From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Thu Apr 1 17:11:19 2010 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 17:11:19 -0700 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Jim Paul moving to State Lands Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B662562D49@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Private Forests News list members: ODF Private Forests Division chief Jim Paul announced his departure to staff today in the following message- Kevin Weeks ODF Agency Affairs Office (503) 945-7427 ________________________________________ From: PAUL Jim T Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2010 3:11 PM Hi Everyone, The word has probably gotten out to most (all?) of you, but thought it?d be good to send out an ?official? announcement. It is true, I will be leaving the agency at the end of this month to work for the Department of State Lands. I?ll be taking over Steve Purchase?s position as Assistant Director?who is retiring?and will oversee their Land Management Division. While I of course have mixed feelings about leaving ODF after 14 years with the agency, this position is a great opportunity to broaden my experience that I couldn?t pass up. An added bonus is that I?ll still have ?a foot? in forestry, as oversight of the Common School Forest Lands will be a piece of my job, working directly with Nancy Hirsch on the Elliot State Forest and other CSFL issues. My start date is May 3, so I still have some time here to wrap things up and help where I can over the next few weeks with the Executive Team transition. And my thanks to those who?ve passed along your warm wishes. They do mean a lot, as it will be the good people of this agency that I know I?ll miss the most. Regards, Jim ### From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Mon Apr 5 15:30:03 2010 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 15:30:03 -0700 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Registration open for National Forest Landowners Conference Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B6626B18CA@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> ODF Private Forests News list subscribers: This information is forwarded on at the request of the Forest Landowners Association regarding the 2010 National Forest Landowners Conference June 2 - 4 at Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, Washington. This message is supplied for your information, and no endorsement of the services of one landowner representation group over other groups by ODF should be implied through providing this information. Additional on-line registration information for the 2010 National Forest Landowners Conference is available at: http://images.magnetmail.net/images/clients/ForestLand/attach/2010_pregistration_form.pdf For questions regarding this event: Alicia Niles The Forest Landowners Association 900 Circle 75 Parkway, Suite 205 Atlanta, GA 30339 Tel: (800) 325-2954 aniles at forestlandowners.com Questions regarding the Private Forests News service? Contact: Kevin Weeks Oregon Department of Forestry (503) 945-7427 From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Thu Apr 8 07:06:30 2010 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 07:06:30 -0700 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Committee for Family Forestlands meets April 15 in Salem Message-ID: <8624F561E5B896439490ED8208D03B0B05A16744@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Oregon Department of Forestry NEWS RELEASE Committee for Family Forestlands meets April 15 in Salem April 8, 2010 Contact: Kevin Weeks (503) 945-7427 Family forest owners have a voice in Oregon?s forest policy development through the 10-member Committee for Family Forestlands, which serves an advisory role to the Oregon Board of Forestry regarding issues of concern to Oregon?s family-owned forests. The Committee for Family Forestlands will meet at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday April 15, 2010 at the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) headquarters in Salem, 2600 State Street (Operations Building D, Santiam meeting room). The agenda for the meeting includes reports from ODF staff regarding interagency cooperation on water quality policy development for private forestlands, policy work surrounding herbicide use on private lands, discussion about the ODF budget structure and discussion with the Oregon Small Woodland Owners Association about legislative concepts regarding private forestland being considered for the 2011 legislature. The membership of the Committee includes family forest landowners, forest industry representatives, environmental community and public members, and staff representing the Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon State University and the Oregon Forest Resources Institute. Members of the public are invited to attend and participate in the meeting. The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities. Requests for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or other accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made at least 48 hours (two working days) prior to the meeting. Questions about accessibility or special accommodations for the meeting can be directed to the Oregon Department of Forestry at 503-945-7502. One-half of Oregon is forest, with 60 percent of Oregon?s forests under federal ownership, 35 percent privately-owned while state, tribal or local government ownership accounts for the remaining five percent. Oregon?s forests are among one of the state?s most valued resources, providing a balanced mix of environmental, economic and social benefits. Additional information about the Oregon Department of Forestry is available on ODF?s web site, www.oregon.gov/ODF. ### Kevin Weeks Public Information Officer ODF Agency Affairs Office (503) 945-7427 From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Mon Apr 12 15:53:37 2010 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:53:37 -0700 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Forestry Board to meet April 22 and 23 in Salem Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B6627057CF@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Oregon Department of Forestry NEWS RELEASE For immediate release Major media distribution April 12, 2010 Contact: Rod Nichols, 503-945-7425 10-14 rnichols at odf.state.or.us Forestry Board to meet April 22, 23 in Salem The Oregon Board of Forestry will hold its regular business meeting on April 22, and on April 23 the board will host a panel discussion on climate change and hear a report on an integrated water resources strategy for the state. APRIL 22 MEETING State Forests' public advisory committee report - A 16-member citizen committee will report on its work toward improving a set of administrative rules that define "greatest permanent value" in the management of Oregon's state forests. The committee work is one of three "streams" of input to the board's review process. The Forest Trust Lands Advisory Committee has already delivered its suggestions to the board, and Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) has also provided recommendations. At its June meeting, the board will review draft rule concepts that consider a range of approaches for improving the greatest permanent value and planning rules. Revised State Forests' management plans - The board will consider for adoption revised versions of the Northwest and Southwest Oregon Forest Management plans. The plans provide long-range management direction for these public forestlands. The principal reason for proposing change is that the expected social, environmental and economic benefits projected by the current plan cannot be achieved. A reduced long-term goal for complex forest structure and moving away from a draft habitat conservation plan are the proposed changes. A public comment period was open for six weeks, and two public hearings were held in January. Results of those will be presented to the board. A decision on the proposed changes is expected. Forestland classification rules - The board will review public comments received on draft rules to modify the system of classifying forestland for wildfire protection and consider adopting the rules. The recommended rule changes were developed as part of a 2007 statewide forestland classification task force made up of a broad cross-section of stakeholders. A public hearing process was conducted recently on the draft rule changes. Oregon Roundtable on Sustainable Forests - ODF staff will request the board's approval of a charter and work plan for the Oregon Roundtable on Sustainable Forests. This diverse forum of individuals with a strong interest in the future of Oregon's forests seeks through collaborative efforts to advance sustainable forestry across all forest ownerships in Oregon. Department of Forestry budget development - Staff will present policy packages that make up the proposed ODF budget for 2011-2013. The meeting is open to the public, and comments will be received on forestry-related items not included in the agenda during a public comment period shortly after 8 a.m. Members of the public wishing to comment on specific agenda items will have an opportunity to address the board during the time each item is scheduled. APRIL 23 PANEL, REPORT Climate Change panel discussion - A panel will present the latest information on climate change as it relates to Oregon's forests, ODF, and contributions to adaptation and mitigation the Board of Forestry might be able to make in the future. Panel members include: Angus Duncan, chairman of the Oregon Global Warming Commission; Phil Mote, director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute; Matt Donegan, president of Forest Capital Partners; and Andrew Yost, forest ecologist with ODF. Water Resources Strategy - The board will hear a presentation on efforts to develop an integrated water resources strategy for Oregon. Such a strategy would provide a blueprint for the state to follow as it prepares to meet Oregon's future water needs. The meetings will take place at Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) headquarters, Building C - the Tillamook Room, 2600 State St., in Salem. The April 22 meeting will begin at 8 a.m., and the April 23 session at 8:30 a.m. Accommodations for people with disabilities, and special materials, services or assistance can be arranged by calling the ODF Agency Affairs Office at least 48 hours before the meeting, 503-945-7200, text telephone 503-945-7213. More information on the Board of Forestry can be found at: www.oregon.gov/ODF/BOARD/. Background information on the April 22 and 23 agenda items is available through the "2010 Meeting Schedule" link on the website. ### -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Wed Apr 14 09:17:48 2010 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:17:48 -0700 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Share your views on the Forest Values and Beliefs Survey Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B662705AC1@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Private Forests News list subscribers: Please consider taking a few minutes to participate in the Forest Values and Beliefs Survey available on the Oregon Department of Forestry web site (www.oregon.gov/ODF/) until April 30th. Additional information is provided in the attached message from ODF Forest Resources Planning Program Director David Morman. Kevin Weeks ODF Agency Affairs (503) 945-7427 From: MORMAN David A Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 9:01 AM Good morning, This month, ODF is cooperating with the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) to conduct sampling of Oregonians' values and beliefs regarding forestry and current forest issues. These random, statistically-valid surveys and focus groups will directly inform OFRI's communications work and both ODF's and the Board of Forestry's strategic planning processes. The Board will receive a report on this work at its September meeting. In addition, our contractor, David Hibbitts, and Midgall Inc., has established a separate, informal survey that is now posted on ODF's home page: http://egov.oregon.gov/ODF/. Please consider taking this five-minute survey yourself and forward the home page link and a request to take the survey to your partner organizations, stakeholders, friends, and family. All responses will be valuable (in a less scientific way than the other surveys) in helping us understand what Oregonians' perceptions and opinions are when it comes to forestry. Other benefits may include getting more citizens engaged in thinking about the importance of our forest resources and perhaps attracting more people to our website where they can learn more about ODF's work in addition to taking the survey. The ODF online survey will be available through April 30. Thanks! David Morman, Director Forest Resources Planning Program Oregon Dept. of Forestry 2600 State Street Salem, Oregon 97310 503-945-7413 (fax 503-945-7490) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Thu Apr 22 07:51:49 2010 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2010 07:51:49 -0700 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] State Forest Stewardship Coordinating Committee meets April 29 in Salem Message-ID: <8624F561E5B896439490ED8208D03B0B05A1675F@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Oregon Department of Forestry NEWS RELEASE State Forest Stewardship Coordinating Committee meets April 29 in Salem April 22, 2010 Contact: Kevin Weeks (503) 945-7427 The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) will update coordinating committee members on a project to assess Oregon?s current forest resources in April. The 2010 State of Oregon Statewide Forest Assessment and Resource Strategy is designed to identify Oregon?s current forest resources and develop a strategy for integrating federal, state and private forestry programs to address concerns including wildfire, keeping forests working as forests, diversity of forest habitats for fish and wildlife, prevention and reduction of invasive species and climate change. The Statewide Forest Assessment will identify high priority areas within Oregon for taking action. The discussion is scheduled during a meeting of the State Forest Stewardship Coordinating Committee on Thursday April 29, 2010 from 10:00am to 3:00pm at the Oregon Department of Forestry headquarters in Salem, 2600 State Street (Operations Building D - Santiam meeting room). The proposed agenda for the meeting includes staff presenting draft results of high priority forest areas for community wildfire protection, fish and wildlife habitat conservation, maintaining a viable forest products industry and urban and community forests. Staff will present an initial draft of the Resource Strategy that summarizes the coordinated investment and delivery of federally funded state and private forestry programs to address concerns in high priority areas. The coordinating committee will also receive an update of the upcoming web launch of the Oregon Forest Atlas 2010 mapping project. Members of the public are invited to attend and participate in the meeting. The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities. Requests for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or other accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made at least 48 hours prior to the meeting. Questions about accessibility or special accommodations for the meeting can be directed to the Oregon Department of Forestry at 503-945-7368. The 2008 Farm Bill passed by Congress contained an amendment to the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act requiring states that receive Farm Bill funding perform the forest assessment study by mid-2010, with updates at five-year increments after that. States are also required to report on the effectiveness of how federal funding was used in priority regions. The Farm Bill funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which in turn provides funding for many ODF services in urban and community forestry, forest health protection, forest stewardship, forest legacy and state fire assistance through the U.S. Forest Service?s State and Private Forestry Program. Additional information about the 2010 Forest Assessment Resource Strategy project is available on the ODF website: www.oregon.gov/ODF/RESOURCE_PLANNING/2010fars.shtml ### Kevin Weeks Public Information Officer Oregon Department of Forestry (503) 945-7427 From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Thu Apr 22 10:29:38 2010 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2010 10:29:38 -0700 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] National Forest Landowners Conference Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B662754C09@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Private Forests News service subscribers: This update message is about the National Forest Landowners Conference, scheduled for June 3-5 in Stevenson, Washington. This message is forwarded at the request of the Forest Landowners Association. For questions regarding this event, please contact the Forest Landowners Association. The functionality of some web links or HTML elements in the message may not translate well on some computer networks. Kevin Weeks Oregon Department of Forestry (503) 945-7427 From: Alicia Niles [mailto:aniles at forestlandowners.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2010 1:31 PM Having trouble viewing this email? Go to web version. [cid:~WRD000.jpg] Register Now In this Issue: * Update: New Speakers * Experience Stevenson, Washington * Learn in the Scenic Outdoors * Registration and Hotel Deadlines * Conference Sponsors New Speakers Thomas N. Urban, CEO, CellFor Topic: Bioenergy William F. Miller, Fiber Logistics Development and Support, F & W Forestry Services, Inc. Topic: Maximizing Timber Income These new speakers will be joining featured speakers Rick Holley, President and CEO of Plum Creek, and Clint Bentz, Chair of the American Forest Foundation's Board of Trustees, to provide you with crucial insight to ensure the success of your forestland investment. Experience Stevenson, Washington Skamania Lodge is nestled in the midst of a year-round recreational area, the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. The Gorge stretches about 90 miles in length across the many Cascade Range Volcanoes. It is encompassed of such famous volcanoes as Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, and Oregon's tallest volcano, Mt. Hood. Enjoy a leisurely riverboat cruise on the Columbia River, explore a local museum, enjoy local wine tasting, discover the interpretive sites of Lewis and Clark, take a drive along the Columbia Gorge Scenic Highway, and explore the many waterfalls, including the spectacular Multnomah Falls. Other activities include unique shopping opportunities, fishing, biking, whitewater rafting, windsurfing, kayaking, and many hikes through the nearby evergreen forests past waterfalls, wildflowers, lava beds and ice caves. For more information about the local area, visit the Skamania County Chamber of Commerce. Just 45 miles from Skamania Lodge, Portland, Oregon is a perfect day trip, offering many spectacular attractions perfect for the entire family, including the International Rose Garden, Oregon Zoo, Japanese Garden, Pittock Mansion, Pearl District, Powell's Books, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, and Rose Quarter Arena. For more information about visiting Portland, visit Travel Portland. Learn in the Scenic Outdoors You have a choice of three on-the-ground exploration tours on Thursday, June 3: Exploring Management: Family and Industrial Forests Exploring Destruction and Restoration: Mount St. Helens Exploring the Senses: A Day of Wine Tasting Space is limited and selection is on a first-come, first-served basis so register now! Deadlines Registration Members-Only Early Bird Rate: May 3 Non-Member and Regular Rate: May 17 Cancellation (for full refund): May 21 Cancellation (for 80% refund): May 28 Hotel Reservations: May 3 Cancellation: 7 days prior to scheduled arrival Register Now Book Your Room Now Be sure to click on promo code and enter "landowners" under group code. For more information about the 2010 National Forest Landowners Conference, visit the Annual Conference page on our website. [cid:~WRD000.jpg] Click here to unsubscribe [cid:~WRD000.jpg] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ~WRD000.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 823 bytes Desc: ~WRD000.jpg URL: From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Fri Apr 23 12:09:45 2010 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:09:45 -0700 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Wildfire Awareness Week promotes fire-safe backyard clean-up In-Reply-To: <8CD18C5BD70D6F4BB2B636295905299C85B6826F@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> References: <8CD18C5BD70D6F4BB2B636295905299C85B6826F@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B662562D66@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Private Forests News list members: This news release was issued by the Keep Oregon Green Association today. Kevin Weeks Oregon Department of Forestry (503) 945-7427 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Contact: Mary Ellen Holly Keep Oregon Green Association 503-945-7499 April 23, 2010 Wildfire Awareness Week promotes fire-safe backyard clean-up Most residents of Oregon?s wildland-urban interface will never see a raging wildfire sweep through their neighborhood. But the chief threat to a home comes from above, in the form of flying embers often cast long distances by fire-generated winds. The best defense against this airborne hazard is to remove potential fuel - dead and dying vegetation - from your property. An ember that lands where there is no dry grass or leaves will burn itself out. So, spring backyard clean-up should include disposing of winter-killed vegetation left on the ground, and limbing up trees. When lower tree limbs are pruned, a ground fire is less likely to climb into a tree and carry flames to the house. Another essential step in the annual clean-up is to dispose of shrub and tree trimmings safely. Every year across the state, people dispose of yard waste by burning it. These backyard burns often escape to become costly, damaging wildfires. In the past year, 182 debris burns turned into wildfires, burning more than 491 acres and costing over $400,000 to suppress. The majority of these fires were started on small parcels of land, in the wildland-urban interface, by the landowners. Chipping yard waste for use as compost or hauling it to a recycler are the safest methods of disposal. But if these methods are not viable in your area, please follow these safety tips to keep your backyard debris burn from becoming a 911 call: 1. Call your local fire district for permission to burn. Local fire officials may require a permit and may designate certain days for burning, based on weather and wind conditions. In some areas, burning is not allowed at any time. 2. Burn ONLY backyard debris. Some plastics, treated lumber and other manufactured products give off toxic fumes. Burning of household garbage is not allowed at any time. 3. Clear a space at least five feet around the burn area. This clean space will help keep the fire from spreading. 4. Keep burn piles small. Add debris in small amounts as existing material is consumed. A burn pile is less likely to escape control if it is kept small. A large burn may cast hot embers long distances. 5. Attend your burn at all times. A burn left unattended for only a few minutes can grow into a costly, damaging wildfire. 6. Make sure your fire is dead out. When burning is completed, drown the fire with water, stir, and then drown again. Even when a fire stops smoking and appears to be out, an onset of windy, warm weather days or weeks later may rekindle it. 7. Make sure burn barrels have sufficient air flow. This allows the fire to burn more cleanly and produce less smoke. 8. Cover a burn barrel with one-fourth inch mesh screen. This size of screen keeps hot embers from escaping. 9. Keep burn barrels and burn piles away from structures, overhanging branches and autos. In addition to damaging property, escaped debris burns that become wildfires take a human toll: Every year, 69 percent of all burns treated at the Oregon Burn Center in Portland are the result of backyard debris burning. According to the Burn Center, nearly every adult treated said they had always used gasoline to burn their piles and nothing had ever happened in the past. If your clothes should ignite, STOP, DROP, AND ROLL to smother the flames. NEVER, ever use gasoline or other accelerants to start or increase your burn. It isn?t the gas that ignites; it?s the fumes that the gas emits onto your clothing. Done correctly, trimming landscape vegetation and taking other steps to create ?defensible space? ? a zone around the house cleared of flammable materials that will slow or stop flames and embers from reaching the structure ? can greatly boost the odds of your home surviving a wildfire. During Wildfire Awareness Week May 2-8, local, state and federal fire agencies are encouraging homeowners to take basic steps to protect their lives and property from wildfire. Tips on how to create defensible space can be found on the Keep Oregon Green website, www.keeporegongreen.com. Local rural fire departments, Office of the State Fire Marshal, and Oregon Department of Forestry offices are additional resources for this topic. ###