From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Fri Feb 1 15:33:42 2013 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2013 15:33:42 -0800 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Forestry Board subcommittee begins work on federal forest issues Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B60B4CEC6CBB@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Oregon Department of Forestry - NEWS RELEASE Forestry Board subcommittee begins work on federal forest issues For immediate release February 1, 2013 Contact: Dan Postrel (503) 945-7420 A state Board of Forestry subcommittee will meet Feb. 5 to begin exploring ways in which the full board can most effectively work toward change in the management of federal forestlands. The group's formation signals a renewed board focus on issues involving federally owned forests, particularly the drier forests of eastern and interior southwestern Oregon. The challenges include deteriorating forest health, high fire danger, and economic hardship in communities dependent on federal timber harvests, which have declined significantly since the late 1980s. At its Feb. 5 workshop, the subcommittee will begin to scope ways to carry out its charge. The group is expected to present the full board in June with a clear statement of the case for state involvement in federal forest policy, and with principles to help shape policy changes. In ongoing work beyond June, the group is assigned to generate ideas, provide capacity for board work with other leaders and groups, and help shape a board field visit to Northeast Oregon in July. Federally owned forests account for about 60 percent of Oregon's forestland base, and their management affects the health and sustainability of Oregon's forest resource as a whole. The full board heard a variety of perspectives on federal forest issues in January, including remarks from Gov. John Kitzhaber, who urged the board to join him and other leaders in seeking solutions. Nils Christoffersen of Enterprise chairs the subcommittee, whose other members are Tom Insko of La Grande and Cindy Deacon Williams of Medford. Board Chair Tom Imeson of Portland, who has expressed an intent to use subcommittees to focus on major board topics, will serve in an ex-officio capacity. The governor's office will also name an advisor to the committee. The workshop, held by telephone conference, will run from 1-2 p.m. Members of the public can listen from the Clatsop Room, in Building C of the Department of Forestry's headquarters at 2600 State St. in Salem. Meeting materials are available at www.oregonforestry.gov, in the Board Subcommittees section. Accommodations for people with disabilities, and special materials, services or assistance can be arranged by calling (503) 945-7200, at least 24 hours before the meeting. About the board The Board of Forestry consists of seven citizens nominated by the governor and confirmed by the Oregon Senate. Responsibilities include appointing the state forester, setting management direction for state-owned forests, adopting rules governing timber harvest and other practices on private forestland, and promoting sustainable management of Oregon's 30 million-acre forestland base. ## -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Mon Feb 4 12:51:47 2013 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2013 12:51:47 -0800 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] "Tree Talk" podcasts available from State's Urban Forestry Program In-Reply-To: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B60B4CEC6ED9@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> References: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B60B4CEC6ED9@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B60B4CEC6EFF@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Oregon Department of Forestry - NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Feb. 4, 2013 Contact: Paul Ries 503.945.7391 Cynthia Orlando 503.945.7421 "TreeTalk" Podcasts available from State's Urban Forestry Program Podcasts on a variety of urban forestry and tree care topics are now available from the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) Urban and Community Forestry program's website. Called "TreeTalk," the podcasts were coordinated by Oregon State University student Heather Reed, an intern with ODF's Urban & Community Forestry Program. Six good reasons to love the new podcasts: * Do you know what tree topping is? TreeTalk#1 is a humorous and informative talk with Plant Amnesty's Cass Turnbull, and explains why trees should never be overly-pruned or "topped." * TreeTalk#2, an interview with representatives from the organizations "Oregon Champion Trees" and "Ascending the Giants," discusses tree preservation efforts of both programs. Also included is a discussion of Oregon Public Broadcasting's "Treeverse" broadcast about a tree climbing expedition through a grove of Oregon White Oaks. * Are you having thoughts of tree planting now that spring is just around the corner? The TreeTalk#3 podcast - an informative interview with Oregon State University urban forestry graduate student Abbey Driscoll - discusses tree choices with "Right tree, right place" in mind. * Some people like trees that lower