The foresters are coming to town

The largest forestry education event in the country, the Society of American Foresters National Convention, is coming to Portland next month. This is your chance to rub elbows with some 2,000 forestry leaders from around the country and increase your knowledge on many aspects of forestry that are important in Oregon, the Pacific Northwest and the world.

As a member of the Society of American Foresters board of directors, I’m excited to have the organization’s annual gathering of forest professionals held in my home state this Oct. 3-7. I’m also thrilled OFRI is a co-sponsor of the convention and that nearly all of our staff have gotten involved in some way, including helping to organize a tour and several breakout sessions and producing a new video that will debut during the opening session.

The theme of the convention, which will take place at the Oregon Convention Center, is the intersection of science and policy in forest management. Attendees will be asked to explore how wildland fire policy is influencing forest management decisions, the role of scientists in informing forest policy, and ways to transform state and federal policy into effective natural resource management. You can find a full convention program here.

The convention opens Oct. 3 with technical tours to several locations in the Pacific Northwest, including actively managed Coast Range forests and the site of last year’s Eagle Creek Fire in the Columbia River Gorge. OFRI has also organized a mass timber-themed tour that includes a visit to Freres Lumber Co.’s mass plywood panel plant in Lyons.

That evening, the convention will feature an opening reception in the exhibit hall, where more than 70 exhibitors, including OFRI, will showcase the latest products, technologies and resources for forestry professionals.

The Oct. 4 agenda will include the screening of a new OFRI video that showcases the pride of Oregon’s forest sector, from landowners to wildlife biologists. Oregon State Forester Peter Daugherty will also give the convention’s keynote address on forest policy and forest management.

That same day, OFRI’s contract wildlife biologist, Fran Cafferata Coe, and OFRI Senior Manager of Forestry Education Julie Woodward will lead a special session titled “Forest Management and Wildlife in Working Forests: Lessons from the Pacific Northwest.”

On Oct. 5, Julie has also organized a series of sessions titled “Connecting Students, Schools, Colleges and the Forest Sector” for high school forestry teachers, 50 of whom OFRI is sponsoring to attend the convention. A concurrent session titled “Critical Pathways in Forestry Education” was developed by OFRI Director of K-12 Programs Norie Dimeo-Ediger and Environmental Educator Rikki Heath for forestry professionals who want to work with schools and students.

The convention concludes on Sunday, Oct. 7, with two more tours highlighting forestry in the urban landscape and forest habitat conservation plans.

Even though it’s coming up soon, it’s not too late to register for the convention. We hope you can join us for some or all it.

For the forest,

Mike Cloughesy

Director of Forestry