OFRI eNews: September 2021 |
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Study finds 2020 Labor Day fires significantly impacts Oregon's forest sector |
A newly released study commissioned by OFRI concludes that Oregon’s forest-dependent businesses and industries suffered an estimated $5.9 billion in economic losses as a result of the Labor Day wildfires that one year ago burned more than a million acres across the western part of the state.
Conducted by experts from the natural resource consulting firm Mason, Bruce & Girard, in partnership with the forestry economic analysis and forecasting firm Forest Economic Advisors, the 104-page study looked at the economic impacts of last year’s Labor Day fires on Oregon’s forest sector, which ranged from lost timber and logging equipment to forest restoration efforts made more difficult by a shortage of tree seedlings.
The Labor Day 2020 Fires: Economic Impacts to Oregon’s Forest Sector study report can be downloaded here. The report looks at the various ways forest landowners and businesses, such as logging companies and sawmills, were affected by last year’s fires, finding that the Labor Day wildfires had substantial impacts on the sector, and will continue to impact Oregon’s timber supply, forest-related employment and other economic factors well into the future.
The analysis focuses on the fires’ impact in terms of acreage burned and timber lost across public and private forestland, the economic value of timber lost in the fires, the potential to salvage timber burned in the fires, and the long-term impact on future timber supply to the state’s wood products manufacturing sector. The study also investigated the scale and costs of needed post-fire forest restoration, including infrastructure repair, erosion control, stream protection and reforestation.
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Homeschool Day becomes Homeschool Month |
To ensure the safety of exhibitors, guests and volunteers, the 2021 Homeschool Day OFRI is sponsoring in partnership with The Oregon Garden has been replaced with Homeschool Month.
Homeschool students ages 5 to 12 and their families are invited to visit the 80-acre botanical garden in Silverton during the month of September to receive an educational packet to either complete while exploring the garden and the OFRI-managed Rediscovery Forest, or at home. Among the subjects covered in the packet are wetland habitat and aquatic insects, fire safety and prevention, and forest habitats and wildlife.
The Homeschool Month materials are included free with general admission to The Oregon Garden, which is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. No pre-registration is required.
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Registration opens for natural resources education program |
The program, which OFRI offers in partnership with The Oregon Garden, uses learning stations and hands-on activities to teach fourth- through sixth-grade students about forests and natural resources. The topics covered in program lessons include plant and animal adaptation, forest food webs, healthy forests and wildlife habitat. The curriculum is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards and the Oregon Forest Literacy Plan.
This field program lasts about four hours. The cost is $3 per student, but scholarships are available.
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New ODF liaison to the OFRI board
Acting Deputy State Forester Kyle Abraham will serve as the new Oregon Department of Forestry liaison to the OFRI board of directors following the retirement of Lena Tucker, who most recently filled the role. Learn more about the members of the OFRI board here.
New forest and water publication and e-course
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is offering a new publication and e-learning course on the connections between forests and water and how to improve the management of forests for the provision of water-related services. Policymakers, forest and water practitioners, community stakeholders and others interested in this topic are invited to read the new FAO publication, A Guide to Forest-Water Management and sign up for the e-course, Forest and Water Nexus – Introduction.
Mass Timber Conference taking hybrid approach
Registration is now open for the 2022 International Mass Timber Conference, scheduled for April 12-14 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. Conference organizers plan to hold a hybrid, in-person and virtual event highlighting technological advances that allow for building bigger and taller structures with wood. Learn more and register for the conference here.
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Oregon Forest Resources Institute |
The Oregon Forest Resources Institute supports and enhances Oregon’s forest products industry
by advancing public understanding of forests, forest management and forest products.
A 13-member board of directors governs OFRI. It is funded by a portion of the forest products harvest tax.
Copyright © 2021, Oregon Forest Resources Institute. All Rights Reserved.
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