WE ALL WANT TO SEE OREGON THRIVE

Solution to Climate Change
Oregon’s working forests— forests that are planted, cultivated, harvested, and replanted in a sustainable cycle— absorb significant amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. More than half of Oregon’s annual human-caused carbon emissions are captured and stored by its 30 million acres of forest, helping keep our atmosphere clean. When trees are harvested for lumber, the stored carbon remains locked up for the life of the product. And sustainable forestry practices ensure this cycle continues by requiring harvested areas be replanted. In fact, Oregon foresters plant roughly 40 million trees every year – at least three trees for every one tree that is harvested. Similar to children, young trees’ growth requires a lot of energy to grow. By harvesting older trees that have already stored tons of carbon as wood, we make room for these new forests of young trees that pull carbon out of the air at a faster rate.
Renewable Building Materials
Buildings can be constructed using a variety of materials, including concrete, steel, and wood, but only one material is renewable. Trees can be replanted. Steel cannot. Plus, wood can be repurposed from one building to the next, all while the carbon remains safely stored. By promoting the use of renewable wood products instead of carbon-intensive alternatives, Oregon can continue to be part of the solution to climate change.
Wildfire Prevention
Evidence-based forest management practices are key to preventing wildfires. With the risk of devastating wildfires expected to increase in the coming decades, implementing these practices is more important than ever. Some methods used to prevent devastating wildfires include mechanized harvest, tree thinning, and controlled burning.
- Mechanized harvest removes trees for lumber production but also minimizes the amount of fuel available for a wildfire. Harvest can include removal of an entire stand of trees, or selective harvest of just some trees.
- Tree thinning selectively reduces the number of trees in a given area, removing small or sick trees that overcrowd the forest and can fuel wildfires while simultaneously retaining and making more space for healthy trees that are more fire resilient.
- Controlled burning, also known as prescribed burning, involves setting planned fires during cooler, wetter times of the year when fires are controllable. This rids the forest of underbrush and debris that could otherwise feed a wildfire. After the fire, the ashes return nutrients to the soil and the additional sunlight and open space help young trees to grow and thrive.
An additional benefit of managed forests in the efforts to fight wildfires, is the extensive and well-maintained network of roads that foresters create and use. Roads ensure reliable, steady access to forests . When a fire does occur in a managed forest, it is more easily put out, because firefighters have easy and quick access to the fire.
Wildlife in Managed Forests
Forest management also focuses on creating and sustaining wildlife habitats. This is done by maintaining a mosaic of forest types across the landscape. For exacmple, young forests with open canopy provide habitat for migratory songbirds and pollinators, and provide forage for deer and elk, as well as hunting ground for birds of prey. Older forests, on the other hand, offer cover where wildlife can rest, and nesting opportunities for birds that need closed canopy forests. Managed forests also provide habitat for aquatic species such as beaver and salamanders, plus critical spawning areas for salmon and other fish native to Oregon. Maintaining a variety of forest types ensures all of Oregon’s wildlife have the habitat they need to thrive.
Recreation Opportunities
Studies have shown that, time spent in nature results in a variety of cognitive and emotional benefits. Being surrounded by trees increases feelings of calm, endorphin levels, and the capacity for concentration, as well as reducing anxiety, depression, and the stress hormone cortisol. Hiking, camping, cycling, hunting, and fishing are just a few of the possible activities Oregonians can enjoy in our forests. Often, private forestland owners open their lands to recreationalists because they know Oregonians benefit from ample recreation opportunities. Not only do professional foresters work to manage the land, timber, and other resources for future generations, but they, too, enjoy the beauty and benefits of the forest.

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WE ALL WANT TO SEE OREGON THRIVE | Discover For The Trees

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Wildfire and Smoke Resources for Oregonians

5 Ways to Support Oregon Reforestation on Arbor Day – And Every Day!

Wood: The Ultimate Sustainable Building Material for Modern Construction

A SOLUTION TO CLIMATE CHANGE.

By capturing carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that’s a major contributor to global warming, working forests are a key solution in the fight against climate change.

TREES ARE A NATURAL SOLUTION.

The timber industry is committed to responsible practices and protections for native fish, including salmon, steelhead, and bull trout, and amphibians such as salamanders and frogs.

WOOD PRODUCTS STORE CARBON LONG-TERM.

