Experiencing Oregon’s forests firsthand is the best way to learn about one of our state’s richest, most abundant resources. OFRI offers and co-sponsors numerous forestry-related tours. From an excursion into old growth forests to spending a day with of a forester, the best way to discover the beauty and abundance of Oregon’s forests is in person.
The best way to learn is by doing. Come get a hands-on experience of working in forestry at the Hopkins Demonstration Forest.
During this OFRI-sponsored tour:
Hopkins Memorial Tree Farm offers a variety of events throughout the year, including walking tours held the first Saturday of each month during the summer and fall. For more information, call Hopkins Demonstration Forest at 503-632-2150 or visit the Forests Forever, Inc., website.
While the theater, exhibits, lookout tower and suspension bridge give you something to remember about the Tillamook Forest Center, its programs and special events also give you a reason to come back.
Filled with interactive exhibits about the past, present and future of the Tillamook State Forest, the award-winning Center is a must-see attraction and a gateway to forest exploration and discovery.
An excellent selection of curriculum-driven forest education programs is offered for teachers and students at the Center and in its classroom. All programs are free.
Summer interpretive programs are conducted at the Tillamook Forest Center and in locations throughout the forest. The programs can also be customized for your group.
For other tour opportunities in the Tillamook Forest visit the Tillamook State Forest website.
Located 10 minutes off I-5 near Wilsonville, this 80-acre forest is a living exhibit managed by the World Forestry Center. This tree farm is an internationally recognized demonstration forest and outdoor education site. About 2.5 miles of forest trails are open to the public daily, along with a picturesque meadow and a historic, 60-foot fire lookout tower. Explore the hiking trails, learn about forest management and enjoy a picnic with your friends and family.
Facilities include restrooms, an education center, picnic tables and bunkhouses for overnight camping.
For group reservations or additional directions, call 503-228-1367 or visit the World Forestry Center website.
Directions:
To visit the Magness Memorial Tree Farm, take I-5 to Exit 283. Turn west on Wilsonville Road and drive four miles to Edminston Road. Turn right and travel 1.3 miles to SW Ladd Hill Road. After another right, it's only a half-mile down the hill on your left-hand side.
A signed, 106-mile route winds through the Elkhorn Mountains, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and Anthony Lakes Recreation Area. You pass through Sumpter, a booming mining and lumber town in 1900, and Granite, "Oregon's Greatest Ghost Town," which features an old school, dance hall and saloon. Most of the route is open year-round but is not snow plowed between Granite and the Anthony Lakes Recreation Area.
For a descriptive guide to Elkhorn Drive, call Baker City Visitors & Convention Bureau at 800-523-1235 or Wallowa-Whitman National Forest at 541-523-6391.
Getting there:
From Baker City take State Route 7 to Sumpter; continue west on Granite Hill Road to Bull Run Road. At Granite, follow Forest Road 73 north and continue, following signs to Haines. Finish on Route 30 and head south back to Baker City.
Join an OFRI-sponsored guided tour through a working forest with a professional forester from Menasha Forest Products Corporation. Bring your family and your questions. The free tour departs from the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. For information or to sign up, call the Chamber office at 541-269-0215 or toll free at 800-824-8486.
A tour runs every Wednesday 1-4:30 p.m. from July through September.
To arrange a special group tour, phone Menasha Forest Products Corporation at 541-756-1193.
Take a 60-mile, round-trip journey through 500 years of forest growth in Coos County, where you can see everything from tiny seedlings to giant, old-growth trees. The story of the forest unwinds in six stops, each highlighting a different stage of forest growth. Watch for the green tree symbols along the route. At each stop, a short trail leads you into the forest.
The highlight of the tour is the Doerner fir at Stop 5. It is the largest known coastal Douglas-fir in the world standing 329 feet tall and at 11.5 feet in diameter. Beginning in Fairview, this journey will take from five to eight hours, depending upon your exploratory spirit. This is a working forest, so roads are narrow and winding and not recommended for large recreational vehicles. All the roads are paved except for the last 4.6 miles into Stop 5. Be alert for logging trucks. Drive defensively, slowly and use the corner pullouts. And remember to lock your vehicle when you leave it.
How to get there:
To get to Fairview from Coos Bay, take Highway 101 south to Highway 42 east. Follow for 10 miles. Take a left on West Central Blvd. towards downtown Coquille. Go about one mile and take a left towards Fairview/Lavern Park. Follow for eight miles to the Fairview intersection. Follow the tree symbols from there.
For more information, please contact:
Bureau of Land Management
1300 Airport Lane
North Bend, OR 97459
541-756-0100
coos_bay@or.blm.gov
Take a self-guided tour at Starker Forests. It is a 1/4-mile walk along a gravel path. You'll see and learn about good forestry practices in Oregon while discovering a variety of plants and trees found in the Pacific Northwest.
