Let's celebrate Oregon Arbor Month |
Communities across the country will soon be celebrating trees and planting seedlings in honor of National Arbor Day on April 30. Here in Oregon, the celebration has already begun.
Oregon has traditionally celebrated Arbor Day during the first full week of April. But it wasn’t enough time to show how much Oregonians appreciate trees, so this year Gov. Kate Brown has proclaimed all of April as Oregon Arbor Month.
Part of the reasoning behind the move to a month-long recognition of trees was due to the pandemic, allowing for tree-related activities throughout the month, either online or with proper social distancing. It’s also apt to draw out the festivities given the significance trees have to Oregonians across the state. With forests covering nearly half of Oregon, trees dominate a significant portion of our landscape, helping clean air and water, sequestering carbon, and providing habitat to many species of wildlife, along with the raw material for an array of forest products.
Oregon’s urban forests offer many of the same benefits. The trees that grow along streets and in yards and parks contribute to our physical, mental and emotional health, help moderate summer heat, slow rainfall runoff and reduce erosion.
Last year was rough for trees in Oregon. As the governor points out in her Oregon Arbor Month proclamation, Oregon lost millions of trees in forests and towns in the devastating Labor Day wildfires, requiring a vast tree-planting effort that’s already underway to restore the economic, environmental, social and health benefits our forests provide. Now, more than ever, it’s important to show your appreciation for trees, whether it’s planting a seedling or taking a walk in the woods. Here are some ways you can celebrate Arbor Day in the time of social distancing.
Happy Oregon Arbor Month!
For the forest,
Erin Isselmann
Executive Director
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Sustainable forestry video debuts |
An OFRI-produced video highlighting sustainable forestry practices recently debuted at the 2021 International Mass Timber Conference, which was held virtually this year due to the pandemic.
Taking the place of an in-person forest tour, the 15-minute video features OFRI Director of Forestry Mike Cloughesy discussing forest sustainability while touching on topics such as forest ownership, forest protection laws and forest certification systems. At the Mass Timber Conference, held March 30 to April 1, the video was followed by a pre-recorded question-and-answer session with Cloughesy answering questions posed by Oregon design and construction industry professionals about forest management and sustainable forestry.
The aim of the video, which is now available to watch on OFRI’s YouTube channel, is to help architects, engineers, builders and other interested parties understand where the wood used in construction projects comes from and how to ensure it is sourced from forests that are sustainably managed.
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Virtual Envirothon registration opens |
Registration is now open for high school students to participate in the 2021 Oregon Envirothon, being held virtually for the second time during the pandemic.
The competition where Oregon students work together in teams to test their knowledge and skills of environmental sciences will be offered online May 3-7 using Google slides and related technology. Students will be tested in five areas: aquatic ecology, forest ecology, soils and land use, wildlife ecology and a current issue. This year’s current issue topic is water resources management. Teams will also be expected to record an oral presentation virtually about the effects of forest management on drinking water.
The team registration cost is $50. Each student who participates will receive an Oregon Envirothon 2021 t-shirt and plaques for any awards that they earn.
OFRI is a major sponsor and organizer of Oregon Envirothon in collaboration with a number of partners in natural resources and agricultural education.
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Applicants sought for OFRI board vacancies |
OFRI is seeking qualified applicants to serve on its board of directors.
The Oregon state forester is seeking to fill upcoming board vacancies for a Class 1 position, representing a timber producer that produces 20 million board feet of timber per year or less; and a Class 3 position for producers of 100 million board feet per year or more. There’s also an upcoming vacancy for a board position representing small woodland owners, which must be filled by a forest landowner who owns between 100 and 2,000 acres of forestland and who has no direct financial interest in any forest products processing activity.
By law, the state forester appoints 11 of OFRI’s 13 board members. Two other members serve ex officio: the dean of the Oregon State University College of Forestry, and a public representative appointed jointly by the president of the Oregon Senate and the speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives.
Board representatives include forest products producers that pay forest products harvest taxes to support OFRI’s programs. These board members are broken into three classes based on the amount of timber they harvest each year. The board also contains one member representing small woodland owners, and an hourly-wage employee of a forest products producer or a person who represents such employees.
Those interested in serving on the OFRI board of directors for a three-year term can request application materials from Kathy Storm at storm@ofri.org or 971-673-2953. Completed applications should be sent to: State Forester: Attention Brandy Ritter, 2600 State St., Salem, Oregon 97310; or via email to brandy.ritter@oregon.gov.
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BLOG: "It's not always so peaceful in Port Blakely's forests..."
It’s been quieter than usual at Port Blakely’s tree farm in Molalla, where during non-pandemic times schoolchildren frequently visit to learn about forests. And they’re eager to open up the forest to young visitors when it’s safe, writes Port Blakely Environmental Educator & Community Liaison Bonny Glendenning in a guest post on the OFRI blog. Read the blog to learn more about Port Blakely’s Environmental Education program and how OFRI supports it.
BLOG: "Ice storm heavily affects forests"
The Rediscovery Forest, a 15-acre demonstration forest OFRI manages inside The Oregon Garden in Silverton, sustained a significant amount of damage during the ice storm this past winter. The forest is among thousands of acres of Oregon forests impacted by the storm, OFRI Senior Manager of Forestry Education Julie Woodward writes in her latest blog post. Read the blog to learn more about the storm’s impacts, and subsequent recovery efforts.
OFRI receives "Gold Star"
For the 2019-20 fiscal year, OFRI has received the state of Oregon controller’s “Gold Star Award” for timely and accurate financial reporting.
Scholarship deadline extended
Scholarship applications for the 2021-22 academic year are now being accepted by the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation. The foundation has extended to May 15 the deadline to apply for the scholarships, which are available to graduating high school seniors and college/vocational school students seeking careers in the timber industry. Apply for the scholarships.
Awards honor urban forestry
A construction company, urban forester and city councilor are the winners of this year’s Oregon Urban and Community Forestry Awards, presented by the Oregon Department of Forestry and the nonprofit organization Oregon Community Trees. The 2021 honorees are Essex General Construction, with offices in Eugene and Lake Oswego, Grants Pass Urban Forester Tony Mecum, and Wilsonville City Councilor Charlotte Lehan. Learn more about the winners.
Timber tax webinars
The Oregon Small Woodlands Association (OSWA) is hosting a series of webinars for forest landowners on timber taxes. The seven-part series, which is supported by OFRI, has four remaining sessions on April 27, May 11 and May 25. The webinars are free and registration is available on the OSWA website, along with recordings and downloadable presentations and handouts from past sessions in the series.
Tree School Online webinars continue into June
The Tree School Online webinars for forest landowners are continuing this spring. Hosted by the Oregon State University Forestry & Natural Resources Extension program, OFRI and other members of the Partnership for Forestry Education, the webinars are scheduled to take place twice a week through June 15. Learn more and register here.
Webinars focus on fire preparedness
The Oregon State University Forestry & Natural Resources Extension Fire Program is hosting a series of “Wildfire Wednesdays” webinars this spring that focus on how Oregonians and communities across the state can be most prepared for fire. The “Fire Aware. Fire Prepared.” webinars kicked off March 17, and will be held each Wednesday through June 16. Learn more and register.
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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 sustainable 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 © 2021, Oregon Forest Resources Institute. All Rights Reserved.
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