Wood products store carbon long-term by sequestering carbon dioxide absorbed during a tree’s growth, effectively removing it from the atmosphere and making them an environmentally friendly material choice that supports sustainable resource management.

OREGON IS A NATIONAL LEADER IN PROFESSIONAL FOREST MANAGEMENT.

In 1971, Oregon became the first state in the nation to pass a set of forest practice laws to safeguard water, fish and wildlife habitat called the Oregon Forest Practices Act. The laws govern everything from building and maintaining forest roads, to harvest activities and reforestation requirements.

TIMBER INDUSTRY AND ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS ARE WORKING TOGETHER.

The rules have been updated more than 40 times with guidance from professional foresters and scientific experts. Recently, the timber industry and environmental groups signed an agreement called the Private Forest Accord that includes the most comprehensive changes to Oregon’s forestry regulations in 50 years and makes Oregon’s rules the most modern and technologically advanced of any state.

NEW RULES KEEP WATER CLEAN AND COLD.

The Accord increases water quality protections and habitat for aquatic species that call Oregon home, while providing operational certainty for Oregon’s cornerstone industry and ensuring economic security for rural communities. The changes cover everything from increased no-harvest zones next to streams for shade and water filtration, to forest road upgrades that improve fish migration upstream, to state-of-the-art computer modeling of landslide-prone hillsides, to millions of dollars of state and private sector investment for creation of wildlife habitat.

RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL OREGONIANS.

Most large private forestland owners in Oregon welcome a multitude of motorized and non-motorized recreational activities.

PRIVATE FORESTS PROVIDE AN ARRAY OF ACTIVITIES.

A huge community benefit is access to private forestland for recreational activities such as hiking, cycling, nature watching, hunting, and fishing.

WORKING FORESTS MAINTAIN THE BEAUTY AND BENEFITS OF THE LAND.

Professional foresters are working hard to manage the land, timber, and other resources to ensure that the beauty and benefits of the forest can be enjoyed for decades to come.

Over half of Oregon – or roughly 30 million acres – is forested.

Thanks to state policy that prioritizes maintaining forestland for the many environmental, social and economic benefits our forests provide, Oregon has the same amount of forestland now as we did 100 years ago.

The level of timber harvest is renewing every year.

Oregon’s timber harvest is renewable. Because we replant three trees for every one we harvest, private timber harvest remains renewable and sustainable, helping to make everything from homes, to common wood products like cardboard and paper, to millwork products such as cabinets and furniture, to mass timber innovations like tall wood buildings and skyscrapers using engineered wood products such as cross-laminated timber, glue-laminated timber, and mass plywood panels.

OREGON IS THE NUMBER ONE NATIONAL PRODUCER OF SOFTWOOD LUMBER AND PLYWOOD.

The lumber produced from those highly productive forests make Oregon the number one national producer of softwood lumber and plywood. Because of Oregon’s best-in-class sustainable forest practices that include harvesting less than we grow every year and replanting after harvest, the annual timber harvest from private timberland has remained relatively stable around 3.8 billion board feet.

OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY SERVES AS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR MORE THAN 16 MILLION ACRES OF FORESTLAND.

ODF strives to put out 98 percent of forest fires they respond to at 10 acres or less, to protect human lives and property as well as timber-producing forests that support Oregon’s economy.

LOCAL TIMBER COMPANIES PROVIDE PROFESSIONALS AND EQUIPMENT TO HELP ODF FIGHT FIRES.

Oregon has a coordinated system that utilizes personnel and resources from private forest landowners and contractors to help ODF fight fires. Every year, private timber companies supplement ODF’s firefighting capacity with millions of dollars’ worth of equipment like dozers and harvesters as well as privately trained firefighters.

FOREST TYPES FOR EVERY WILDLIFE HABITAT.

One of the primary focus points of forest management is creating and maintaining wildlife habitat by having a mosaic of forest types on the landscape.

WILDLIFE NEED BOTH YOUNGER AND OLDER FORESTS.

Young forest types with open canopy provide habitat for migratory songbirds and pollinators and provide forage for deer and elk and hunting ground for birds of prey. Older forest types provide cover for wildlife to rest and nesting opportunities for birds who rely on closed canopy forests.

PROTECTION FOR FOREST STREAMS AND RIVERS.

Forest management also protects forest streams that provide habitat for aquatic species like beaver and salamanders and critical spawning areas for salmon and other native fish.