Cultivating forest-sector talent
|
Like other industries, Oregon’s forest sector faces challenges when it comes to recruiting, retaining and retraining its workforce.
To examine some of those challenges and ways to overcome them, the
World Forestry Center
is hosting an Oct. 25 summit called “Cultivating Talent” that will showcase a spectrum of successful talent and workforce models from across the forest and natural resources sectors.
Speakers will discuss how factors such as generational changes, the technological wave and competition from employers outside the forestry industry are driving systematic changes in both the sector’s workforce demographic and the skill sets employees need to be successful.
I’ll be among those speakers, giving a talk about effective employer communication. Other planned speakers include Society of American Foresters CEO Terry Baker and representatives from Associated Oregon Loggers, Campbell Global, Mason, Bruce & Girard, Oregon Forest & Industries Council, Oregon State University, Roseburg and the U.S. Forest Service.
It should be an informative and insightful event for employers representing all corners of the forest sector, as well as others interested in workforce development. Hope to see you there.
For the forest,
Erin Isselmann
Executive Director
|
|
New "Forest Proud Oregon" video debuts
|
A new OFRI-produced video highlights the pride professionals from across Oregon’s forest sector have in their work, and the team effort it takes to sustainably manage the state’s vast forests now and into the future.
“Forest Proud Oregon” debuted earlier this month at the opening ceremony for the
Society of American Foresters
National Convention, held in Portland this year. The video introduced foresters and forestry students attending the convention from the across the country to the importance of forests to all Oregonians, and the diverse array of professionals who dedicate their careers to caring for this precious resource.
In a series of interviews, the video profiles seven Oregonians whose daily lives and work are connected to Oregon’s forests. They include a forester, a small woodland owner, a federal timber sale administrator, a state fire manager, a wildlife biologist specializing in forest wildlife, a sawmill manager, and an architect who designs wood buildings.
The video joins a suite of
educational materials
that make up OFRI’s new
Forest Proud Oregon
program for forest-sector employees. Forest Proud offers free fact sheets, publications and other materials for forest-sector companies and organizations to distribute to their employees, to help inform them about contemporary forestry practices and build a sense of pride for their involvement in the sector.
|
|
Forest education guide updated
|
OFRI’s newly updated
K-12 Forest Education Opportunities
, which serves as a comprehensive directory to forest education programs offered across Oregon, is now available to order.
The booklet provides information for teachers about forest-related education programs and field-trip destinations, as well as other resources available to them for teaching their students about Oregon’s forests. It also includes details about OFRI’s
K-12 Education Program
, which offers a free curriculum, along with print and video resources that teach about forests and natural resources for students of different grade levels.
Copies of the 2018-20 version of
K-12 Forest Education Opportunities
can be ordered or downloaded from OFRI’s website for K-12 educators,
LearnForests.org
.
|
|
Show exposes students to high-tech logging
|
OFRI helped coordinate for more than 450 high school students to attend the
Pacific Logging Congress
8
th
Live In-Woods Show last month in Corvallis, where they had a chance to view live logging demonstrations using the latest high-tech equipment.
The theme of this year’s show was “Reaching Out to the Next Generation.” The three-day event, which was held in Oregon State University’s
McDonald-Dunn Research Forest
, offered students a firsthand look at Oregon’s forest sector and potential career paths. Students touring the show visited live and static displays of logging equipment, and met forest professionals who were available to answer questions about the machinery and discuss their careers.
The show’s live demonstrations featured cutting-edge logging technology using automation, improved traction to protect soils from compaction, and aerial drones that assist with safety during tethered logging operations.
|
|
Blog: This isn't your grandparents' logging
In a new blog, OFRI Executive Director Erin Isselmann discusses her impressions of modern logging in Oregon after visiting three separate logging operations.
Read the blog
.
Blog: Build with wood to reduce carbon dioxide emissions
OFRI Director of Forest Products Timm Locke explains in his latest blog why building with wood instead of other materials can play a key role in helping reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Read the blog
.
WFC hires new executive director
The World Forestry Center has a new executive director, Joseph Furia. A lawyer by training, Furia also brings expertise in business, public policy and nonprofit management to his new role leading the center, which is dedicated to creating and inspiring champions of sustainable forestry.
Learn more
.
Fundraiser supports OFRI program
More than 60 people participated in the Golf for Education fundraiser on Oct. 1 at the Stone Creek Golf Club in Oregon City, raising $15,000 to support the Oregon Garden Natural Resources Education Program. OFRI partners with The Oregon Garden to offer the educational program, which annually serves 5,000 Oregon students in fourth through sixth grades.
Learn more
.
Student workbook translated into Spanish
OFRI’s
Into the Forest
workbook for fifth- and sixth-grade students is now available in Spanish.
En el Bosque
is a complete Spanish translation of
Into the Forest
, offering a grade-appropriate overview of Oregon’s forests, including forest ecology, tree biology, forest management and forest careers, for Spanish-speaking students.
Learn more
.
Capitol Tree soon travels to D.C.
Next month, a tree selected from the Willamette National Forest will be cut down in preparation for a 3,000-mile journey to Washington, D.C., where it will serve as the official U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. After a tree-cutting ceremony on Nov. 2, the Capitol Tree will then follow the Oregon Trail in reverse, pausing for community celebrations along the way, including 11 stops in Oregon.
Learn more
.
|
|
Oregon Forest Resources Institute
|
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 © 2018, Oregon Forest Resources Institute. All Rights Reserved.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
