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Recently, Oregon forests have been in the news quite a bit, for both good and bad reasons. It’s a trending topic and one to keep track of—here are a few highlights:

• The Forest Grove News-Times on state forest conservation areas and appreciation: “Rallying troops over Labor Day, environmental group is trying to get parts of Tillamook Forest set aside for conservation”
• The Oregonian on deforestation in Oregon: “State law requires timber companies to replant after clear cutting. But seedlings aren’t growing as fast as mature trees are being cut, the analysis found. (Read the analysis here.)”
• With wildfires raging, here are nine things Oregonians should know: “By removing the old-growth, planting dense stands of young trees, and suppressing natural fires, we have created unnaturally flammable conditions in many forests. Old-growth trees, with their thick bark and tall trunks that keep the forest canopy safely above the flames, are much more fire-resistant than smaller, younger trees with thin bark and canopies close to the ground.”

• The Willamette Week on the timber industry and where its tax dollars go:  ”

  Revenue from the harvest tax has more than tripled in the past 25 years, reaching an all-time high of almost $15 million a year ago. OFRI’s take of the harvest tax has increased on three occasions.  Meanwhile, the industry’s overall tax contribution to the state has plummeted.”

• Coast Community Radio on the issue of aerial pesticide spraying on clearcuts: “So when anybody tells you this is like buying Roundup off the shelf, that is just so far from the truth…”
• A Daily Astorian letter on a balanced plan for the Clatsop State Forest: “There are no federal forestlands here. If the state forest does not provide needed conservation values above what is provided on commercial timberland, then it will simply not be available in this county.

Stay tuned to your local news outlets for more on Oregon’s forests. The climate and the discussion is heating up, and your voice is needed!

On September 5th, dozens of forest lovers, volunteers, and advocates spent an amazing day discovering, serving, and enjoying the Wilson River corridor in the Tillamook State Forest.

This section of land along the Wilson River and Highway 6 is perhaps the most recognizable recreation zone in between Portland and the Oregon coast and we were out to partake in some of its offerings. Volunteers picking up at ad hoc shooting ranges collected a pickup truck full of shell casings, blown up targets, and accompanying trash. Some target shooters were kind enough to pitch in, but other groups did not seem to care.

Farther west, a group of photography enthusiasts explored some of the more sightly areas along the Wilson River, including hidden waterfalls, the Devils Lake & South Fork pool where steelhead stack up waiting to push up into spawning grounds, and some of the few remnant old trees and stumps that hint at the forests old growth history.

Adventures Across Oregon was kind enough to initiate some beginners into the world of fly fishing. These lucky learners got to learn about catching fish, but also conserving and identifying fish as part of a larger view on what it is to be an angler/advocate.

There were also hikers and bikers out enjoying the surprisingly good weather. At the end of the day, nearly 40 of us gathered for a celebratory meal at Jones Creek and discussed the need for conservation areas in these beautiful public lands.

Oregon’s renowned public lands offer Oregonians a unique and special lifestyle and provide our state with a  natural legacy–picturesque beauty, diverse wildlife, wild rivers, snow-capped mountains, lush forests–that is the envy of many. Public lands are one of the defining aspects of this great state, and iconic national forests and parks are often the go-to for Oregonians mentioning their favorite getaways.

What about our state-owned jewels in north west Oregon? The Tillamook and Clatsop state forests are not on the cover of Oregon travel and destination magazines or profiled by national media, but these forests–logged, burned and now recovering–may be Oregon’s best place to offer a little something for everyone. A trip down Highway 6 illustrates why…

Just past milepost 35 (a 30 minute drive from Hillsboro) is beautiful Gales Creek. This tributary of the Tualatin River offers a great spot for the family to camp, play in the creek, and explore the nearby douglas fir forest.

Two miles down the road (milepost 33) is the southern turnoff to University Falls Trail. A short walk will take a photographer and plenty of gear to a curtain-like falls that captures light beautifully and pours into a bundle of downed logs and beautiful pools.

