Oregon Wildblog
Weighing in on the Elliott State Research Forest
UPDATE: Comment period extended to November 29th!
Just south of the Umpqua River in the central Oregon Coast Range, the 82,000-acre Elliott State Forest is home to the only significant old-growth forest remaining on state-owned lands in Oregon. State forests like the Elliott were long tied to the Common School Fund, ensuring an unfortunate conflict between producing revenue from logging and the conservation of old-growth dependent wildlife and salmon.
Moving Oregon to the Front of the Forest Climate Debate
My first introduction to Oregon’s forests came when I was in school at Oregon State University. The McDonald and Dunn Forests offered an easy escape from the stress of grad school and seemingly endless winter drizzle — and the old growth loop with its dense canopy was a welcome outdoor break rain or shine.
Of Wildlife And Wildfire
Humans and wildlife have very different relationships with fire. Despite the very real threat forest fires can have on homes, property and human life, they also play a critical role in restoring and maintaining healthy forests and providing essential habitat for a myriad of fish and wildlife species.
Helping each other through wildfires
For families and communities all across Oregon, the fires this week have created a time of unprecedented stress and hardship. The hot, dry weather combined with unusually high winds have created extreme fire danger all across the Pacific Northwest, and thousands of Oregonians have been forced to flee their homes. Too many homes have already been lost.