OFRI eNews: September 2020 |
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This month we have witnessed a tragedy of unprecedented impact across all of Oregon. A once-in-a-century weather event, along with extreme drought conditions and record high temperatures, resulted in massive wildfires throughout the state. These fires have extracted the ultimate cost: the loss of human life. They have also decimated rural communities, destroying homes, businesses and infrastructure.
Now is the time for all Oregonians to set aside their differences and come together to mourn those lost to the fires, rebuild our rural communities, and lend support to our fellow Oregonians as they start the long process of recovering their lives, homes and businesses. This is the Oregon way. We have a unique opportunity to demonstrate through action what makes Oregon a great state and Oregonians great people.
Here at the Oregon Forest Resources Institute, we’re in the midst of developing a special report in partnership with the Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon State University Extension and Keep Oregon Green that will help Oregonians prepare and take proactive steps to fortify their homes and communities against the ongoing threat of wildfire.
In the weeks ahead, we’ll roll up our sleeves and work with our partners across the state to find ways to help with the recovery and rebuilding efforts in the rural communities that have been impacted. I know Oregonians will come together in this effort. Looking back on similar tragedies from our state’s past such as the Tillamook Burn, we’ve witnessed the amazing things Oregonians can do when called to action.
For the forest,
Erin Isselmann
Executive Director
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Forest education is back in session |
As Oregon students start a new school year that for many will involve a significant amount of distance learning due to the pandemic, the OFRI K-12 education program is working to provide educational resources that allow students to learn about Oregon’s forests whether they’re at home or in the classroom.
OFRI created a page last spring on the Institute’s LearnForests.org website called Forest Learning at Home. It offers a library of grade-appropriate resources, each aligned to state education standards, to help teach students about the forests found throughout Oregon. The page includes a series of lessons designed for at-home learning using OFRI’s educational materials. Each lesson explores a forest-related topic through a combination of reading, writing and scientific investigation.
To help keep students engaged in forestry education this school year, OFRI’s K-12 team is developing materials that work for both distance and in-person instruction. This includes lessons that can be used by teachers in the classroom or on school grounds, or can be given to students for at-home work. The lessons will be available in both digital and print versions, for maximum flexibility with changing learning formats. Teachers can order print copies to send home with students, or send them links to download at home.
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Tree School Online is back |
The Tree School Online educational webinars for Oregon forest landowners are continuing this fall, with a special emphasis on eastern Oregon forests.
Many of the upcoming webinars are part the Forests of Eastern Oregon webinar series for people who own, manage or are interested in private forestlands in eastern Oregon. These webinars take place on selected Thursday evenings, and include approximately one hour of a web-based presentation, with opportunities to interact with the instructors and ask questions.
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Neighbor to Neighbor tour goes online |
The Oregon Small Woodlands Association (OSWA) will host its Washington County Neighbor to Neighbor/2019 Outstanding Tree Farmers of Year Woods Tour virtually on Sept. 23, to maintain social distancing among attendees during the pandemic.
The video woods tour will be broadcast over Zoom starting at 7 p.m. It will feature Washington County’s Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year, Barrett and Susan Brown. The Browns purchased their property 30 years ago in somewhat poor condition, and they’ll tell viewers about how they overcame the challenges associated with owning forestland and used lessons learned from other family forest landowners to transform their 110-acre plot into the thriving, productive forest it is today.
The video will focus on their stream restoration efforts on the east fork of Dairy Creek, commercial and pre-commercial thinning, working with the Natural Resource Conservation Service to improve forest stands, wildlife in the forest, and recreation and trail building.
Registration for the video woods tour is available on the OSWA website.
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Partnership for Forestry Education 10th anniversary |
The Partnership for Forestry Education, a group of state, federal and private organizations that collaborate on providing educational programming for Oregon forest landowners, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
OFRI is a founding member of the Partnership, which was established with the help of a grant from the U.S. Forest Service. Other Partnership members include the Oregon Department of Forestry, the Oregon State University Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Program, the Oregon Small Woodlands Association, Associated Oregon Loggers and the Oregon Society of American Foresters.
Most recently, the Partnership created the Tree School Online webinar series to continue to educate Oregon’s forest landowners during the pandemic.
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BLOG: "Partnership celebrates 10 years"
The Partnership for Forestry Education recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. Learn more about this collaborative group dedicated to educating Oregon’s forest landowners in a new blog by OFRI Director of Forestry Mike Cloughesy. Read the blog.
BLOG: "K-12 forest education update"
Many Oregon students will be distance learning during the 2020-21 school year. OFRI Director of K-12 Education Programs Norie Dimeo-Ediger explains in a recent blog post how the Institute’s forest education program is responding to the shift. Read the blog.
BLOG: "News article misrepresents OFRI"
The Oregonian/OregonLive, Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica recently joined forces for an investigative series on forestry in Oregon that included an article about OFRI. In her latest blog post, OFRI Executive Director Erin Isselmann provides the Institute’s response. Read the blog.
Webinar series focuses on timberland investing
In the era of COVID-19, the World Forestry Center has reimagined its Who Will Own the Forest? timberland investing conference into a webinar series kicking off Sept. 23. The six-part series will feature 75-minute live sessions every Wednesday through Oct. 28. Each episode will include a conversation with thought leaders in forest investment, followed by a live question-and-answer session. Learn more and register.
Oregon SAF plans virtual annual meeting
The Oregon chapter of the Society of American Foresters will hold its 2020 annual meeting virtually on Oct. 7-8. The two-day meeting, with the theme of “Forestry: The Sustainable Solution,” will include virtual field tours, programming covering a variety of forestry-related topics, a poster session and recognition of colleagues. Learn more and register.
OFRI board meets Oct. 23
The OFRI board of directors will hold a virtual board meeting from 9 a.m. to noon on Oct. 23. A link to join the meeting and download the agenda will be available here.
Forest career video contest launches
The Forest Resources Association is inviting Oregon high school students ages 14-18 to create a short video highlighting the value of a career in the forest products industry, for a regional video contest with cash prizes. Videos entered in the Thru the Trees contest may be up to 90 seconds long, and must be submitted through YouTube. Learn more.
Women's Forest Congress planned
Planning for the inaugural Women’s Forest Congress began earlier this summer with more than 65 forest-sector leaders coming together for a two-day virtual planning summit. The Women’s Forest Congress will develop forest-based strategies and solutions, from a variety of female perspectives, to address today’s most pressing challenges, including climate change, social inequity and the global pandemic. Learn more.
New rules for wildlife food plots
The Oregon Department of Forestry has completed the rulemaking process for forest wildlife food plots, areas where landowners need to maintain appropriate vegetation to provide nutrition for species such as deer, elk, birds and pollinating insects. The new rule language can be viewed here.
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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 © 2020, Oregon Forest Resources Institute. All Rights Reserved.
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