International Day of Forests is next month. Observed on March 21, it’s a time when people across the globe recognize the vital role forests play in our lives and the importance of forest stewardship.

The United Nations General Assembly established International Day of Forests in 2012 to celebrate the contributions of forests to environmental health, economic stability and community well-being. The date of March 21 was chosen to coincide with the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, symbolizing a time of renewal.

This day serves as a reminder to promote responsible forestry practices, ensuring sustainable harvesting while preserving the ecosystems that depend on these rich resources. By recognizing the importance of our forests and all that they provide for us around the world, we foster a deeper appreciation for our natural resources and commit to protecting forests, ensuring that future generations can benefit from all our forests have to offer.

For the forest,

Jim Paul

Executive Director

Forests Working for Wildlife, a new OFRI publication highlighting the successes of its long-running Wildlife in Managed Forests (WIMF) program and the many ways Oregon’s private forest landowners support habitat for native wildlife, is now available to order or download.

OFRI launched the WIMF program nearly 20 years ago to provide private landowners and forest managers with clear, science-based guidance on wildlife habitat in managed forests. Over the years, this program has evolved to offer a robust suite of educational publications, fact sheets and reference guides with detailed information on managing forests to support native wildlife species such as marten and fisher, deer and elk, amphibians, bees, songbirds, and more.

The Forests Working for Wildlife publication centers on several themes that continue to shape forest wildlife stewardship in Oregon:

• Forests of all ages provide habitat for wildlife. 
• A mosaic of habitat types across the landscape supports a diversity of species. 
• Practical management actions can help keep common species common.

The publication also features real-world examples, case stories and profiles of private forest landowners that demonstrate how working forests contribute to providing wildlife habitat across Oregon.

Print and electronic versions of Forests Working for Wildlife are available to order or download for free through OFRI’s online publications library.  

Registration is now open for this year’s Tree School Clackamas, the Oregon State University Extension Service’s annual “mini college” for forest landowners and other natural resources enthusiasts.

The 2026 Tree School Clackamas will take place on March 21 at Clackamas Community College in Oregon City and offer a wide variety of courses on topics related to tree care and forest management. A complete course catalog is available through the OSU Extension website.

Advance registration for Tree School is required. Organizers recommend online registration, which opened in early February and will close once classes are full or on March 5, whichever comes first.

OFRI is a sponsor of Tree School Clackamas and the Institute’s forest landowner education program will staff a booth in the exhibit hall. At the OFRI booth, Tree School attendees can pick up a copy of the Partnership for Forestry Education’s newly updated Resources for Family Forest Landowners 2026-27 Edition, which provides an overview of the technical, financial and educational resources available to Oregon’s family forest landowners.

Landowner education staff will also help teach some of the Tree School courses, and OFRI provided funding for wildlife-related presentations through its Wildlife in Managed Forests Program. 

The Oregon State University (OSU) College of Forestry’s 2026 Starker Lecture Series will explore the history of the university’s statewide network of 10 research forests and how perspectives and stewardship have shifted with new knowledge and pressures.

This year’s lecture series, addressing the theme of “Learning From the Landscape: A Century of Forest Research Discoveries,” kicked off Jan. 21. It will continue this spring with a second lecture on March 11 and a panel discussion on May 20. All lectures are open to the public, free to attend and held from 4-5 p.m. in the Peavy Forest Science Center on OSU’s Corvallis campus. There will also be the option to attend remotely via Zoom.

The March 11 lecture will be given by Fred Swanson, a retired research geologist with the U.S. Forest Service and an emeritus OSU faculty member. The title of Swanson’s lecture is “What We’ve Learned From Decades of Long-Term Forest Research."

The lecture series concludes with a May 20 panel discussion on “Managing Forests for Multiple Values in a Changing World,” moderated by Mark Swanson, associate professor and interim director of the OSU research forests.

OFRI is a co-sponsor of the Starker Lecture Series. More information about the series is available on the OSU College of Forestry website. 

In other news...



Oregon Logging Conference returns to Eugene

The 88th annual Oregon Logging Conference and Logging, Construction and Heavy Equipment Expo returns to the Lane Events Center and Fairgrounds in Eugene this month. Learn more about the conference, scheduled for Feb. 19-21, and register on the event website.

Next Forest Pub will be a concert 

Instead of a lecture, the World Forestry Center’s February Forest pub will be a concert. The Forest Pub Concert on Feb. 23 at the McMenamins Mission Theater in Portland will feature musical artist Majel Connery performing “Elderflora,” a song cycle tracing the life and death of a tree. More information about the concert can be found on the World Forestry Center website. 

Forests Today & Forever seeking volunteers 

The Eugene-based nonprofit organization Forests Today & Forever is seeking volunteers to help serve 1,000 students who will visit their forest education site this spring for hands-on forestry and outdoor education. Each volunteer commitment is about five hours and volunteers are needed for dates in April and May. For more information and to sign up to volunteer, email coordinator@foreststodayandforever.org.  

Mass Timber Conference set for March 31-April 2   

The 2026 International Mass Timber Conference, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, is scheduled to take place March 31-April 2 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. More information and registration for the conference that attracts mass timber experts from around the world can be found on the event website.

Spring Master Woodland Manager training planned  

Oregon State University (OSU) Forestry and Natural Resources Extension will offer a Master Woodland Manager training opportunity this upcoming spring in Benton, Linn and Polk counties. The high-level course is for private landowners who are interested in an intensive forest management course and sharing the knowledge gained with others in their local communities. Eight sessions are scheduled to take place between March 5 and May 28: one online, and seven held outdoors at various woodland locations. More information is available on the OSU Extension website.

Tillamook Forest Center hosting winter cleaning party 

The Tillamook Forest Center in the Tillamook State Forest is closed for the winter with plans to reopen in early March. During the center’s annual winter closure, staff plan for upcoming events and refurbish exhibits. The center is seeking volunteers to participate in a winter cleaning party on Feb. 28 to help get the facilities ready to receive visitors again in the spring. Learn more on the Tillamook Forest Center website. 

Oregon Logging Conference
Feb. 19-21, Eugene

Forest Pub Concert: Elderflora – Lifecycle of a Tree
Feb. 23, Portland

Tillamook Forest Center Winter Cleaning Party
Feb. 28, Tillamook

Adapting Together: Shaping the Future of Fire in the Northwest
March 4-6, Stevenson, Wash.

Master Woodland Manager Training
March 5-May 28, Benton, Linn and Polk counties

Starker Lecture Series: What We’ve Learned From Decades of Long-Term Forest Research
March 11, Corvallis

Forest Health in Oregon: State of the State 2026 Conference
March 18, Corvallis

Tree School Clackamas
March 21, Oregon City

International Mass Timber Conference
March 31-April 2, Portland

OFRI Workforce Summit
May 13-14, Bend

Starker Lecture Series Panel Discussion: Managing Forests for Multiple Values in a Changing World
May 20, Corvallis