Member Benefits

Membership with a Local Chapter

OSWA has 14 active chapters statewide. These chapters represent 20 counties made up of local members. Chapters are the cornerstone of OSWA. The chapters organize local activities and produce information tailored to local needs.

Chapter meetings, tours, workshops and classes give OSWA members a chance to meet and network with similarly minded people. Many chapters offer tree seedlings to their members, often at a discounted rate. You will meet some of the friendliest and dedicated individuals at these chapter sponsored activities!

Publications

Chapter Newsletters

Many chapters have their own newsletters to keep members informed about upcoming events and information relevant to their counties and/or regions. Additionally, most also include articles about local woodland owners and tours, issues impacting woodland owners, book reviews, resources for woodland management for a variety of values. Current newsletters are posted on chapter pages; contact the chapters themselves for back issues.

Northwest Woodlands Magazine

Northwest Woodlands is a quarterly publication produced in cooperation with small woodland owner groups in Washington, Idaho and Montana. Its goal is to keep woodland owners informed on regional issues. The magazine is dedicated to the management of family forestlands in the Northwest and has many articles by regional experts and forestry education specialists.

(Click on the image to the left to download the latest issue.)

OSWA Woods Tours & Education

Local chapters sponsor field tours, giving members the opportunity to observe and learn from other successful land owners.  OSWA also has four to five Howdy Neighbor Tours each year, in partnership with Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI).

Professional Representation

OSWA staff and members have a proud tradition of working together to find practical solutions to the divisive issues of the day. By engaging with other groups in a constructive manner, OSWA strives to promote the important and essential roles that family owned woodlands play in society.

OSWA staff and volunteers work closely and actively with local and state agencies, legislators and the political process in Oregon to ensure that family owned forests continue to thrive and prosper. OSWA effectively lobbies on issues of importance to family forestland owners.

OSWA maintains a professionally staffed office suite in Salem with an Executive Director on call and accessible to members throughout the week.  OSWA also hires a lobbyist to represent the interests of family forestland owners at the state Capital. 

OSWA Partners

  • OSWA partners with other organizations designed to benefit small woodland owners.

  • OSWA works with the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) to provide educational information to family forest owners.

  • OSWA has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Oregon Tree Farm System (OTFS) to partner on common issues and take advantage of OTFS’s affiliation with the American Forest Foundation (AFF), an organization designed to protect the interests of small woodland owners at the national level.

  • OSWA participates on the Committee for Family Forestlands, a committee appointed by the Board of Forestry to advise them on family forest issues.

  • OSWA traditionally has had a member on the Board of Forestry.

  • OSWA collaborates with Oregon Department of Forestry on private forest and fire issues.