The OFRI board of directors has named Jim Paul, a former Oregon Department of State Lands director who also spent more than a decade working for the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), to serve as the Institute’s new executive director.

Paul, who was most recently the assistant director of the Administrative Services Division at the Oregon Department of Corrections, joined OFRI on Sept.15. He began his public service career at ODF in 1996, going on to become the agency’s hydrologist and later serving as the chief of two of its three operational divisions. He then worked at the Department of State Lands, where he rose to the position of director before joining the Department of Corrections.

The OFRI board voted to hire Paul on Aug. 25 after an extensive search for a new executive director to lead the Institute and replace acting executive director Mike Cloughesy, who is returning to retirement.

Paul earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Whitman College, attended Duke University’s College of Forestry, and received a master’s degree in forest hydrology from the College of Forest Resources at the University of Washington. 

Oregon’s forest protection laws are changing. To help Oregonians learn about recent changes to the Oregon Forest Practices Act, OFRI is running a fall educational media campaign and has updated its OregonForestLaws.org website that details the state’s forest-related laws and regulations.

OregonForestLaws.org provides an overview of current state laws governing forestry practices on private and state forestlands that aim to protect clean water, fish and wildlife habitat, and other forest resources. The newly updated site is part of OFRI’s latest educational media campaign to inform the public about how Oregonians with opposing viewpoints recently came together to help create new forest rules that expand habitat protections around streams for salmon and other aquatic wildlife. OFRI-produced videos currently airing on digital and social media directs viewers to the site.

The updated site includes a page about the Private Forest Accord, an unprecedented cooperative agreement to make changes to the Oregon Forest Practices Act. Other new additions to the site include a section on public notification detailing new state-run notification systems for forest management activities such as helicopter pesticide application.

The site also includes pages explaining forest laws related to protecting water and fish, requirements to replant trees after logging, wildlife habitat protections, limits on clearcutting and chemical use in forests, forest road regulations, and special rules for logging trees along scenic highways.

Hyperlinks and resources throughout the site allow users to dig deeper into many topics. A new questions and answers page includes a list of answers to frequently asked questions regarding Oregon’s forestry regulations, as well as the option for site visitors to “ask a forester” and submit their own questions to be answered by professional foresters. 

OFRI has updated its Oregon Forest Literacy Plan, a framework for what every Oregon student should know about the state’s forests by the end of high school.

A diverse group of educators and natural resource professionals reviewed the concepts presented in the plan, and suggested ways to revise them to ensure that they appropriately address current approaches, issues and challenges related to Oregon’s forests. OFRI asked the group to identify and consider important recent changes in the fields of forestry and education, such as the intensity and impact of wildfire as well as increased awareness of indigenous peoples’ role in forestry.

The plan also went through a public review process, where the draft educational concepts were made available to members of the public for input.

Free copies of the newly updated Oregon Forest Literacy Plan can be ordered or downloaded from OFRI’s website for K-12 educators, LearnForests.org.

Home School Day was back this year, attracting a large crowd of home school students and their families for a day of outdoor learning hosted by OFRI at The Oregon Garden in Silverton.

OFRI welcomed 735 people for the event on Sept. 7. It was the first one-day event for home school students OFRI had hosted since 2019. During the past two years OFRI held Home School Month to allow for social distancing due to the pandemic.

This year’s Home School Day attendees, which included about 500 students, rotated throughout the botanical garden to visit a series of hands-on, self-paced learning stations hosted by various organizations. Topics covered at the stations included forest habitats and wildlife, seed germination and the world of insects.

Partner organizations that participated in the 2022 Home School Day included the Oregon Garden Foundation, Talk About Trees, 4-H, Oregon State University Extension Service, Marion Soil and Water Conservation District, Salem Environmental Education, Master Gardeners, Oregon Dairy Princess-Ambassador Program, the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

OFRI is seeking applicants to fill upcoming vacancies on the Institute’s board of directors.

The state forester appoints the 11 voting members of OFRI’s 13-member board. These include nine representatives of timber producer classes, with three each from small (Class 1), medium (Class 2) and large (Class 3) producers; one member representing small woodland owners; and one representative for forest industry employees.

Non-voting board members required by state statute include the dean of the Oregon State University College of Forestry and a public member appointed jointly by the president of the Oregon Senate and the speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives.

OFRI is seeking to fill board vacancies for board members representing the following timber producer classes:

· Class 1: producers of 20 million board feet or less per year

· Class 2: producers of at least 20 million board feet per year, but less than 100 million board feet

· Class 3: producers of 100 million board feet or more per year

Anyone interested in applying to serve on the OFRI board can request application materials by contacting Kathy Storm at storm@ofri.org or 971-673-2953. Completed application packets should be sent to the State Forester: Oregon Department of Forestry, Attention Esmeralda Boies, 2600 State St., Bldg. B, Salem, Oregon 97310, or via email at Esmeralda.Boies@odf.oregon.gov.

Applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Oct. 7.

The 2022-24 edition of K-12 Forest Education Opportunities, OFRI’s guide to forestry education programs and materials, is now available to order or download.

Free copies of the guidebook can be ordered or downloaded through OFRI’s website for K-12 forest education, LearnForests.org. The guide includes details about forest-related education programs and field trip destinations across Oregon, as well as information about OFRI’s educational resources aimed to help K-12 teachers and students explore Oregon’s forests and forest-related topics.

Blog: “New videos and website highlight changes to forest laws and regulations”

In recent months, OFRI has been focusing its educational efforts for forestland owners and the public on explaining coming changes to Oregon’s forest laws and regulations. Jordan Benner, OFRI’s senior manager, public outreach, details these efforts in a blog post, including a newly updated website and educational videos. Read his blog to learn more. 

Blog: "Teacher workshop highlights fire education"

OFRI’s K-12 education program hosted a summer workshop in southern Oregon for teachers, focused on ways to educate their students about wildfire. Director of K-12 Education Programs Norie Dimeo-Ediger reflects on the experience in her latest blog post. Read her blog to learn more. 

Blog: "There are many ways to manage a forest"

OFRI recently released a series of educational videos highlighting the diversity of forestland owners and management styles in Oregon. A recent blog post from Jordan Benner, senior manager, public outreach, explains the project and his experience traveling across the state meeting many different landowners to produce the videos. Read his blog to learn more.

Sustainable Northwest hiring

Sustainable Northwest is hiring a forest program director responsible for advancing the conservation nonprofit organization’s vision for forest health, resilience and rural economic development across Oregon and Washington. The position is open until filled. Learn more about it and how to apply in this job announcement. 



Tree School Field Day at Hopkins

Oct. 8, Oregon City

OFRI Board Meeting

Oct. 20, Independence

Sustainable Northwest Live Edge Gala

Oct. 20, Portland