PORTLAND, Ore. – A new Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) report highlights the major role Oregon’s forests play in keeping carbon out of the atmosphere, underscoring the importance of using strategies that enhance these forests’ carbon-sequestering superpowers to combat climate change.

PORTLAND, Ore. – The 2020 Labor Day wildfires that burned more than a million acres across western Oregon heavily affected the state’s forest-dependent businesses and industries. The Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) has commissioned a study that will look at the economic impacts of those fires on Oregon’s forest sector, ranging from lost timber and logging equipment to forest restoration efforts made more difficult by a shortage of loggers, tree seedlings and tree planters.

PORTLAND, Ore. – As Oregon enters another fire season still reeling from the impacts of last year’s devastating Labor Day wildfires, the Keep Oregon Green Association’s longtime efforts to prevent human-caused wildfires are getting a substantial boost from an Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) grant that will double the investment in Keep Oregon Green’s annual wildfire prevention campaign.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Over 100 high school students, representing 23 schools from across the state, competed in the 2021 Oregon Envirothon. Now in its 24th year, the annual natural resources knowledge competition is organized by the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI). 

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) has awarded a $100,000 grant to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport for new interpretive signage informing Aquarium visitors about Oregon’s coastal forests, sustainable forest management, and the connections between forest and ocean ecosystems.

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Oregon Secretary of State Audits Division has released its full audit report on the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI). The publishing of this report concludes a 10-month process by the Secretary of State to complete the audit, which examined OFRI’s legislative mandate and operations. 

PORTLAND, Ore. – Oregon’s forest-dependent businesses and industries suffered an estimated $5.9 billion in economic losses as a result of the Labor Day wildfires that one year ago burned more than a million acres across the western part of the state, a newly released study commissioned by the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) concludes.

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) Board of Directors welcomes three new members this month. Jennifer Beathe, a forester with Corvallis-based Starker Forests, will fill a Class 2 position on the board, representing medium-size timber producers. Her responsibilities at Starker include managing culvert and bridge construction projects, public outreach and engagement, and public affairs.

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Private Forest Accord, a coalition representing both the timber industry and multiple major environmental organizations, has helped usher in substantial upcoming changes to Oregon’s forest practices regulations. The changes are part of a legislative package negotiated and proposed by the diverse group that passed this month in the 2022 Oregon legislative session.

PORTLAND, Ore. – The State of Oregon is seeking an experienced leader to serve as the executive director of the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI).  The OFRI executive director oversees the state agency, ensuring the Institute’s forest education programs for the general public, K-12 teachers and students, and forest landowners achieve its mission to support and enhance Oregon’s forest products industry. 

PORTLAND, Ore. – For the first time since 2019, the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) hosted the Oregon Envirothon earlier this month at The Oregon Garden in Silverton. More than 140 high school students, representing 13 schools from across the state, participated in the annual environmental sciences competition, which had been conducted virtually the previous two years. 

PORTLAND, Ore. – Oregon’s forest protection laws are changing. To help Oregonians learn about recent changes to the Oregon Forest Practices Act, the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) has updated its OregonForestLaws.org website detailing the state’s forest-related laws and regulations.

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Oregon Forest Resources Institute (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. 

PORTLAND, Ore. – A new, colorfully illustrated pamphlet from the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI), designed specifically for recreational visitors to Oregon’s forests, explores the many environmental, social and economic benefits forests provide to all Oregonians. 

PORTLAND, Ore. – The newest edition of Oregon Forest Facts, a pocket-size booklet packed with the latest statistics and information about Oregon’s forests and the state’s timber and forest products industries, is now available for download and order. 

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) is inviting Oregonians to take an online survey where they can offer feedback on the agency’s forest education programs; the responses will aid in updating its strategic plan.  All responses to the survey are confidential and will be sent directly to Coraggio Group, a consulting firm hired by OFRI to develop a new strategic plan for the Institute. Coraggio Group will use this information to create a report that will be shared with OFRI to inform its strategic direction.  

PORTLAND, Ore. – A new pamphlet produced by OFRI’s Wildlife in Managed Forests program helps forest landowners, managers and other natural resource professionals understand the varied habitat protections for forest-reliant bird species required under the Oregon Forest Practices Act. 

PORTLAND, Ore. – Forester and silviculturist Kathryn Charlton joined the OFRI staff this month to help deliver forest landowner education programs and manage the Institute’s demonstration forest in Silverton. 

PORTLAND, Ore. – The 2023 Oregon Envirothon returned to a fully in-person event on May 5 at The Oregon Garden in Silverton, following two years of virtual competitions and a hybrid approach last year. More than 90 high school students, representing a dozen schools from across the state, participated in the annual environmental sciences competition, which is hosted each year by the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI).