OFRI Board of Directors to host briefing on Dynamic Forest Ecosystems project

On Aug. 28, the OFRI board will host a briefing on the Dynamic Forest Ecosystems project after its regular board meeting which will take place in Corvallis. The project, funded primarily by OFRI, included four workshops the past year and will conclude with a Board of Forestry-sponsored symposium in September.

The briefing, by James Johnston of the Oregon State University Institute for Natural Resources and David Morman of the Oregon Department of Forestry, will take place from 3 to 3:45 p.m. in the First Interstate Room of the LaSells Stewart Center.

Review the white papers of all four workshops here.
View the OFRI special report: Wildlife and Ecosystem Dynamics

Draft Safe Harbor Agreement released
for public comment

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has opened a 30-day public comment period on the draft Safe Harbor Agreement and associated 50-year permit for the enhancement of the survival of the northern spotted owl. The agreement and permit are designed to encourage forest restoration efforts on private lands that will help recover the species.

Copies of the draft Safe Harbor Agreement may be viewed here.
Written comments should be submitted to State Supervisor, Fish and Wildlife Service, Suite 100, 2600 S.E. 98th Ave., Portland, OR 97266.
Comments must be received by close of business on Aug. 20.

The Safe Harbor Agreement and associated permit were developed in partnership by the FWS, the Natural Resources Conservation Service  and the Oregon Department of Forestry.

Fast pyrolysis tour explores fuel production from woody biomass

Fast pyrolysis is a thermal process that rapidly heats woody biomass then quickly cools it to create bio-oil, bio-char and syngas. It represents a “green energy” opportunity for the woody biomass found within Oregon’s forests. The Umpqua National Forest and Douglas County are sponsoring the demonstration of a portable fast pyrolysis unit in southwestern Oregon.
Three demonstration tours are planned:

• Aug. 19 at the Lemolo Sand Shed, leaving from Roseburg (full)
• Aug. 22 in Glide, leaving from Roseburg (full)
• Aug. 26 in Merlin, leaving from the Merlin Armory (few spots remain)

You must register to attend these tours.
To do so, contact Mike Cloughesy at Cloughesy@ofri.com.
View the demonstration flyer

Home school students invited to the Oregon Garden for a day of learning

All home school students ages 5-12 are invited to the Oregon Garden on Sept. 15 to learn more about their natural world. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., volunteers will help home schoolers learn about wetlands, tree identification, forests, aquatic insects and wildlife habitat through hands-on learning.

Event admission is $8 for adults, $6 for students ages 8-18, and free for children under 7. Preregistration is not required. Home School Day is sponsored by Roth’s Benefit Education Foundation and OFRI.

For more information, contact Cindy Quam at
503-584-7256 or Julie Woodward at 503-584-7259.
Driving directions to the Oregon Garden.

The National Tree Farmer Convention
invites you to Washington, D.C.

American Tree Farm System invites you to journey to Washington, D.C., for the 2009 National Tree Farmer Convention. Join fellow tree farmers Sept. 28 – 30 and enjoy numerous educational events as well as countless opportunities for sightseeing. Tom Martin, president and CEO of the American Forest Foundation, will keynote this event.

Registration deadline is Sept. 4, 2009.
Preregistration is required.
Click here for more information.

OFRI report featured in PNW report

A special report by OFRI is cited in a recent research report by the Pacific Northwest Research Station. The report titled Land Use Planning: A Time-Tested Approach for Addressing Climate Change, states that Oregon’s land use planning program yields significant gains in carbon storage through avoided forest land loss. The report cites information reported in Forests, Carbon and Climate Change, which OFRI published in the fall of 2006.

View the PNW report
View Forests, Carbon and Climate Change