Nearly half of Oregon is covered in forests. These forests provide many social, environmental and economic benefits to the state and its residents, including clean air and water, recreational opportunities, jobs and the wood products that we use every day. It is important that all Oregonians have the opportunity to learn more about the forests where we live, work and play.

The Oregon Forest Resources Institute produces a wide variety of educational videos covering a range of topics related to Oregon forests, forest management and forest products. A selection of OFRI videos and educational advertising can be viewed below. These and other videos are also posted on OFRI’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/user/oregonforests.

OFRI actively engages with the public, K-12 educators and forest landowners to help them better understand topics related to forests, forest management and forest products. We produce numerous publications, online resources and videos as well as organize and co-sponsor tours, events and conferences covering a broad range of current forestry-related topics that we feel serves each of these audiences.Stay up to date with the latest OFRI happenings and news about the forest products industry in Oregon by subscribing to our e-newsletters and publications mailing list below.

Nearly half of Oregon – about 47 percent – is covered in forests, but not all are the same. Because of the state’s varied geography and forest landowners with a range of objectives for their land, there are many different types of forests.

For centuries, people have been drawn to Oregon by its beautiful scenery, natural abundance and, especially, its forests. As more and more people arrived, these forests gave way to towns, cities and highways. But through a modern dedication to sustainability, Oregon retains nearly 92 percent of the forest that covered the state in 1850. This is a testament to the commitment Oregonians made to the long-term survival of our forests and the important resources they provide.

The origins and evolution of Oregon's Forest Practices ActOregon’s forest practice regulations have evolved in response to public concerns and scientific research. In 1971, Oregon became the first state to implement a comprehensive set of laws governing forest practices, with the Oregon Forest Practices Act (OFPA). Leaders from the forest sector helped develop these laws to guide pre-operation planning, education for operators, and cooperative efforts between landowners and government.

The Labor Day 2020 windstorm resulted in five simultaneous “megafires”– fires greater than 100,000 acres in size – in Oregon, as well as 12 other fires ranging from 112 to 50,951 acres. All these fires either started or blew up on Sept. 7 and 8, 2020, and in a matter of days more than 1 million acres burned. 

Oregon is home to many different types of forests, with varying species of trees, plants and wildlife. The forest type that dominates a region depends on climate, elevation, wind and rainfall, temperature and soil conditions.

Forest Fact Break: Forest Ty

It is a cornerstone of Oregon’s forest practices rules. Requiring landowners to promptly replant trees after a timber harvest means future Oregonians will enjoy the same forest resources we do today, including wood products, healthy watersheds, recreational opportunities, and thriving fish and wildlife habitat.In a typical year, Oregon forest landowners plant about 40 million seedlings every year. And far more trees are planted each year than are harvested.

Tree Planting in FebruaryOregon tree planting crews

Seedlings, seedlings and more seedlingsPlanting.Landowners must complete replanting of harvested ground within two years.Ensuring success.Within six years of harvest, the young trees must be “free-to-grow.” That means they are vigorous and tall enough to out-compete grass and brush, and will grow into a new forest.Trees per acre.Depending on the site, the rules require that at least 100 to 200 trees per acre survive during reforestation, but landowners typically plant about 400 seedlings per acre.

Traveling across the state, you soon discover that Oregon is home to a wide range of trees. There are 30 native coniferous species and 37 native species of broadleaf trees. Oregon varies greatly in terms of elevation, temperature, wind, rainfall and soil composition. Combinations of all these factors help determine the dominant tree species of an area.

OFRI Workforce SummitMay 13-14Bend, OregonThe Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI), in partnership with the Western Forestry & Conservation Association (WFCA), will host a two-day summit this spring focused on strengthening Oregon’s forest sector workforce. 

Forest landowners and managers are hard at work every day in forests throughout the state. They ensure that trees are thinned, spaced and growing properly, and that excessive dry brush is cleared and other fire hazards minimized. All this is done while maintaining wildlife habitat, biodiversity and water quality.

Forest Fac

62,000 OregoniansThat’s the number of individuals who own between 10 and 5,000 acres of forestland in our state. Their holdings are often referred to as "family forestlands," because many of these properties have been handed down through generations.The amount of timber coming from family forestlands varies greatly depending on market demand for wood products. Family forestlands accounted for about 12 percent of Oregon’s annual timber harvest in 2022.

Old-growth forests are more complex than any other kind of forest, and they are home to a diversity of animals, insects, fungi, mosses and lichens. These older forests are a crucial piece of Oregon’s forest mosaic, and provide habitat for threatened species such as the northern spotted owl and the marbled murrelet.Logging of old-growth forests virtually never occurs in Oregon. Today, an old-growth forest in Oregon is much more likely to be lost to wildfire than to timber harvest. What little is harvested is usually done to restore forest health or protect public safety.

Increasing amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, mostly from humans burning fossil fuels, are contributing to global warming and climate change. This rise in the average temperature of the land and water on Earth has contributed to melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and longer and more intense wildfire seasons, among other environmental impacts.

It starts with photosynthesisForest carbon sequestration starts with photosynthesis, the process plants use to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Chloroplasts inside leaves and needles use carbon dioxide from the air, water from the soil, and energy from sunlight to produce glucose, a simple sugar. Trees use glucose to make wood, storing carbon in the process. Oxygen is released into the atmosphere as a byproduct.

Forests are complex ecosystems where connections between the trees, plants and animals and environmental factors such as climate, rainfall and soil conditions are not always obvious. Scientific research to better understand forest ecosystems informs the use of forest management techniques that help keep forests healthy and improve fish and wildlife habitat.