As Oregonians, it’s easy for us to take trees for granted. They’re an almost constant presence in our daily lives – whether it’s the trees growing along our streets, in our parks and backyards, or that make up the abundant forests covering nearly half the state.
With Arbor Day, an annual celebration of the importance of trees, approaching on April 26, it’s a great time to appreciate all the wonderful ways trees improve our lives, including beautifying our communities, helping reduce air pollution, filtering rainwater and providing shade. Even better yet, why not plant a new tree that can provide those benefits for decades to come?
Planting trees is also an important part of sustaining the Oregon forests that supply logs to local mills making wood products. Oregon law requires landowners to promptly
replant trees
after harvesting timber. That means future Oregonians will enjoy the same forest resources we do today, such as healthy watersheds, recreational opportunities, and thriving fish and wildlife habitat.
In fact, Oregon forest landowners plant about 40 million trees every year. Want to join them? You can learn more about Arbor Day tree-planting celebrations in Oregon communities
here
. Or stop by one of these
seedling giveaways
to receive a free tree to plant in your yard.
After all, when it comes to trees and all their amazing benefits, the more you plant, the merrier.
For the forest,
Erin Isselmann
Executive Director
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Wildfire expert to speak in Portland
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Leading wildfire writer and observer John Maclean will speak at a free event next month at the
World Forestry Center
in Portland.
“On Fire: A Conversation with John Maclean” will start at 7 p.m. on May 2 in the World Forestry Center’s Miller Hall. Maclean, who is the author of the book
Fire on the Mountain
, will draw on a lifetime of living with fire and a long career as a reporter to offer sharp observations on Western landscapes, wildfires, firefighting, tragedy, memory, writing and the art of storytelling. He’ll be joined on stage by Oregon’s former state forester and historian, Doug Decker. Together they will discuss the complex relationship between fire, forests and people.
Doors open at 6 p.m., and Maclean will be available for book-signing at 6:30 p.m. Craft beer, wine and food will be served.
The event is sponsored by OFRI and presented by the World Forestry Center in partnership with
Society of American Foresters
. Tickets are free with advance registration.
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Gala supports OFRI partner program
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A portion of the proceeds from the Oregon Garden Foundation’s Spring Garden Gala on April 24 in the J. Frank Schmidt Jr. Pavilion in Silverton will help support a field natural resources education program that is jointly offered by OFRI and
The Oregon Garden
.
The event starts at 4 p.m., and will feature garden tours, a silent auction and guest speaker Richie Steffen, curator of the Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden near Seattle.
The Oregon Garden Natural Resources Education Program provides students in fourth through sixth grades with a hands-on approach to natural resources education. It offers field trips to The Oregon Garden to visit the 15-acre
Rediscovery Forest
, where students participate in learning activities focused on topics such as forest ecology, wildlife habitat and scientific inquiry.
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Mass Timber Conference attendance up
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The conference, which was held in Portland for the fourth time this year, saw a 30 percent increase in attendance. Organizers have already announced that the 2020 conference will return to Portland, calling the city the “center of intellectual capital for mass timber.”
Produced by the
Forest Business Network
and
WoodWorks
, this year’s conference focused on using mass timber products to construct mid- to high-rise buildings and was attended by professionals hailing from more than 30 countries, representing the forest, manufacturing, design, development and construction industries. The agenda included more than 70 expert presentations in four focused tracks and multiple general sessions, plus an exhibit hall with more than 70 exhibitors.
Three supplemental conference tours visited mass timber buildings and manufacturers in Oregon and Washington, including one sponsored by OFRI with stops at Freres Lumber’s
mass plywood panel
(MPP) manufacturing facility in Lyons and the
Oregon Forest Science Complex
project at Oregon State University in Corvallis.
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Volunteers needed for Envirothon
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OFRI is seeking volunteers to help out with the 2019
Oregon Envirothon
, an annual natural resources education competition for high school students held at
The Oregon Garden
in Silverton.
This year's competition takes place on May 3, and about 300 students from across Oregon are expected to attend.
Volunteers are needed for shifts from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. to help during the full-day event. They’ll assist with tasks that include escorting students, scoring tests, judging and registration.
Each volunteer will receive a free T-shirt and lunch on the day of the competition. Those interested in volunteering at Envirothon should contact OFRI Senior Manager of Forestry Education Julie Woodward at 503-807-1614 or woodward@ofri.org.
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In the spirit of Arbor Day, Silverton Middle School students recently helped plant a few hundred trees seedlings in the OFRI-managed Rediscovery Forest at The Oregon Garden in Silverton.
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Grants help cities celebrate Arbor Week
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The nonprofit organization
Oregon Community Trees
awarded grants to eight cities across Oregon to help them hold Arbor Week events earlier this month.
Recipients of this year’s grants were Ashland, Bend, Coburg, Corvallis, Cottage Grove, Echo, McMinnville and Monmouth. All eight cities have earned the
Tree City USA
title, reflecting their commitment to protecting and promoting urban trees to benefit their residents.
Each community plans to use the grants, totaling about $3,600, in various ways, including tree plantings. Cottage Grove celebrated its 25th anniversary as a Tree City USA and kicked off a statewide street-tree inventory. Children in the northeastern Oregon town of Echo participated in tree-related events such as readings from books about trees, and a poster contest. Meanwhile, Corvallis celebrated a successful tree planting season during which volunteers planted a record-breaking 167 trees in city parks and open spaces, and along rights of way.
Oregon Community Trees’ mission is to promote healthy urban and community forests through leadership, education, awareness and advocacy.
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Blog: Mass timber going mainstream
In a new blog post, OFRI Director of Forest Products Timm Locke reflects on his biggest takeaway from the 2019 International Mass Timber Conference: Mass timber is going mainstream.
Read the blog
.
Blog: Family forests
About 65,000 Oregonians own what’s known as small woodland, and many of these properties have been passed down through families for generations. In her latest blog post, OFRI Executive Director Erin Isselmann explains the importance of providing educational resources for these family forest landowners that help them be responsible stewards of the land.
Read the blog
.
Oregon Department of Forestry seeks public comment
The Oregon Department of Forestry is seeking public comment on planned projects, timber sales and other management activities in state-owned forests in fiscal year 2020. Oregonians have until May 2 to weigh in on draft Annual Operations Plans for state forests, which lay out on-the-ground activities expected take place in the coming fiscal year.
Learn more
.
KOG auctioning license plate numbers
The wildfire prevention organization Keep Oregon Green is auctioning off low numbers for its new Smokey Bear Oregon license plate, which debuts Aug. 1. Bidding for numbers SB 00002 through SB 00020 started last month and will continue weekly through July. Proceeds will support Keep Oregon Green’s mission to educate the public about preventing human-caused wildfires.
Learn more
.
Logging conference offering scholarships
The Oregon Logging Conference Foundation is accepting applications until May 1 for $28,000 worth of college scholarships. The scholarships are available to financially assist students who are studying forestry-related subjects such as forest engineering, forest management, forest operations, diesel mechanics, welding, and heavy equipment operation and maintenance.
Download the scholarship application
.
Pine conservation organization honored
The Oregon Department of Forestry and nonprofit organization Oregon Community Trees have recognized the Willamette Valley Ponderosa Pine Conservation Association for advocating, educating and developing reforestation plans to ensure the long-term survival of the ponderosa pine subspecies native to the Willamette Valley. The association was one of four recipients of this year’s Oregon Urban and Community Forestry Award.
Learn more
.
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Oregon Forest Resources Institute
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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 © 2019, Oregon Forest Resources Institute. All Rights Reserved.
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