OFRI eNews: September 2019
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Hearing unique perspectives from coastal Oregonians
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In late August, I spent two days in Florence at the 8th Annual Oregon Coastal Caucus Economic Summit (OCCES). It was my second year attending the event. The summit provides a great opportunity to hear the unique perspectives, challenges and opportunities of Oregon’s coastal communities and residents.
I had a bit of a drive back and forth from Florence, which gave me plenty of time to think about coastal Oregon, and also an opportunity to see some of the rural communities along the way that are deeply connected to the coast. I wasn’t too far outside Eugene when I started to pass through rural communities. It was clear that many of these communities are dependent on natural resources, including agriculture, fishing and forestry.
Florence itself was a wonderful and welcoming community for the 600 attendees at the OCCES. Since it was my first visit, I woke up early and walked along the historic Old Town. I saw some gorgeous scenery, and realized what a vibrant area this is for the local economy.
For more of the experience, check out
this post
.
Erin Isselmann
Executive Director
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Oregon's forest-sector economic analysis
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OFRI is excited to announce that the fully updated
2019 Forest Report
is finally here. This comprehensive report examines the continued importance of the forest sector, and quantifies how significant forests are to Oregon’s growing economy. It’s also aimed at providing background knowledge for policymakers at the state and local level.
The 2019 edition updates information from the previous 2012 report. Data were evaluated by faculty from Oregon State University and the University of Idaho, as well as reviewers and data providers at the Oregon Employment Department, the USDA Forest Service and the Oregon Department of Forestry. With these combined efforts, the report includes more than 100 pages documenting Oregon’s forest resources and markets, and culminates by examining trends and economic impacts.
In addition to the full-length report, there is also a 12-page
summary report
that displays bite-size information.
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Summer in the Rediscovery Forest
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Summer in the Rediscovery Forest is the perfect setting to find some shade and learn about Oregon’s forests. In early July, OFRI hosted Salem-Keizer School District’s Indian Education summer program for some learning among the trees. Summer school is a culturally based academic program for American Indians and Native Alaskan students in grades two through eight. Language arts, math and cultural arts are taught with a Native-based social studies theme. This year the program chose to visit the
Oregon Garden Natural Resources Education Program
, provided by OFRI. Seventy-five students attended lessons on wildlife habitat, the forest food web, forest management and carbon sequestration. One student left the day saying, “I really loved learning outside, and I can’t wait to look for evidence of animals at home.”
The Rediscovery Forest also hosted 10 Oregon Youth Conservation Corps (OYCC) students, helping the facility get ready for fall education events. This program is run by the Boys and Girls Club of Salem, and for the past three summers OYCC crews have come to the Rediscovery Forest to help maintain trails, pull noxious weeds, limb trees to reduce the risk of wildfire and receive forestry education.
Rikki Heath, OFRI’s environmental educator, believes it’s important for the crews to understand the “why” behind the work they do. At the end of each service day, Heath followed up with some forest-sector career education. The students were asked to reflect on their service at the Rediscovery Forest, identify skills they could see themselves using in future jobs and consider what career pathways are offered in the forest sector.
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"Wood is Good" forestry program
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“Wood is Good: Forest-Sector Career Learning” is a free, interactive classroom presentation for high school students that provides a survey of forest jobs and careers. This program, 45 minutes to an hour long, aims to highlight the breadth and diversity of employment opportunities in the forest sector – from sawmill worker to driver, logger, forester, administrator and more.
The idea is for students to understand the availability of high-paying, high-demand jobs that exist right in their local communities. The program is intended to spark interest and help connect students to these jobs.
Mentorship is available for interested students. “Wood is Good: Forest Sector Career Learning” is offered by
Forests Today & Forever
, a Eugene-based nonprofit that provides forestry education programs to youth and adults. This program is offered in Lane and Douglas counties, communities north of Lane County along the I-5 corridor up to and including Salem, and coastal communities from Newport to Reedsport.
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OFRI advertising awarded 2019 Gold Award
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Earlier this summer, OFRI Senior Public Outreach Manager Jordan Benner accepted a 2019 Gold Award for Marketing Communications Campaigns, from the Association for Communication Excellence.
The award was in recognition of OFRI’s
education advertising campaign
promoting forest management and mass timber construction. The awards ceremony was included in the 2019 ACE National Conference in San Antonio, Texas.
The Association for Communications Excellence is a national association of communicators, educators and information technologists. The independent, nonprofit organization offers professional development and networking for individuals focusing on agriculture, natural resources, and life and human sciences.
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Blog: Coastal Caucus Economic Summit
In her latest post on the OFRI blog, Executive Director Erin Isselmann discusses her experiences and insights from the Oregon Coastal Caucus Economic Summit.
Read the blog.
Forestry talks
Meet eight International Fellows from around the world who are coming to Oregon to learn how to meet global forestry challenges. They’ll be sharing their project findings and how they plan to implement change in their corners of the planet. This Forestry Lightning Talks event will be on Sept. 12 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the World Forestry Center in Portland.
RSVP
OFRI has moved offices
As of Aug. 1, OFRI’s office has moved west, but only by a few miles. Our new office location is off highways 26 and 217 at 9755 SW Barnes Road, Suite 210. See our office location
here
.
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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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