Along the trail, you come across two sets of signposts — one numbered and one lettered – that provide helpful information about the area. Numbered signposts are designed for adult visitors, and lettered signposts are designed for the many schoolchildren that visit the trail.
A brochure available at the Starker Forests office details the benefits of proper forest management, fosters an awareness of the vast diversity of the forest and provides interesting facts about the forest industry.
If you are interested in a guided tour with a forester for your class or organization, please contact the Starker Forests office. Afternoon tours are offered on Wednesdays from mid-June through September and offer insight into the geography, geology and history of Oregon’s Coast Range. Discover the diversity that a multiple-use forest provides, from recreational opportunities to plant and animal habitats to forest products. Transportation and refreshments are all provided. Call the Corvallis Convention and Visitors Bureau at 541-757-1544 or 800-334-8118 for details and reservations.
Starker Forests, Inc.
7240 SW Philomath Blvd.
P.O. Box 809
Corvallis, OR 97339
541-929-2477
www.starkerforests.com
C & D Lumber Company, Riddle
541-874-2241
2012 schedule TBA
Swanson Group Manufacturing, Roseburg
541-832-1121
2012 schedule TBA
For information and reservations, please call the Roseburg Visitors & Convention Bureau at 541-672-9731 Ext. 10.
Take a free, guided forest and wildlife tour with a professional forester. Learn about forest activities and their relationship with wildlife. The knowledge you’ll gain is invaluable.
Tours depart from the Douglas County Library at 9 a.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays in July and August and return at approximately 3 p.m.
Guests are encouraged to bring a sack lunch. Drinks are provided. Reservations made by 11 a.m. the Monday prior to each tour are appreciated.
Please call the Roseburg Visitors & Convention Center at 541-672-9731, ext. 10, for more information and to sign up for a tour.
Collier Memorial State Park's Logging Museum features a logger's cabin, blacksmith's shed and historic logging equipment. Rare and antique logging equipment dating to the 1880s are on display, as well as more recent pieces. Railroad buffs can learn about the railroad’s role in logging: Imagine moving raw timber with innovation and brute force. The museum is open year-round, daylight to dusk. Additional attractions include a pioneer village and nature trail.
For more information:
Collier Memorial State Park
46000 Highway 97
N. Chiloquin, OR 97624
541-783-2471
www.oregonstateparks.org/park_228.php
The Warm Springs Tribes own and operate this museum, which offers a look at their history, culture, artistic heritage and relationship with the forest. Located in sunny Central Oregon on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, the museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week (except on New Year's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas).
For more information:
The Museum at Warm Springs
2189 Highway 26
P.O. Box C
Warm Springs, OR 97761
541-553-3331
www.museumatwarmsprings.org
The World Forestry Center's Museum features permanent and changing exhibits on the importance of forests in the Pacific Northwest and around the globe. The Center also offers forestry courses, evening lectures, special events and activities for school classes. Some activities, including summer forestry camp, are held at the Magness Memorial Tree Farm, which the Center owns and manages.
For more information:
World Forestry Center
4033 SW Canyon Road
Portland, OR, 97221
503-228-1367
www.worldforestry.org
More than 850 different species of native and non-native trees grow on the Arboretum grounds. A visitor center has displays and maps for self-guided tours through miles of trails. Some guided tours are also available. The Hoyt Arboretum grounds are open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; the Visitor Center opens daily at 9 a.m. and closes at 4p.m.
For more information:
Hoyt Arboretum
4000 SW Fairview Blvd.
Portland OR 97221
503-823-3655
www.hoytarboretum.org
In addition to a restaurant and gift shop, Camp 18 features an outdoor museum of old-time logging equipment, including a 161-foot, raised spar tree, steam shovels, cranes and saws. The museum also houses OFRI kiosks about storm damage and forestry salvage efforts in the area. Camp 18 is located on Highway 26 at milepost 18. Camp 18 is 60 miles from Portland and 22 miles from Seaside.
For more information:
Camp 18
Elsie Route, Box 195
Seaside, OR 97138
503-755-1818
www.camp18restaurant.com
High Desert Museum in Bend features the Changing Forest Exhibit explores the ponderosa pine forest ecosystem; the history of its use and management; and current conflicts and possible solutions. "Wind, Earth and Fire" is an interpretive, two-part nature trail that allows museum visitors to see the effects of a prescribed burn firsthand. The museum also houses a steam-powered sawmill that is operational at select times during the summer months.
For more information:
The High Desert Museum
59800 S. Highway 97
Bend, OR 97702
541-382-4754
www.highdesertmuseum.org