Near milepost 28 is Elk Creek Trailhead and Campground. Options here are abundant: splash around in the Wilson River, find a cool spot and set up the hamock, or start the long haul up the Kings-Elk Mountain traverse. A safe bet is hopping on the mountain bike and heading down the awesome Wilson River Trail.

Three miles down the highway or the trail is the Kings Mountain Trailhead. This iconic coast range hike is a quad killer–the trail climbs 2,546 feet in just 2.5 miles. From the summit (3,226 feet) one can see the Pacific Ocean and Mount Hood.  Spectacular!

At milepost 23 the whole family can take a break from the heat and find the Jones Creek Campground. This very accessible spot features just about anything you’d want on a hot summer day. The feature is deep swimming holes, warm basking rocks rocks, and sandy beaches.

The Footbridge Trailhead at milepost 20 (and along the Wilson River Trail) is the beginning of some great spots for fishing. Though the water will be low during summer months, a patient angler can pursue cutthroat trout or hatchery summer steelhead, though catch-and-release fishing can stress out native fish in low water.

The Wilson River Corridor (and all of Oregon’s state forests) are worthy of long term conservation considerations and we have identified two great proposals along this awesome corridor: the Kilchis & Wilson Rivers Conservation Area and the Kings Mountain Recreation & Conservation Area.

Click here to support these proposals!

Spend some time in these spots this summer. Find some peace and relaxation. Share pictures and help tell the story: #WilsonRiverFun #ORStateForests. Check back frequently, this is just a taste and we’ll be exploring these spots (and others) more in upcoming posts.

On September 5th, join us on the Wilson River for a celebration of these lands. 

The “Homesteader” timber sale in the Clatsop state forest calls for the clearcutting of some of the best old growth forest habitat remaining on Oregon’s north coast. The sale features trees over 130 years old and over 200 feet high–relative monsters in a region that has been logged and burned over.

Click here to ask the Department of Forestry to cancel or amend this sale and conserve this amazing parcel!

Click here to read the full Homesteader Report.

HB 3210, which would have seen our state forest lands clearcut at much higher levels, is no longer. The bill was supported by timber industry lobbyists and Tillamook County Commissioner Tim Josi, but Rep. Brad Witt, Chair of the House Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources heard from hundreds of Oregonians to reject the bill and keep balance on our forests. Rumor has it that Chair Witt’s phone was ringing off the hook. Congratulations and thanks to all who contacted Chair Witt!

The Department of Forestry opposed the bill. Check out this recent article in the Oregonian, for a look at the relationship between big timber and the legislature.

Bills like HB 3210 rear their heads in nearly every Oregon legislative session, but they normally don’t go as far as this one did. We need to hold our lawmakers accountable for pushing unbalanced forest agendas that sacrifice future benefit for short-term dollars.

For most people, “salmon” is an expensive, unnaturally pink piece of fish at the grocery store. It is a potential meal, detached from its context by thousands of miles. Even those of us who are lucky enough to live in the Pacific Northwest often have only a distant relationship to these iconic fish. However, there are places where we can bridge the gap and connect with an elusive and integral part of our history, culture, cuisine, and economy.

Just over an hour from Portland, and a mere 30 minutes from the fast-growing cities of Beaverton and Hillsboro, one can sit on an isolated stream bank and share hours with spawning coho salmon. For the uninitiated, this is an eye-opening experience that can open new ways of looking at the natural world on which we depend. However, these are also the last hours of the salmons’ lives. They travel over 100 miles up rivers like the Nehalem, the Salmonberry, the Trask, and the Wilson to spawn where they hatched 3-5 years before, dying in the process of continuing their line.

Oregon coastal coho are listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. 2014 saw a very good return, but ocean conditions and inadequately protected inland habitat remain concerns for these fish.  The Tillamook and Nehalem basins are producers of some of the strongest and most diverse wild runs of salmon in Oregon, but the emphasis given to industrial timber in the region threatens these strongholds.

Our publicly-owned north coast forests, the Tillamook & Clatsop State Forests, likely hold the key to salmon habitat in northwest Oregon. The management of these lands is currently undergoing a revision. Some stakeholders would like to see these lands managed with even more emphasis on timber production, a move that would likely harm wild salmon and take away the possibility of connecting with these fish.