With October 20-26 proclaimed National Forest Products Week by President Biden, this fall is a great time to celebrate all the benefits Oregonians derive from our wood products and the sustainable forests from which they’re grown.

Our state has abundant forests, state-of-the-art forest management, and is a national leader in wood products manufacturing. In addition to the economic contributions, Oregon’s amazing forests also provide countless non-timber benefits, including clean air and water, fish and wildlife habitat, and recreation and scenic beauty, to name but a few. And you can learn more about all these topics in the Institute’s newest special report, Sourcing from Sustainable Forests, highlighted in this edition of eNews.

Sustainably managed forests, and the renewable wood resources they provide, are one of the main reasons we love Oregon. We may have a diversity of views over forest policy, but this fall, let’s join together in appreciation of Oregon’s forest products.

For the forest,

Jim Paul

Executive Director

OFRI’s newly released 2023-24 Annual Report highlights the Institute’s efforts over the past year to advance Oregonians’ understanding of the social, environmental and economic benefits of Oregon’s forests.

The new eight-page report summarizes key achievements over the course of the 2023-24 fiscal year in OFRI’s core forest education programs for landowners, the public, and K-12 teachers and students.

Among the highlights:

• Releasing a new digital edition of Oregon’s Forest Protection Laws – An Illustrated Manual to help landowners understand recent changes to the Oregon Forest Practices Act aimed to enhance habitat protections for fish and amphibians.
• Producing two new educational advertisements to educate Oregonians about the importance of reforestation.
• Continuing to offer opportunities for K-12 students to learn about Oregon’s forests and natural resources through events such as the Oregon Envirothon competition for high school students.

Read the full report to learn more about OFRI’s work to educate Oregonians of all ages about forests and the many ways they touch our lives.

The OFRI board of directors hosted a public tour in Portland this month that served as the debut for the Institute’s newest special report, Sourcing from Sustainable Forests.

About 40 people attended the Oct. 18 tour focused on the connections between sustainable forestry and sustainable architecture. It included stops at the new wood-dominated Portland International Airport terminal and the mass timber manufacturer Timberlab while highlighting themes from the 36-page report.

Now available to order or download for free from OFRI’s website, Sourcing from Sustainable Forests examines what it means for forests to be managed sustainably, and how architects and builders can ensure the wood used for their projects comes from sustainable sources. This includes exploring how sustainable forestry practices are regulated and encouraged, how voluntary practices can further promote sustainability, and how forest certification programs document sustainability. The report also features case studies that exemplify the ways some mass timber builders are exploring sustainable wood product sourcing.

As a companion to Sourcing from Sustainable Forests, OFRI also produced a digital-only publication, called Forest Sustainability FAQs, that expands on a series of questions about forest management sprinkled through the special report. The Forest Sustainability FAQs can be downloaded from OFRI’s website.

OFRI has promoted Rikki Heath to director of K-12 education programs following the retirement of the former director of K-12 education, Norie Dimeo-Ediger, earlier this year.

As director of K-12 education, Heath, who has worked closely with Dimeo-Ediger since joining OFRI nine years ago as its environmental educator, will lead the Institute’s K-12 education program, which provides forest-related curriculum materials and other educational resources, teacher professional development and field trip opportunities. Heath’s responsibilities will also include collaborating with other organizations dedicated to forestry, environmental and natural resources education that OFRI supports and partners with to help provide forest education to K-12 students across Oregon.

Heath’s first official day as director of K-12 education programs was Oct. 14. She is an Oregon-certified teacher who taught elementary physical education and served as a Central Oregon Youth Conservation Corps crew leader before she was hired by OFRI in 2015.

Since joining OFRI as its environmental educator, Heath has overseen the Institute’s field forestry and natural resources education programs for students at the OFRI-managed Rediscovery Forest, a demonstration forest inside The Oregon Garden in Silverton. Her other responsibilities have included being the lead organizer of Oregon Envirothon, an annual high school natural resources skills competition that OFRI sponsors, and partnering with other environmental education organizations to host an outdoor school for Salem-area students.

Heath holds a Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology with a focus on health education for grades 6-12 and physical education for K-12 from Lewis-Clark State College. She also earned a Master of Education degree in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis on environmental education from Concordia University. 



Social Media Intern Henry Thomas joined the OFRI team last month.

As social media intern, Thomas, who is a senior at the University of Oregon majoring in business administration with concentrations in finance and marketing, is helping manage and produce content for OFRI’s social media accounts, including Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X and LinkedIn. He’s also assisting the Institute’s public education program staff with communications and outreach aimed at advancing Oregonians’ understanding of the social, environmental and economic benefits of our forests.

Along with his internship with OFRI, Thomas serves as the executive of communications for the University of Oregon’s student chapter of the American Marketing Association. In his free time, he enjoys spending time exploring Oregon’s outdoors while distance running, cycling, camping and backpacking. 



More than 70 people attended an educational field tour for forest landowners that OFRI co-hosted on Oct. 9 in Corvallis to demonstrate ways to manage woody debris on forestland in the wildland-urban interface.

The Alternative Approaches to Woody Residue Management tour visited a suburban forest parcel undergoing fire risk reduction and habitat restoration work. It included demonstrations of woody debris mastication and the use of an air curtain incinerator. Presentations during the tour covered topics such as fire risk reduction, invasive insect sanitation, cost share options, biochar production, smoke management and public health protection.

OFRI co-hosted the tour in partnership with the Oregon State University Extension Service, Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Oregon Small Woodlands Association and SilvaSaunterra.

Fall ads highlight reforestation

OFRI’s fall digital advertising campaign focuses on the importance of reforestation after logging to sustain Oregon’s forests and the important benefits these forests provide for future generations. The educational ads will appear on social media, streaming services and other digital media through mid-November. Watch the ads, which also aired last spring, on OFRI’s YouTube channel.

Exhibit documents forest fire recovery

A new photo exhibit that opens at the World Forestry Center in Portland on Nov. 1 documents the forest and community recovery following the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire in the McKenzie River canyon. The “Following Fire” exhibit will be on view at the World Forestry Center’s Discovery Museum through March 30, 2025. An opening reception will be held on Nov. 8. Learn more about the exhibit on the World Forestry Center website. 

Fall events at Tillamook Forest Center

With the changing of the seasons, the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Tillamook Forest Center in the heart of the Tillamook State Forest has reduced its hours but is still hosting plenty of events throughout the fall and early winter. These include the Rain Festival, Nov. 16-17, and holiday wreath making, Nov. 29-Dec.1. Learn more about upcoming events on the Tillamook Forest Center website. 

OTFS hosting annual meeting

The Oregon Tree Farm System will host their annual meeting on Nov. 16 at The Oregon Garden in Silverton. The meeting agenda includes celebratory music, forestry presentations, a business meeting, and presentation of the County Tree Farmers of the Year and other awards. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased through Eventbrite. 



Forest Storytime

November 2, Portland 

Following Fire – Opening Reception

November 8, Portland 

Seed Swap

November 9, Roseburg

Woodland Road Basics/New Road Condition Assessment Form Workshop

November 12, Oregon City

Oregon State University Extension Service Wreath Making Workshop

November 15, Corvallis

Oregon Tree Farm System Annual Meeting

November 16, Silverton

Rain Festival, November 16-17

Tillamook Forest Center

Holiday Wreath Making

November 29-December 1, Tillamook Forest Center

2024 Oregon Business Plan Leadership Summit

December 9, Portland

Forests Today & Forever Annual Meeting

January 17, 2025, Eugene

2025 Oregon Logging Conference

February 20-22, Eugene