I was thrilled to join the Board of the State Forests Trust of Oregon (the Trust) in December 2022. The Trust’s mission of connecting people to the wonders of our state forests resonates deeply for me. Before retiring in June, 2021, I served for over 30 years in a variety of roles with the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF). As a forester, I worked to protect Oregon’s forests from wildfire, manage state forests, and help private landowners manage their forests. In some small way, I feel I was able to have a positive impact on the forests that we enjoy today.

In March 2023, we received the results of a year-long pilot project at Black Rock Mountain Bike Area to understand visitor use patterns, spending and health benefits. We know intuitively that Oregon’s state forests provide great recreation opportunities, but we have lacked data that support effectively managing these sites. Information on the amount and character of visitor use is essential. The pilot project at Black Rock is a step toward developing scalable methods to collect this information across state forest lands. Here’s some of what we learned:

After the Labor Day 2020 fires that impacted almost half of the Santiam State Forest, the State Forests Trust of Oregon established a fund to assist with the restoration of recreation areas and to offer learning opportunities about wildfire. Many generous donors have contributed well over $20,000 to the fund.

Welcome to a refreshed approach of the State Forests Trust of Oregon's Newsletter. We are pleased to present you with a new and improved version. We appreciate your dedication to the Trust, and we just want to say thank you! We can't do it without you.