OFRI is celebrating Arbor Day, Oregon Arbor Month and Earth Day in grand fashion this year, by releasing two new educational media spots that focus on trees and reforestation. Every time I watch the spots, I get a thrill of pride for Oregon forestry, especially the spot titled “Oregon is Trees.” See the article below for links to the spots.
I’m now living in Nebraska, which is famous for many things, including being the home of Arbor Day. Arbor Day was started in Nebraska by J. Sterling Morton, an early conservationist and secretary of the Nebraska Territory. On April 10, 1872, the first Arbor Day, it’s estimated that over 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska. In my opinion, there’s still plenty of room for more.
The Arbor Day Foundation, which organizes and advertises Arbor Day events across the country, is headquartered in Lincoln, and Arbor Day Farm is in Nebraska City. Arbor Day is celebrated this year on April 29. This is the 150th anniversary of the tree planter’s holiday.
Since “Oregon is Trees,” a single day is not enough to celebrate them. We celebrate Oregon Arbor Month, over the course of the entire month of April, with activities in numerous locations around the state. See the article below for links to Oregon Arbor Month activities.
Finally, Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 every year throughout the world. A special celebration is being held Saturday, April 16, this year at The Oregon Garden in Silverton. The event is being held entirely outdoors. Admission is free, and this is a great opportunity to visit the Rediscovery Forest, which is managed by OFRI.
So there’s no excuse not to celebrate trees this April – especially when Oregon is Trees.
For the forest,
Mike Cloughesy
Acting Executive Director
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New reforestation media spots debut |
Two new OFRI-produced educational media spots highlighting the importance of replanting trees after timber harvest recently started airing, just in time for national Arbor Day. The spots will appear on Oregon broadcast television, digital streaming services and social media throughout the spring.
Part of an educational media campaign aimed to inform Oregonians about reforestation practices in Oregon’s forests, the spots explain that forest landowners plant millions of new trees every year to replace those harvested, ensuring future generations will enjoy the same forest resources we do today, including wood products, healthy watersheds, recreational opportunities, and thriving fish and wildlife habitat.
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Webinar focuses on managing leaving trees for wildlife |
When planning to harvest timber forest landowners and managers often wonder how many trees they should leave standing on the landscape and in which locations to maximize the benefit they provide to wildlife once logging is completed. An OFRI webinar later this month will highlight the latest scientific research on the importance of these leave trees, as well as other “retained structures” such as large stumps, downed wood and standing dead trees, or snags.
The Managing Leave Trees in the Pacific Northwest webinar, scheduled for 2 p.m. on April 27, will feature two presenters: Gary Roloff, a professor and chairman of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University, and Jake Verschuyl, director of forestry research in the western U.S. and British Columbia for the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement. The webinar is free to attend, but pre-registration is required.
This webinar is part of OFRI’s Wildlife in Managed Forests outreach program, which synthesizes current research findings regarding forest wildlife and makes that information available to foresters, wildlife managers, forest landowners and other interested parties.
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Events highlight women of forestry |
Edie Sonne Hall, founder and principal of Three Trees Consulting, will give the final lecture in this year’s series, starting at 3:30 p.m. on April 20 at 117 Peavy Forest Science Center on the OSU campus. Sonne Hall will give a talk titled “The Road Less Traveled: How Women in Forestry Can Save the World.” The lecture is free to attend, and can also be viewed remotely. Register here.
The 2022 Starker Lecture Series will conclude with a full-day capstone workshop on May 10 at OSU’s CH2M Hill Alumni Center, featuring keynote speaker Nalini M. Nadkarni, professor of biology at the University of Utah, a canopy study pioneer and creator of TreeTop Barbie. The capstone workshop will also include a series of panels highlighting women’s leadership in the forestry and wood products industry, a resource fair and a mentor-mentee networking event. Regular registration is $25, and student registration is free.
Recordings of previous lectures in the series, which is sponsored by the Starker family in honor of TJ and Bruce Starker, as well as by OFRI and the OSU College of Forestry, can be watched here.
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Celebrate trees all month |
Oregon loves trees so much that we can’t spend just one day celebrating them. Since 2020 the governor has proclaimed April as Oregon Arbor Month, to pack in all the tree-related events happening across the state.
“Trees are important to Oregonians’ physical and mental health,” says Oregon State Forester Calvin Mukumoto. “Some of the world’s most majestic and productive forests grow here. They enhance our lives by providing clean air and water, shade, economic benefits, wildlife habitat, beauty and recreation.”
If your town is a Tree City USA, a program of the Arbor Day Foundation that recognizes cities for their efforts to grow and maintain healthy urban forests, there likely is an event planned in your community to observe Arbor Month and celebrate trees. Among the Oregon Tree City USA communities hosting Arbor Month activities with grant support from Oregon Community Trees are Bandon, Hillsboro, Medford, Pendleton and Rivergrove.
