How does science underpin
Oregon’s forestry laws?
The Oregon Board of Forestry will visit the Hinkle Creek paired watershed research project near Sutherlin later this month to review progress of this 10-year study about the impacts of contemporary forestry practices on watersheds. Similar research conducted between 1959 and 1973 on the coastal Alsea River greatly informed development of Oregon’s Forest Practices Act in 1971. As with the old study, it is hoped that today’s science findings will inform future public policy choices.
The Hinkle Creek study and similar new studies on the coastal Trask and Alsea rivers represent an unprecedented amount of high-level research. The work is conducted by the Watersheds Research Cooperative and the Oregon State University College of Forestry. OFRI’s new special report Watershed Science at Work examines the three studies in more detail.
Summer tour takes educators to Starker Forests
Many K-12 students' first exposure to forestry and forest careers occurs in the classroom, which is why the Temperate Forest Foundation, based in Portland, has sponsored nearly 50 summer teacher tours throughout North America since 1994. The goal is to educate those who teach future generations to make informed decisions about sustainable forestry. 
OFRI is a co-sponsor of the Oregon tour, which is fully subscribed and takes place this year in the Starker Forests near Corvallis.
Tour participants will be provided with the following OFRI K-12 publications about forestry and forest sector careers so they can continue to make connections from the tour to their classroom:
Fast pyrolysis demonstration tour shows potential for biomass and renewable energy from Oregon forests
Forest biomass is part of Oregon's renewable energy mandate, and fast pyrolysis technology is a promising new method for biofuel production. Natural resource professionals are invited to a free demo of a portable fast pyrolysis unit and Rotochopper in southern Oregon in August.
Fast pyrolysis rapidly heats woody biomass to 500 degrees Celsius in the absence of oxygen, then quickly cools the results into products known as bio-oil (a carbon-rich liquid that can be used as fuel or further refined), bio-char (a charcoal-like substance used as a soil amendment) and syngas (a clean-burning synthetic gas).
Upcoming demonstration tours:
- Aug. 19
Roseburg/Lemolo Sand Shed
(processing mixed conifers)
- Aug. 22
Roseburg/Glide (processing cedar and oak)
- Aug. 26
Merlin (processing madrone from state lands)
View the demonstration flyer
Click here to register online
Still time to sign up for July 18 Tree Farmer of the Year tour
The Oregon Tree Farm System’s annual Tree Farmer of the Year tour highlights the management activities of a great eastside family forestland couple. Ted and Mary Brown acquired their first forestland in the 1950s and have been actively managing it ever since. The tour of their 730-acre property near La Grande will also feature a successful inventory system, management of dwarf mistletoe, small sawmill demonstration and barbecue lunch.
What: Oregon Tree Farmer of the Year Tour
When: 9 am - 2 pm, Saturday, July 18
Where: Wisdom Creek Ranch, Medical Spring, Ore. (near La Grande)
Registration deadline: Thursday, July 16
Cost is $10 per person. For more information or to register, call the Oregon State University Extension office at 541-963-1010.
Click here for more information about the tour.
Sponsors:
Oregon Tree Farm System
OFRI
Oregon Department of Forestry
Oregon State University Extension
Green building conference advances materials selection
Oregon’s leadership in design and construction of green buildings took another step forward at a June 26 workshop to develop curricula for selection of green building materials. An interdisciplinary team from the University of Oregon, Oregon State University and Portland State University worked with architects, engineers and developers to create linkages within the higher education community, advance understanding of materials selection and address knowledge gaps in college education programs.
OFRI’s recent special report Building to Benefit the Environment – The Role of Oregon Wood Products in the Green Building Movement explains in plain language green building standards and practices, the role of forest certifications systems and summarizes what is known about wood compared with other building materials such as concrete and steel in terms of their environmental impacts.
Conference sponsors included:
