The ways Oregonians prevent, fight, manage and, to some degree, live with wildfire have grown more complicated – and more expensive. This video examines the state of fire suppression, prevention and management, and describes efforts to find the way forward. For more detail and analysis, download the 16-page State of Fire publication.
Oregon’s unique, steady approach to preserving and improving habitat in forest streams is paying off for species such as coho salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout. And it has happened while the state has maintained a timber harvest that supports more than 60,000 jobs. This video acts as a companion piece to the OFRI special report The Oregon Way.
The choices we make about the materials used as we develop the built environment have long-term effects on our society and the environment. Wood is beautiful, strong, versatile and renewable. As trees grow, they remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it as carbon. With innovations in wood technologies, architects and engineers are now choosing wood for more and more building applications, including mid-rise and even high-rise structures.
Talk About Trees is a classroom program supported by OFRI that uses forest artifacts, displays and hands-on activities to deliver an interactive presentation about forestry and Oregon’s forests. It is one of many free forestry education programs available to Oregon students across the state.
Oregon Garden Natural Resources Education Program field trips are designed with hands-on activities and rely on interactive exploration at the Oregon Garden. The Oregon Garden Natural Resources Education Program provides students in fourth through sixth grades a hands-on approach to natural resources education by offering free field trips to the Rediscovery Forest, an OFRI-managed teaching forest at The Oregon Garden in Silverton.
To promote more growth and long-term health in the dominate 40-year old trees a commercial thinning operation was conducted. Local contractors used a computer-aided mechanical harvester that felled and delimbed selected trees and then bucked the logs. Following nearby on a trail of limbs left by the harvester to minimize soil disturbance, a forwarder then picked up the logs. In total, 10 loads of logs were hauled to local saw and chip mills.
An estimated 2.8 million Oregonians rely on water that comes from forested landscapes. This seven-minute video provides an overview of three critical areas covered in this report: How forest buffers protect streams, how forest roads and stream crossings have evolved, and how contemporary equipment and techniques lessen management impact
Randy Schild, Tillamook School District superintendent since 2001, discusses the economic contributions of Oregon's forest sector not just to his school district, but to schools across the state.
Wildlife biologist Fran Cafferata Coe explains the best parts about being a wildlife biologist in the Pacific Northwest, and how all landowners - big and small - need to account for wildlife when considering a forest management plan.
This video highlights the forest sector’s contributions to the Springfield/Eugene Habitat for Humanity project sponsored by the American Forest Resource Council. AFRC is a trade association that represents lumber manufacturers and forest landowners in five Western states, many of whom donated locally produced wood products, volunteer hours and cash donations to help build a new home in east Springfield for Nayeli and Alitza. The year-long project was completed the summer of 2017.
Wood, from sustainable Oregon forests, is one of the greenest building materials we've got. Innovations in mass timber are allowing us to create taller wood buildings, with the warmth of natural materials.
The cycle of planting trees, to managing forests, to building with wood is perpetual. Responsible forest management, along with innovations in mass timber structures, are creating new connections between Oregonians and their forests, even when they're at the office.
Wood, from sustainable Oregon forests, is one of the greenest building materials we've got. Innovations in mass timber are allowing us to create taller wood buildings, with the warmth of natural materials.
Noel Johnson, principal at Cairn Pacific in Portland, talks about developing mass timber work spaces to appeal to a modern workforce.
Oregon’s forests have deep meaning to almost every Oregon citizen. We value our forests for so many reasons, including recreation, clean air and water, and sustainable wood products just to name a few. To sustain these value, it takes a large and diverse group of people, working hard every day, to make sure these forest values are protected.
Oregon's forests provide us with all kinds of environmental, social and economic values, thanks in large part to the Oregon Forest Practices Act. Learn more at OregonForests.org
Oregon is great for growing trees, especially evergreens. But our forests also thrive thanks to Oregon forest practice laws that require replanting and protection of water, and fish and wildlife habitat
A collaboration between The Oregon Garden and the Oregon Forest Resources Institute, The Rediscovery Forest is a dynamic demonstration forest located in the park-like environment of The Oregon Garden. This 15-acre educational forest helps students discover why Oregon's managed forests are essential to sustaining our quality of life. Students participate in programs focused on forest ecology, forest management, wildlife habitat, science inquiry, tree identification, sustainability and much more.
How does forestry work? It's probably more complicated than you think, and it take a whole team of people working together to make sure the trees grow big and healthy. But what about clean water? What about wildlife habitat? Yep, there are people out there monitoring those great things as well. A lot of people think forestry is only about loggers and park rangers, but it takes gardeners, scientists, tree planters, engineers, data mangers, and yes foresters to make it all work.
Trees serve so many uses both in the forest and out. When it was standing, a tree provides habitat for animals, offers shade to streams, and pulls carbon out of the air. As that tree is made into wood products, it not only helps builds the places we live, work and play, but it holds onto all of that carbon it captured from the air, and locks it away long term. Trees and wood products are pretty amazing.