the family grocery bill. Learn the ins and outs of planting fruit trees in this interview with Karen Wolfgang of Independence Gardens as she explains the particulars of fruit trees, including selection, planting, and fruit tree care, on the TreeTalk#4 podcast. * "Talking Water Gardens" - what's that? In the 5th TreeTalk podcast, join Oregon State University student and ISA-certified arborist Heather Reed and learn how the City of Albany's "Talking Water Gardens" does the work of a traditional water treatment plant while offering shade, beauty, recreation and bird and wildlife watching. * Just what is it that makes fall so colorful? In TreeTalk#6, join host Heather Reed as she explains topics garnered from Clackamas Community College's Horticulture program, including leaf pigment and what makes fall so colorful. More about the TreeTalk Podcasts The making of these podcasts was funded by a grant from the U.S. Forest Service. You can listen to the new "TreeTalk" podcasts online, or download them at: http://www.oregon.gov/odf/urbanforests/Pages/Tree-Talk-Podcasts.aspx , or http://tinyurl.com/a5grhu2 # # # -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Tue Feb 5 15:34:48 2013 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2013 15:34:48 -0800 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Committee for Family Forestlands to meet February 13 in Salem Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B60B4CEC721A@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Oregon Department of Forestry - NEWS RELEASE Committee for Family Forestlands to meet February 13 in Salem February 5, 2013 News Contact: Cynthia Orlando (503-945-7421) Lena Tucker (503-945-7529) The Committee for Family Forestlands meets at 9:00 Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) headquarters in Salem. The Committee provides information and counsel to the Oregon Board of Forestry and State Forester in matters relating to family forestlands, including maintenance of a viable family forestland base, protection of resources and positive contributions to Oregon's vitality. On the agenda The agenda proposed for the February meeting includes continued discussion about the Eastern Oregon private lands pilot project. This is a project to protect forest landscapes from threats, preserve ecosystems and enhance public benefits from private forests in the John Day / Ritter Valley area, proposed for funding by the U.S. Forest Service's Western Competitive Grant process. Tentative collaborators identified to date include the Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Committee for Family Forestlands, Oregon State University (OSU) Forestry and Natural Resource Extension, Oregon Forest Resources Institute, North Fork John Day Watershed Council and the Natural Resource Conservation Service. "The Committee for Family Forestlands performs valuable work for the state, consistently looking ahead to identify ways to protect resources and maintain a viable family forestland base," said Lena Tucker, Deputy Chief, Private Forests Division. The committee will also begin discussions on a new topic - that of tax issues, financial constraints and opportunities affecting family forestlands. Committee composition Thirteen positions - seven voting members and six seats in non-voting roles - form the committee. Voting members include family forest owners, an environmental community representative, a representative of Oregon's forest products industry and a citizen-at-large representing the public. Non-voting ex-officio members may include representatives of the Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon State University, Oregon small forestland groups, forestry-related industry associations and the Oregon Forest Resources Institute. Public invited Members of the public are invited to attend and participate in the meeting. The meeting takes place in the Santiam Meeting Room, Operations Building D, at ODF headquarters in Salem. ODF headquarters are located at 2600 State Street, Salem. 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 503-945-7502. Additional information about the Committee for Family Forestlands is available on ODF's web site, http://www.oregon.gov/odf/pages/board/cff/cff.aspx # # # -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Wed Feb 13 08:49:19 2013 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2013 08:49:19 -0800 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Forestry Board to hold executive session Feb 19 Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B60B4D03533A@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Oregon Department of Forestry - NEWS RELEASE Forestry Board to hold executive session February 19 Released -- February 13, 2013 Contact: Dan Postrel Public Affairs Director Oregon Department of Forestry (503) 945-7420 The Oregon Board of Forestry will hold an executive session at 3 p.m. Feb. 19 to discuss pending litigation. The meeting will be a telephone conference call, originating from the Clatsop Room, in Building C at the Oregon Department of Forestry headquarters, 2600 State St., in Salem. The meeting will be closed to the public, under provisions of Oregon law that provide for such sessions on specific, limited topics. [Oregon Revised