ASTORIA, Ore. — A giant 208-foot tall and estimated 200-year-old grand fir tree in Clatsop State Forest was inducted into the Oregon Heritage Tree Program in a ceremony April 12. The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and the Travel Information Council and its volunteer Oregon Heritage Tree Committee held the ceremony at the base of the tree which is part of ODF’s Northrup Creek Horse Camp Big Tree Trail at Northrup Creek Horse Camp. The grand fir became the 84th Oregon Heritage Tree. “A heritage designation recognizes trees with statewide or national significance,” said Craig Leech, Chair of ..read more

BURNS, Ore. — The Oregon Department of Forestry recently hosted the 2024 Rangeland Fire Protection Association Summit in Burns, Oregon. The annual summit provides a forum for the 28 Rangeland Fire Protection Associations (RFPAs) to meet with each other and partners in the spirit of helping each other be more effective at fighting wildfire on Oregon’s range. RFPAs are an integral part of the complete and coordinated wildfire protection system in Oregon. Oregon’s 28 rangeland associations across eastern Oregon provide initial attack response to wildfires on nearly 17.5 million acres of public an ..read more

SALEM, Ore. — The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and the Travel Information Council and its volunteer Oregon Heritage Tree Committee will hold a Heritage Tree Dedication Ceremony highlighting a giant grand fir tree that will become 84th Oregon Heritage Tree. The event will be held 11 a.m. Friday at Clatsop State Forest’s Northrup Creek Horse Camp. A heritage designation recognizes trees with statewide or national significance. The giant grand fir is 19.8 feet in circumference, 208 feet tall, and approximately 200 years old. The tree is part of the Department of Forestry’s Big Tree Trail ..read more

SALEM, Ore. — The Regional Forest Practice Committee for eastern Oregon will meet at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 19 in the Screen Shop, at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, 3561 Klindt Dr., The Dalles. To join virtually, please use the Zoom video conference information found on the agenda. To provide public comment, please email forestresources.committees@odf.oregon.gov. The committee’s agenda includes: ODF updates and member training requirements Updates and informing post-disturbance harvest rulemaking HCP update Planning and priority for guidance development Forest Practice Technica ..read more

SALEM, Ore. — The Oregon Board of Forestry will meet April 24 for a planning retreat. The annual retreat offers the board and department leadership a chance to facilitate a final discussion about their shared strategic plan, the Vision for Oregon’s Forests and review the latest developments for the State Forests Trust of Oregon. No public comment or testimony will be accepted during the retreat. The public can attend in-person in the Tillamook Room, Building C, at the Oregon Department of Forestry headquarters, located at 2600 State St. in Salem or observe via a livestream on the department’s ..read more

SALEM, Ore. – The Regional Forest Practice Committee for northwest Oregon will meet at 10 a.m. on Monday, April 15 in the Tillamook Room, Building C, at the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Salem headquarters, 2600 State St., Salem, OR 97310. To join virtually, please use the Zoom video conference information found on the agenda. To provide public comment, please email forestresources.committees@odf.oregon.gov. The committee’s agenda includes: ODF updates and member training requirements Updates and informing post-disturbance harvest rulemaking HCP update FERNS update Stream model update Plann ..read more

PENDLETON, Ore. – The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) has named Pendleton as Oregon’s Tree City of the Year. It’s an unusual honor given that the town in northeast Oregon is surrounded by rolling grasslands and was largely treeless except along the Umatilla River when Pendleton was laid out in 1868. Early city residents wasted no time planting trees to buffer the winds and offer shade from the area’s hot summers. That tree-planting tradition has continued to this day. In partnership with the Umatilla National Forest and the volunteer-led Tree Commission, the city annually distrib ..read more

SALEM, Ore. — The Compliance Monitoring Program Committee will hold a virtual meeting Thursday, April 11, from 9 to 11 a.m. To join virtually, please use the Zoom video conference information found on the agenda. The committee’s agenda includes: Mount Hood Environmental presentation – Pilot study development The meeting is open to the public to attend online via Zoom. Requests for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or other accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made at least 48 hours before the meeting by emailing marta.l.friasbedolla@odf.oregon.gov. The ..read more

Salem, Ore. — The Oregon Department of Forestry is inviting public comment on planned projects, timber sales and other management activities in state-owned forests in fiscal year 2025. From April 3 through 5 p.m. May 17, Oregonians can weigh in on draft Annual Operations Plans (AOPs) for state forests on the Astoria, Forest Grove, Klamath Falls, North Cascade, Tillamook, West Oregon, and Western Lane Districts. These plans lay out on-the-ground activities expected to take place in the coming fiscal year. State forests by law must provide economic, environmental, and social benefits to Oregonia ..read more

Salem, Ore. — The Oregon Department of Forestry is soliciting applications to join the Smoke Management Advisory Committee. The committee is currently seeking applications to fill one vacancy to represent the public. Created in 1989, the Smoke Management Advisory Committee (SMAC) provides advice and assistance to the Oregon Department of Forestry Smoke Management Program. The membership of the committee consists of an industrial forestland owner representative, a non-industrial forestland owner representative, a public representative, a Forest Service representative, and a Bureau of Land Manag ..read more