You can find a listing of Arbor Month celebrations being held across Oregon, as well as other resources for marking the occasion such as tree planting tips and educational materials for kids, here.
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Public comment sought on executive director hiring process |
OFRI is seeking public comment on plans to hire a permanent executive director to replace Acting Executive Director Mike Cloughesy, who will return to retirement this summer.
A draft job announcement and position description, as well as the proposed process and timeline for hiring a new executive director, are available on the public review page of OFRI’s website, along with instructions on how to submit a comment via email or mail. All comments must be received by noon on April 21.
The public will also have an opportunity to weigh in on how OFRI hires its next executive director during a public comment period at the OFRI Board of Directors meeting on April 21 in Wilsonville. The meeting is open to the public and starts at 9 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Wilsonville, 25425 SW 95th Ave. An agenda is available on the board meetings and materials page of OFRI’s website.
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Blog: “How do foresters choose what kinds of trees to plant in Oregon’s forests?”
As a forester working in western Oregon, Lawrence Martin Jr. is often asked, “Why do you plant so much Douglas-fir?” In a new guest post on the OFRI blog, he explains why he plants a lot of Douglas-fir, as well as why it’s important to also plant a variety of other native tree species in Oregon’s forests. Read the blog here.
Blog: "Salamander hide-and-seek"
An important part of Jon Cox’s work as a wildlife technician is conducting wildlife surveys to answer questions about wild animals by making observations in the field. In a new guest post on the OFRI blog, he shares his experience on a recent wildlife survey where he went deep in the woods looking for the elusive Columbia torrent salamander. Read the blog here.
Blog: "How many new trees are planted in Oregon when one is harvested?"
You may have seen the statistic in some of OFRI’s educational media and other places, that roughly three trees are planted for every one harvested in Oregon, and you may have wondered where that figure came from. In a new post on the OFRI blog, Acting Executive Director Mike Cloughesy breaks down the calculations that produced that stat. Read the blog here.
Public hearing on proposed OFRI budget
OFRI will hold a public hearing for its fiscal year 2022-23 budget during a meeting of the Institute’s board on April 21. The hearing will start at 9 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Wilsonville, 25425 SW 95th Ave. The proposed 2022-23 budget is available for public review through April 21 by emailing a request to Kathy Storm at storm@ofri.org and through the Oregon State Forester’s office by emailing a request to Esmeralda.B.BOIES@oregon.gov. An agenda for the public hearing and board meeting is available here.
OFRI seeks contractor for K-12 curriculum development
OFRI has issued a request for proposals for a contractor to help develop new K-12 forest education materials for the Institute, as well as to refresh and update current materials for teachers and their students that align with educational standards and are written for a specific grade level. To submit a proposal, suppliers must register for an OregonBuys account here. All proposals must be received by 1 p.m. on April 25.
Story map on adapting forests to wildfire
The Portland-based nonprofit organization Sustainable Northwest has developed a new story map focused on ways to adapt Western U.S. forests to climate change and wildfires. Featuring a series of photos and maps, the story map answers 10 common questions about how to help reduce the risks to communities and ecosystems from more extreme wildfires caused by climate change and other factors. Check out the story map here.
Cottage Grove is Oregon's 2022 Tree City of the Year
The Tree City USA-recognized community of Cottage Grove has been named this year’s Oregon Tree City of the Year. The Lane County town was selected for the honor in recognition of its longtime commitment to growing a healthy urban forest, by the board of the nonprofit organization Oregon Community Trees and staff from the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Urban and Community Forestry Assistance Program. Learn more here.
Public comment period opens for 2023 state forest activities
The Oregon Department of Forestry is inviting public comment on annual operations plans for state-owned forests in fiscal year 2023. These plans lay out the on-the-ground activities expected to take place in the coming fiscal year, such as timber harvests, reforestation and trail improvements. The public can weigh in on the proposed plans through May 5. More information on where to review the draft plans and submit a comment is available here.
Northwest Woodlands seeking editor
The Idaho Forest Owners Association, Montana Forest Owners Association, Oregon Small Woodlands Association and Washington Farm Forestry Association are seeking an editor for the organizations’ Northwest Woodlands magazine. This is a part-time contractor position that will begin Aug. 1. Interested applicants can contact Anne Maloney at annewithnww@gmail.com or visit this website to learn more.
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April 16, Silverton
April 20, Corvallis/Remote
April 21, Wilsonville
April 22, Glide
May 6, Silverton
May 10, Corvallis
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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 © 2022, Oregon Forest Resources Institute. All Rights Reserved.
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