Statute 192.660(h)] --- About the board: The Board of Forestry consists of seven citizens nominated by the governor and confirmed by the Oregon Senate. Board functions include appointing the state forester, providing broad oversight of the Department of Forestry, adopting rules governing timber harvest and other practices on state and private forestland, and promoting sustainable management of Oregon's 30 million-acre forestland base. ### -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Wed Feb 13 08:51:30 2013 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2013 08:51:30 -0800 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] OFRI Forest Facts & Figures booklet revised for 2013 Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B60B4D03533C@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> OREGON FOREST RESOURCES INSTITUTE News Release February 12, 2013 For immediate release Contact: Dave Kvamme - 971-673-2948 Forest Facts & Figures booklet freshly revised PORTLAND, Ore. - The just-published third edition of Oregon Forest Facts and Figures packs an abundance of forest information into a pocket-size package. The booklet, published every two years by the Oregon Forest Resources Institute, has been fully updated and revised for 2013, and was released in early February. "Those who regularly require factual information about Oregon's forests will find this book to be a handy, compact resource," said Mike Cloughesy, OFRI's director of forestry. The 32-page booklet covers forest ownership and timber harvest, wood products manufacturing, the increasing fire risk in Oregon's dry forests and much more. It also includes new economic and employment data from OFRI's 2012 Forest Report, a comprehensive study of the forest sector economy in Oregon. Other data was gleaned from state and federal governments and other authoritative sources. Three pages of endnotes provide citations for all the information. Not all the data has changed since the last edition. Oregon still has more than 30 million acres of forestland, for instance, covering nearly half the state. But the book updates the substantial improvements that Oregon's unique system of local watershed councils continues to make to watershed riparian zones and stream crossings. It also outlines the worsening fire risk on east-side federal forestland, and, at the same time, explains the accomplishments of government, conservation groups and local civic leaders in finding solutions. "I'm dedicating this booklet to the 76,000 people who work in Oregon's forest sector," said Cloughesy who coordinated the revision. "They are the ones who will be on the front lines of restoring these forests. And at the same time, they will help heal many of our rural communities whose unemployment and poverty far outstrip that found in urban Oregon." Download a PDF of the booklet or order a printed copy at http://oregonforests.org/content/ofri-resources. This spring, OFRI plans to release a mobile-app version of Oregon Forest Facts & Figures. ### -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Wed Feb 13 10:34:16 2013 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2013 10:34:16 -0800 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Public hearings scheduled on conservation area label for state forestlands Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B60B4D03538D@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Oregon Department of Forestry - NEWS RELEASE Public hearings scheduled on conservation area label for state forestlands February 13, 2013 Contact: Kevin Weeks, ODF Public Affairs (503) 945-7427 The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) has scheduled public hearings on a change to state administrative rules regarding how state forestlands are classified. The proposed rule refines language within ODF's Forest Land Management Classification System (Oregon Administrative Rule 629-035-0055) to add the classification of "High Value Conservation Areas" within state forest management plans. The intent is to more clearly organize and display - on land use maps and in data systems, for example - areas of state-owned forests that are currently managed with a conservation emphasis. The rule change seeks to affirm state forests' current contributions to conservation. No changes to projected harvest levels or designations of additional conservation areas are proposed. Currently, the Forest Land Management Classification System places all state-owned forest land into one of three types: General Stewardship, Focused Stewardship or Special Stewardship, with subclasses assigned for the specific forest resource or uses that require a Focused Stewardship or Special Stewardship classification. The proposed change would divide the Special Stewardship classification into 1) Special Use and 2) High Value Conservation Areas. Current language places lands that are managed with a conservation emphasis into subclasses according to specific attributes -- such as wildlife habitat or aquatic/riparian habitat -- or designates lands where timber harvest would be impractical or would put natural resources at risk due to steep slopes, rocky soils or other characteristics. Under the proposed change, all of these lands would be grouped in the new High Value Conservation Area classification. The Special Use category would contain lands with specific uses, such as recreation sites, rock quarries or power line rights-of-way. Public hearings are scheduled as follows: Cannon Beach - Tuesday March 12 at the Community Hall, 207 North Spruce beginning at 6:00 p.m. Hillsboro - Wednesday March 13 at the Hillsboro Main Library, 2850 Brookwood Parkway, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The hearing locations are 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 by calling the Department of Forestry at 503-945-7427. Public comments along with staff responses and recommendations will be provided to the Board of Forestry for review prior to final rule adoption, which is anticipated in June 2013. The proposed rule revision applies to all Board of Forestry-owned lands-the Tillamook, Clatsop and Santiam state forests in northwestern Oregon, the Gilchrist and Sun Pass state forests east of the Cascades, and scattered small parcels throughout Oregon. The revised land classification system would also apply to the Elliott State Forest near Coos Bay, although the Elliott's forest management plan already includes designated conservation areas as one strategy to achieve overall plan objectives. Most of the Elliott is under jurisdiction of the State Land Board, made up of the governor, state treasurer and secretary of state. An agreement is in place under which the Department of Forestry provides management. The draft rule language is available for review on the Oregon Department of Forestry web site at: http://www.oregon.gov/odf/Pages/FLMCS-Rulemaking.aspx Written comments on the proposed amended rule are being accepted through April 5, 2013, and may be sent to ODF through several routes: Email to -- ODFStateForestsComments at odf.state.or.us Fax to -- (503) 945-7376 Attn: John Barnes Standard mail to -- John Barnes, Oregon Dept. of Forestry, 2600 State Street Building D, Salem OR 97310. The Oregon Department of Forestry manages more than 800,000 acres of forests in Oregon for the environmental, social and economic benefit of Oregonians. ### Kevin Weeks Public Information Officer Oregon Department of Forestry Public Affairs Office (503) 945-7427 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Thu Feb 14 13:35:21 2013 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:35:21 -0800 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] County advisory group for forestry to meet Feb 22, Salem Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B60B4D035634@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Oregon Dept. of Forestry - NEWS RELEASE County advisory group for forestry to meet Feb 22, Salem February 14, 2013 Major media distribution Contact: Rod Nichols, 503-945-7425, rnichols at odf.state.or.us Kevin Weeks, 503-945-7427, kweeks at odf.state.or.us A group of county commissioners representing Oregon counties that in the past deeded forestland to the state for management will meet on Friday, Feb. 22, in Salem. Highlight items on the Forest Trust Land Advisory Committee's (FTLAC) agenda include: * Report on the upcoming work of the Board of Forestry's subcommittee on State Forests Financial Viability - An Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) workgroup created to address revenue shortfalls in ODF's State Forests Division presented its final report and recommendations to the board on Jan. 9. In response, the board formed a subcommittee to continue this important work. ? Review of land exchange and acquisition plans of the West Oregon and Astoria districts - ODF has developed strategic plans to acquire land parcels for the State Forests and also to exchange parcels with other parties. The board will review these plans at its March meeting. * Status report on the administrative rule-amendment process to add a "high-value conservation" designation to the system used to classify state-owned forestlands. The meeting will be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Oregon Department of Forestry headquarters in the Santiam Room - Building D, 2600 State St., in Salem. FTLAC meetings are open to the public, and an opportunity for public comment will be provided around 10 a.m. The FTLAC is a legally mandated committee of county commissioners representing counties that deeded lands to the state. The committee advises the Board of Forestry on matters in which counties may have a responsibility related to forestland managed by ODF. Planning and policy decisions made by the board and department can affect revenues received by the counties with forest trust lands managed by ODF, which are located in the Tillamook State Forest and elsewhere. Counties depend on revenue generated from management activities on these lands. The revenue is used primarily for local schools and also helps fund county government and local taxing districts. The FTLAC is made up of seven members representing the 15 counties that have state forest land within their county boundaries. The trust counties include: Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Douglas, Josephine, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Polk, Tillamook and Washington. ### -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: