Upcoming events
Lamers Forests Tour - Redwoods
Tour # 1
Lamers Forests: Discover Coast Redwoods
Wednesday, June 18 • 2-5 PM
Note Wednesday date. Meet at Lamers Forests near Monmouth. Short walks, dress for the weather.
For 44 years, Lamers Forests have experimented with planting numerous tree species. Their Coast Redwood experiments go back 37 years, and the plantings were so successful they are now planting only Coast Redwood. Lamers Forests now has more than 20,000 Coast Redwoods planted on their property. You will see Coast Redwood planted on varying sites from near swamp to dry upland sites from 200’-600.” You will also see their extensive road network, thinned stands of Douglas fir, several ponds they built, and much more.
Family Forest Convention
SAVE THE DATES!
Check back here for more information about this year’s Family Forest Convention and our Tree Farmer of the Year Tour at Pam & Jock Dalton’s Tree Farm.
Patrick Lumber & Wren Hill Lumber Mill Tours
Tour # 2
Wren Hill Lumber Company & Patrick Lumber Manufacturing Mill Tours
Thursday, June 19 • 7:30 AM – Noon.
This tour can be paired with Thursday afternoon tours.
Carpool from Philomath Scout Lodge. Wear closed-toed shoes or work boots.
The Patrick Lumber Manufacturing facility is a local resaw operation specializing in Oregon hardwoods and making a wide array of products for many different industries. Patrick Lumber is expanding into new markets and adding a new sawmill to their operation. Wren Hill Lumber Company opened in 2023 and is a fairly new arrival in the sawmill industry. They are installing a larger system to handle logs up to 31” diameter. They buy many conifer species.
OSU - Foraging Your Woodlands Walk
Tour # 5
Foraging Your Woodlands Walk
Thursday, June 19 • 1 PM - 4:30 PM
Meet at Philomath Scout Lodge.
Carpool for tours. Short walks. Dress for the weather.
Explore the Oregon State University Peavy Arboretum with local Extension Forester Lorelle Sherman. Summer is a season of abundance in our Oregon woodlands. From wild herbs and salad greens to berries and shoots and edible blossoms, this is an amazing time to learn about the diversity of wild foods around us. This hands-on workshop is designed for those who love exploring nature but are new to foraging. We will cover the core aspects of plant identification, ethical harvesting practices, and how to safely prepare your wild harvest.
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/people/lorelle-sherman
https://cf.forestry.oregonstate.edu/our-forests/arboretum-facilities
Starker Forests - Successful Reforestation Tour
Tour # 3
Starker Forests: Successful Reforestation
Thursday, June 19 • 1 – 4:30 PM
Meet at Philomath Scout Lodge.
Carpool for tours. Short walks. Dress for the weather.
Travel to the nearby Starker Forests properties with the company’s professional foresters to see recent plantings, site preparation, learn about tree selection and proper tree planting techniques, protecting trees, conducting inventories, and complying with Oregon’s reforestation rules.
OSU - Forest Research Hiking Tour
Tour # 6
Oregon State University Research Forest Hiking Tour
Thursday, June 19 • 1 PM - 4:30 PM
Meet at Philomath Scout Lodge.
Carpool for tours. Forest Trails. 2 miles. Dress for the weather.
Join Dr. Mark Swanson, OSU’s Starker Chair of Family Forestry for an insider’s guide to field research conducted at the world-famous McDonald and Dunn Forests and the Peavy Arboretum…
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/people/mark-swanson
https://cf.forestry.oregonstate.edu/our-forests/mcdonald-and-dunn-forests
Crestmont Farm - Ecologically Enhanced PCT Tour
Tour # 4
Crestmont Farm: Ecologically Enhanced PCT (Pre-Commercial Thinning)
Thursday, June 19 • 1 PM - 4:30 PM
Meet at Philomath Scout Lodge.
Carpool for tours. Short walks. Dress for the weather.
Travel to the award-winning Crestmont Farm property with owner Ed Easterling and his team for this special tour. Traditional Pre-Commercial Thinning (PCT) operations leave stands with dense slash, limited wildlife habitat, elevated fire risk, and challenging firefighting conditions. Crestmont’s creative Plantation Transformation Strategy (PTS) addresses those issues and more. This tour contrasts PCT and PTS with hands-on demonstrations of cost-effective practices to deliver highly valued ecological, fire-resilient, and aesthetic results, proven with adapted variations over hundreds of acres.
Oregon Family Forest Day
View our full schedule on the 2025 OSWA Convention Page
Location
Philomath Scout Lodge
660 Clemens Mill Rd.
Philomath, OR 97370
5 miles southwest of Corvallis
Lodging
A variety of hotel, guest house, and campground options are available in the corvallis area.
Tree School East
Save the date for Tree School East! Plan to join us for a day-long forestry and natural resources mini-college.
Chart the unknown: Getting started with digital mapping apps
Learn more about how to use digital maps on your smart phone and integrate them into forest management activities.
Thinning Your Forest - Mark Havel Memorial Field Day.
You are invited to an upcoming educational field day hosted by the OSU Forestry and Natural Resources Extension: Thinning Your Forest - Mark Havel Memorial Field Day.
This event offers a valuable opportunity to learn about forest thinning and to remember our friend and partner in forestry education, Mark Havel, who was instrumental in establishing the Thinning and Pruning Demonstration area at Hopkins Demonstration Forest.
Overview: Once you have established a stand of trees, thinning becomes your most important treatment for directing the course of forest development and stand conditions to meet your objectives. This field day will combine instruction and demonstration to cover:
How trees compete and grow
Making decisions based on age, size, and season for thinning
Spacing and selection of trees to remove or retain
Methods for harvesting and yarding small trees in crowded stands
Date & Time: Friday, July 12, 2025
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM: Optional gathering with morning welcome and refreshments, dedicated to remembering Mark Havel.
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Educational field day on forest thinning.
Location: Hopkins Demonstration Forest 16750 S Brockway Rd Oregon City, OR 97045
What to Bring: Please bring appropriate outdoor clothing and footwear for a workshop in the woods. Coffee, hot water, and morning refreshments will be available.
Accessibility & Accommodations: This workshop will take place in the woods, involving periods of standing and walking on uneven terrain. A bus will be available to transport individuals into the woods from the Hopkins Demonstration Forest parking lot.
Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made by July 7, 2025, to Jean Bremer at 503-655-8631 or jean.bremer@oregonstate.edu. If you have any questions about the format or if cost is a barrier to your participation, please also contact Jean Bremer.
Cost & Registration: $5.00 per person. Please register online at: https://beav.es/N6o
Special Appeal from OSU Extension Forester Glenn Ahrens: Glenn Ahrens and the event organizers are trying to find someone who has been using the small-scale logging equipment and other “future forestry products” that Mark Havel made. They are hoping to feature some of Mark’s tools and equipment in one of the demonstrations in a young timber stand at Hopkins. If you have or know of someone who has Mark Havel's equipment and might be willing to participate, please contact Glenn Ahrens directly via email at glenn.ahrens@oregonstate.edu.
This is a wonderful opportunity to learn, connect, and honor Mark Havel's contributions to our forestry community. We hope to see you there!
Fox Tree Farm Summer Tour - Douglas County
Fox Tree Farm Summer Tour
Saturday, July 19, 9:00-1:00
Tree Farmer of the Year 1997
-200 Acres Mechanical Thinning
-Redwood Planting 2007
-Pond Development
-Off-Grid New Home
Registration Required by Friday, July 11
9:00 Social with Coffee and Doughnuts by AgWest
10-12:00 Tree Farm Tour
12:00 Lunch provided by the Douglas Chapter and the Fox Family
Directions to tree farm provided upon registration.
Columbia Summer Picnic
Columbia County Chapter Summer Picnic
Save the date- more details to come!
Please RSVP to Mark Dreyer
Forest Foraging - Columbia and Yamhill Counties
A joint event with Yamhill and Columbia county chapters.
Forest Foraging with Michelle Schmitz.
23515 Beaver Falls Rd Clatskanie. Potluck lunch.
RSVP to darcydavis4oswa@gmail.com
Columbia County Chapter Board Meeting
Columbia County Chapter Board Meeting
7:00pm
Fern Hill Grange, Fern Hill Rd, Rainier OR
Landslides in Forested Landscapes
Port Orford. Friday, August 15th. 9am-3:30pm. Port Orford. Save the date. Cost will be $20/person.
This one-day workshop will include morning lectures followed by field visits to nearby landslide landforms. Learn about the geologic processes, risk factors and impacts that effect forest landowners. We will cover ODF forest practice rules that apply to harvesting and road construction. Contact Norma Kline at Norma.Kline@oregonstate.edu to receive additional information. Registration will be available in July.
Columbia County Chapter Board Meeting
Columbia County Chapter Board Meeting
7:00pm
Fern Hill Grange, Fern Hill Rd, Rainier OR
Ties to the Land: Succession Planning for Rural Landowners
Ties to the Land: Succession Planning for Rural Landowners. Port Orford. Friday September 12, 2025. 2pm–4p. Port Orford Library, 1421 Oregon St. Port Orford, OR 97465. $10 per person or $15 for two. We will cover a succession planning framework designed to meet your own vision and goals for your rural property. Learn tips for dividing the succession planning process into manageable sections. We will cover considerations for holding family meetings, developing a succession plan timeline and strategies for engaging your successor’s. Participants will receive a Ties to the Land Workbook with helpful worksheets. Register: here
Douglas Chapter Tree Farmer of the Year Tour
Save the Date! More info to come on this tour at Dear Ranch, September 20
Columbia County Chapter Board Meeting
Columbia County Chapter Board Meeting
7:00pm
Fern Hill Grange, Fern Hill Rd, Rainier OR
Woodland Management: Taking Care of a Woodland Property
Woodland Management: Taking Care of a Woodland Property. Myrtle point. Fridays, 2pm-4pm, November 7,14,21, December 5th. Field day: 10am-2pm, Saturday December 6th.
Coos County Extension Office. 631 Alder St. Myrtle Point, OR 97458. $50 per person or $60 for two.
This five-session course is ideal for anyone who is starting out taking care of a woodland property. We will cover: How to assess your property and your site, understanding tree biology and forest ecology, reforestation considerations, caring for an established forest, fire defensible space, contracts and how to hire someone to get the job done, laws and regulations, field trip to see examples of things learned in class. Register here.
Columbia County Chapter Annual Meeting
Columbia County Annual Meeting 5pm
Quincy Grange Dinner
Elections, program,
Please RSVP to Mark Dreyer
Silviculture, Fire, and Ecology of Dry Forests
Do you want to learn more about the forests in Southern Oregon and how to steward them?
This class is open to Jackson and Douglas County residents. Class limit 30 people.
Columbia County Chapter Board Meeting
Columbia County Chapter Board Meeting
June 10, 2025
7:00pm
Fern Hill Grange, Fern Hill Rd, Rainier OR
NE Oregon Ignite: Prescribed Fire Skills Training
A hands-on, skill-building training on prescribed fire, including fire ecology and science, prescribed fire unit layout, firing and holding techniques, monitoring weather, and more.
Tree To Timber Tour
Neighbor to Neighbor Tour
Visit the Stimson sawmill and the Matteson Demonstration Forest
Fresh Starts: The Role of Young Forests in Wildlife & Land Management - DOUGLAS COUNTY
Join us for a field tour exploring how forests grow back after harvest or wildfire!
We’ll visit different properties—both public and private—to see how young forests take shape and provide habitat under different conditions.
Yamhill Annual Meeting
Yamhill County Small Woodlands Association Annual Meeting
Elections, Member Meeting, Optional $20 meal
Speaker TBD
Twilight Tour Showcasing Diverse Forestry and Fire Preparedness
Join the Benton Small Woodlands Association members at an informal gathering at Greg and Marilyn Palmer's tree farm near Monroe.
We will meet at 6 pm on Thursday, May 22.
The 34-acre property has diverse forestry features, including:
3 acres of meadow and 1/4 acre of vineyard
23 acres of older, naturally seeded forest. Part of this area was logged in 2022. The larger trees (24" DBH) were removed. The remaining forest contains multiple species. Clusters of oak trees have been preserved.
8 acres of young stand (15 to 30 yr) that was formerly Christmas trees. This is being thinned annually for firewood.
A small clear cut of 2 acres that has been replanted
Electrical power sources other than conventional grid
A very welcoming pond
Our special guest will be Brentley Hartman, who is a Community Wildfire Forester for ODF. He will share advice about home hardening, water for fire control, evacuation routes, and other considerations for those living in forested rural areas.
We will be walking will be across a meadow with hidden ruts and logging trails, with approximately 200 feet change in elevation.
Address: 23981 Hawley Creek Road, Monroe
Date and time: Thursday, May 22, 6 p.m.
Carpooling is encouraged - bring a friend! If you have questions, call Sarah at 541-231-7829 or send to sedwardsson@sbcglobal.net
Lane County Annual Meeting
SAVE THE DATE!
Plans are in the works for our Annual Members Meeting—and we hope you’ll plan to join us!
Ties to the Land
This Friday afternoon presentation is designed for rural landowners interested in planning for the future.
Oak Restoration Tour - Douglas County
See the conifer removal and oak restoration project in action at the Lookingglass property of
Steve Denney, former director of the Umpqua Oak Partnership.
MEET AND PARK AT THE LOOKINGGLASS FIRE DEPARTMENT, 7173 LOOKINGGLASS RD.
We have arranged A VAN SHUTTLE to TRANSPORT attendees to the interior of Steve's project area.
Shuttle stops at 1:00 SHARP!
Questions? or to Register by Monday May 12 douglaschapteroswa@gmail.com
541-459-1402
https://oswa.org/douglas
Enhancing Pollinator Habitat
Enhancing pollinator habitat on your forest property
Saturday May 10, 2025. 10 am-2pm. South Slough Estuarine Research Reserve. 61907 Seven Devils Rd. Charleston, OR 97420. $10 per person or $15 for two.
Learn how your forest property can contribute to pollinator habitat. We will discuss approaches you can use to enhance pollinator forage and nesting habitat features. We will take a short walk and view a forest pollinator enhancement project and discuss the habitat characteristics pollinators need to thrive. Register here: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/coos/events/enhancing-pollinator-habitat-your-forest-property
Norma
Norma Kline (She/Her)
Forestry & Natural Resources Extension Agent
Serving Coos & Curry Counties
Oregon State University
Forest-cultivated Shiitake Mushroom Production
Hopkins Demonstration Forest, 16750 S Brockway Road, Oregon City
$5 per forest/farm (2 people maximum)
Join Oregon State University Extension Service and the Hopkins Demonstration Forest for an introductory workshop covering the basics of producing shiitake mushrooms on logs, either as an enterprise to add to your farm's crop lineup, or as a small side business. The workshop will have a hands-on and interactive component: Each registered forest/farm will get to inoculate a log during the workshop to take home.
Prune Like a Pro: Essential Pruning Techniques for Woodlands
Pruning is more than just cutting branches—it’s about knowing the right cuts to make at the right time.
Weed Tour: Blackberry Control
This tour will focus on different methods of controlling blackberries, including mechanical, grazing, and herbicide. Travel around by van to local blackberry control sites in Douglas County.
Columbia County Chapter Board Meeting
Columbia County Chapter Board Meeting
Dinner meeting, 5:00 PM
Topics to be determined. Please RSVP.
Fern Hill Grange, Fern Hill Rd, Rainier OR
Woodlands Wildfire Tour
Join Union County Firewise and NEOSWA for the Woodlands and Wildfire Tour to learn more about forest management, reducing wildfire risk, improving forest health, enhancing wildlife habitat, and more.
Please register by 4/25!
Oregon Tool Tour
Overview: Join us for a fascinating tour of the Portland headquarters and manufacturing facility of Oregon Tool, a global leader in precision cutting tools. Founded right here in Portland in 1947 by Joe Cox, who invented the modern saw chain, Oregon Tool has grown into a multinational company known worldwide for its Oregon® brand saw chains, guide bars, and thousands of other products for forestry, agriculture, and construction. We'll get a glimpse into the operations of this iconic Oregon company.
Date & Time: Friday, April 25, 2025 – 10:00 AM (Tour duration is expected to be less than 2 hours)
Location: Oregon Tool, 4909 SE International Way, Portland, OR 97222
RSVP Required: We need the full names and employer names of all attendees submitted to Oregon Tool in advance. Please RSVP by replying to this email by Tuesday, April 22nd at 6 p.m.
Safety Gear: This is an active manufacturing facility.
Hard-toed shoes are mandatory. No sandals or tennis shoes will be permitted.
Please bring your own safety glasses.
Please bring a safety vest if you have one.
Restrictions: No photography is permitted during the tour.
Tour Highlights:
Manufacturing Insights: Witness aspects of the production process within their impressive 300,000 sq ft (over 5.5 acres!) facility, seeing how raw materials are transformed into world-renowned cutting tools.
Innovation & History: Learn about the company's innovative roots, inspired by nature, and its evolution into a global leader supplying products to over 110 countries under brands like Oregon®, Woods®, and ICS®.
Global Operations Hub: Understand how this Portland site serves as a key hub for a company with over 3,000 team members and a significant global manufacturing and distribution footprint.
Why Attend: This is an awesome opportunity to see a local success story with a global reach right in our backyard. Gain a deeper appreciation for the engineering and manufacturing behind the tools many of us rely on. Terry Lamers highly recommends this tour, having attended twice previously, and plans to join us again!
Directions: Please use GPS or online mapping tools for the best route to 4909 SE International Way, Portland, OR 97222.
Wildflower Walk in the Woods with Susan Applegate
Wildflower Walk in the Woods with Susan Applegate on her Applegate Century Farm in Scotts Valley
Thursday, April 17, 10-12:00
Dress for conditions! Bring a field guide book, Magnifying glass, Water, Brown bag lunch, Camera, Notebook, and a Sense of Adventure!
We will walk through a recently thinned, mature Douglas-fir Forest, across fields, past ponds lined and teeming with native flora and fauna, including Western Pond Turtles, continuing through a recently cleared oak woodland along Elk Creek, and back in a loop. Many wildflower discoveries are waiting to be made.
Come join us!
Directions to the wildflower walk will be provided with registration
Call or email by Mon, April 14.
douglaschapteroswa@gmail.com
or 541-459-1402
Check our website: oswa.org/douglas
Fresh Starts: The Role of Young Forests in Wildlife & Land Management - LANE COUNTY
Join us for a field tour exploring how forests grow back after harvest or wildfire!
We’ll visit different properties—both public and private—to see how young forests take shape and provide habitat under different conditions.
Emerald Ash Borer Training for Landowners
Join us for a workshop for landowners on the management considerations of Emerald Ash Borer in the Willamette Valley.
Columbia County Chapter Board Meeting
Columbia County Chapter Board Meeting
April 8, 2025
7:00pm
Fern Hill Grange, Fern Hill Rd, Rainier OR
Woodland Management Series
Woodland Management, Taking Care of a Woodland Property. We will cover: How to assess your property and your site, understanding tree biology and forest ecology, reforestation considerations, caring for an established forest, fire defensible space, contracts and how to hire someone to get the job done, laws and regulations, field trip to see examples of things learned in class.
Fridays: April 4, 11, 18, 25. 3-5pm. (Field day, Saturday April 26th. 10 am-2pm). Curry County Extension Office, 29390 Ellensburg Ave, Gold Beach, OR 97444. Cost for the course is $50 per person or $60/family sharing class materials. Visit https://beav.es/N4L for dates, details and registration. Contact Norma.Kline@oregonstate.edu for questions.
