVD contains 16 short videos highlighting what a day on the job is like and what kind of education and experiences are needed for a variety of forest-related careers. These include field forester, forest engineer, firefighter, logger, mill operator and wildlife biologist. The videos run about two minutes each and are aimed to generate interest among middle- and high-school students in forest sector careers.
The entire Find Your Path series can also be watched on YouTube.
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FT&F hosting soiree
The forest education program Forests Today & Forever will hold its fourth annual Soiree & Silent Auction Sept. 14 in Eugene.
The event takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. at Eugene Wine Cellars, 255 Madison St. It will feature live music, hors d'oeuvres, a raffle and a silent auction. Proceeds will benefit Forests Today & Forever's educational programs promoting awareness of forest management and understanding of Oregon's forests.
More information and registration are available online.
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Michael Green to keynote benefit
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Canadian architect and tall wood building advocate Michael Green will keynote a Sept. 28 benefit for the Portland-based nonprofit Sustainable Northwest.
The "Live Edge 2017" benefit highlighting Sustainable Northwest's role in the region's green building and sustainable forest sector is scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. at Castaway Portland, 1900 NW 18th Ave. It will feature a cocktail hour, live and silent auctions, an awards presentation and dinner. Proceeds benefit Sustainable Northwest, which promotes collaborative natural resource management that strengthens rural economies.
Event registration is available on Sustainable Northwest's website.
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An upcoming workshop for forest landowners and managers will feature wildlife experts discussing Oregon forest carnivores, with an emphasis on fisher, marten and fox.
The free one-day workshop, "Forest Carnivores and their Habitats: A Focus on Fisher, Marten and Fox," will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 19 at the Linn County Fair & Expo Center, 3700 Knox Butte Road in Albany. It is sponsored by OFRI, the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, the Partnership for Forestry Education and the Forest Carnivore Working Group.
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OTFS to hold annual meeting
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The Oregon Tree Farm System will host its 2017 annual meeting Oct. 21 in Silverton.
The meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Oregon Garden Resort, 895 W. Main St. It will feature a hands-on field workshop in the Rediscovery Forest and an awards recognition luncheon honoring the County Tree Farmers of the Year. The 2017 Inspector of the Year and Oregon Tree Farmer of the Year awards will be announced at the luncheon.
OFRI is a co-sponsor of the event together with the Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon State University Forestry & Natural Resources Extension, the U.S. Forest Service and Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
More information is available on the Oregon Tree Farm System website.
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Get Out:
Timberline Trail
The Timberline Trail traveling around Mount Hood, Oregon's tallest peak, offers vistas of Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, Mount Jefferson and the Three Sisters. Work to re-route a section of the trail that had been washed out was completed last summer, and it's possible again to hike the full 38-mile circuit around Mount Hood.
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