Dear Educator,

If your plans for the 2024-25 school year include bringing forestry, natural resources and environmental education to the classroom – or getting your students out in the forest for hands-on learning – the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) is here to support you. OFRI’s K-12 education program offers a wealth of resources for educators to teach students about Oregon’s forests, and their social, environmental and economic importance to our state. 

LearnForests.org, our website for K-12 educators, is a great place to start. You’ll find teacher resources and lesson plans (free to download or order) that align with state standards, educational videos and materials for students, and information about forest education programs offered across the state. Organized by grade bands, the website makes it easy to find grade-appropriate materials and programs for your students. We even offer resources to help support your outdoor school. 

Or you can order a teacher’s sampler packet, to familiarize yourself with OFRI’s educational resources. We offer two: one for grades K-5 and another for grades 6-12. Both packets contain K-12 Forest Education Opportunities, a guide to forestry education programs and materials for Oregon educators and their students. 

At OFRI, we believe that forests make amazing classrooms. If you’re planning a forest field trip or have students who will be participating in a field forest education program, we can provide bus transportation reimbursement to support getting students outside to learn in the forest. 

Finally, if you haven’t done so already, please encourage your teaching colleagues to subscribe to our Forestry for the Classroom newsletter. They’ll receive regular updates on the latest OFRI educator resources, student publications and upcoming professional development workshops. 

We wish you a successful school year and thank you for your commitment to forest education. 

For the forest,

Rikki Heath, Environmental Educator

Last month, OFRI’s K-12 education program hosted a tour for 19 teachers in the Tillamook area, highlighting the interrelationships between pollinators and forests.

We partnered with Lindsay Davis from Hampton Lumber to learn more about how the company is planting native flower seed mixes in burned slash areas to help provide pollinator habitat. Wildlife biologist Jon Cox from Cafferata Consulting provided additional insights on native bees and how they thrive in recently logged, large open areas.

The tour kicked off with nature journaling about pollinators. At some of the field stops, the teachers completed visitation studies to observe what kinds of pollinators were visiting which flowers. We finished the day by providing resources and planning time for the teachers to prepare lessons about pollinators and forests for their classrooms.

The tour was part of a regional experience OFRI hosts every summer, designed to provide professional development to Oregon educators about topics related to forestry and natural resources. Each year, the event is held in a different part of the state. Stay tuned for updates on the location of our next regional experience.  

A crew of Salem High School students from the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps recently helped with necessary maintenance to the Rediscovery Forest, the OFRI-managed demonstration forest at The Oregon Garden in Silverton.

The crew, based out of the Boys & Girls Club of Salem, Marion and Polk Counties, spread gravel on trails, weeded and spread mulch around Christmas tree seedlings.

Take advantage of a professional development opportunity! On December 10, OFRI is hosting an event at The Oregon Garden in Silverton for high school natural resource teachers.

OFRI’s annual Natural Resource/Career and Technical Education Conference will focus on the social, economic and ecological aspects of Oregon’s natural resources, and will include general sessions, breakout sessions and networking opportunities.

Conference sessions this year will highlight current natural resource issues and research, followed by a lesson taught by a community college professor. Also included: an update on the Natural Resources Career and Technical Education (CTE) Program of Study from Reynold Gardner with the Oregon Department of Education, and networking sessions with Rex Lowther  and Jannelle Wilde with the Future Natural Resource Leaders and the Oregon Natural Resources Educators Association.

A training for teachers of students who plan to participate in the Oregon Envirothon 2025 natural resources skills competition will be held the following day, on Dec. 11.

This conference is a professional development requirement for the Natural Resources CTE Program of Study.

There is no registration fee for the conference, and teachers can apply for substitute reimbursement, if needed. If you are traveling more than 50 miles, you can apply for lodging reimbursement. For more information, contact OFRI Environmental Educator Rikki Health at heath@ofri.org. 

Nature Journaling – Teaching for the Whole Student (mobility-accessible)

This Nature Journaling workshop will take place in a wheelchair accessible area of a public park with level grade paved paths and an ADA bathroom. Movement for all activities will be limited.

Experience and explore nature journaling, a flexible, engaging and adaptable teaching tool that helps students develop scientific (NGSS) and social-emotional (TSEL) competencies. Participants will practice close observation, inquiry and connection-building using a series of nature journaling prompts. They will also practice giving feedback on journal entries to promote a growth mindset, model outdoor facilitation strategies, and discuss how to incorporate nature journaling in any learning context.

Date: October 29, 2024

Location: Grants Pass

Registration & details: https://onrep.forestry.oregonstate.edu/workshops/odsonrep%C2%A0nature-journaling-teaching-whole-student-mobility-accessible

Diverse Brains Outside, Including Neurodivergent Students in Outdoor School and Nature-based Education

This workshop will explore what neurodivergence is and the variety of ways it shows up in both classroom and outdoor learning environments. Participants will be invited to engage with a panel of neurodivergent educators and inclusion professionals, hear about creating a more inclusive learning environment at outdoor school and other settings, and learn techniques to increase relevance for both neurodivergent and neurotypical students. Participants will receive the Project WILD K-12 Curriculum and Activity guide, as well as have the opportunity to analyze and adapt lessons with an accessibility lens and apply principles of Universal Design.

Date: November 15, 2024

Location: Roseburg

Registration & details: https://onrep.forestry.oregonstate.edu/workshops/odsonrep-diverse-brains-outside-including-neurodivergent-students-outdoor-school-and

OFRI Natural Resource/Career and Technical Education Conference

This conference for high school natural resource teachers, and career and technical education teachers, will focus on the social, economic and ecological aspects of Oregon’s natural resources. The conference will include general sessions, breakout sessions and networking opportunities. A training for teachers of students planning to participate in the Oregon Envirothon 2025 natural resources skills competition will be held the following day, on Dec. 11.

Date: December 10, 2024

Location: Silverton

Registration & details: heath@ofri.org



The Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) supports the forest sector and the stewardship of natural resources by advancing Oregonians’ understanding of the social, environmental and economic benefits of our forests.

Learn more at OregonForests.org/about-ofri

For information about OFRI's educational programs, contact:

Rikki Heath

Environmental Educator

503-799-4792

heath@ofri.org