PORTLAND, Ore. – Gov. Kate Brown has declared this week, Oct. 21-27, as “Oregon Forest Products Week” in recognition of Oregon’s leadership in manufacturing wood products, developing innovative wood products, and designing and constructing tall wood buildings.
In a signed proclamation, Brown calls on all Oregonians to join in observance of the weeklong celebration of forest products grown and manufactured in Oregon. The declaration coincides with National Forest Products Week, celebrated the third week of October every year. The national event recognizes the many products that come from forests, the people who work in or manage forests, and the businesses that make the forest products we use in our everyday lives.
Forest Products Week has particular significance in Oregon, because for decades the state has not only been the nation’s leader in wood products manufacturing but also forest productivity, forestry education and research, says Erin Isselmann, executive director of the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI).
Oregon is also now leading a growing movement to build taller and larger buildings with wood, for environmental, social and economic reasons, Isselmann adds. “With its innovative spirit and sustainable forest resources, Oregon has become the epicenter of the most significant disruption of building technology since steel and concrete altered urban skylines.”
In the proclamation, Brown highlights that Oregon’s forest sector contributes more than $12 billion annually to the state’s economy, employing more than 61,000 Oregonians. She notes that the state’s forest-protection and land-use laws ensure Oregon’s abundant forests are sustainably managed to provide countless benefits to Oregonians. These include clean air and water, fish and wildlife habitat, recreation, scenic beauty, forest products, and employment and tax revenue for local communities, counties and the state of Oregon.
OFRI kicked off this year’s celebration of Oregon forest products with an October 19 tour of two mass timber buildings under construction on the Oregon State University campus in Corvallis. More than 50 elected and appointed officials, policymakers, media and others visited the construction sites for the new Peavy Hall, future home of the OSU College of Forestry, and the Emmerson Advanced Wood Products Laboratory. Both buildings are being constructed using Oregon-made wood products sourced from within 300 miles of Corvallis. In addition to touring the Oregon Forest Science Complex project, the group visited an OSU research forest and heard a panel discussion about forest collaborative groups, which provide input from a diverse group of stakeholders to help the U.S. Forest Service implement forest restoration projects on Oregon’s federal forests that reflect a range of public values.
About the Oregon Forest Resources Institute:
The Oregon Forest Resources Institute was created by the Oregon Legislature to advance public understanding of forests, forest management and forest products, and to encourage sound forestry through landowner education. A 13-member board of directors governs OFRI. It is funded by a portion of the forest products harvest tax.