Timber & Wood Products
Oregon is one of the world’s great tree-growing areas. The state’s soils and climate provide ideal conditions to grow such commercially viable species as Douglas fir and ponderosa pine. Forests cover more than 30 million of Oregon’s 62 million acres – almost half of the state’s landmass. The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) estimates logging…
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Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today sent a letter to the Bureau of Land Management strongly urging the agency to put funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to go towards the mitigation and treatment of Sudden Oak Death, a disease that poses severe economic and environmental threats to counties…
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by Damon Runberg You may have heard this story before. Bend was a timber town, but after the demise of the timber industry, the regional economy shifted to tourism to replace those timber jobs. The vast ponderosa forests outside of town attracted mills that sustained the town for much of its history. The present location…
Read MoreOur Nation’s forests and woodlands provide millions of Americans with an abundance of job opportunities, goods, and recreational activities. During National Forest Products Week, we pay tribute to the forest products industry for the important contributions it makes to our society and economy, and we recommit to keeping our wooded landscapes vibrant and strong. Ninety-six…
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By Josh Lehner Between the mill closure in Coos Bay, downsizing in Forest Grove, and the lively cap and trade discussions, there has been a renewed interest and focus on the timber industry in Oregon. Our office has fielded nearly a dozen requests recently to speak about the industry, historical changes and the outlook. As…
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For 6 weeks last year, smoke filled most of southern Oregon’s air and for many days we had the worst air quality in the nation. We were told to stay indoors and we downloaded AQI (Air Quality Index) apps that sent us daily alerts and we watched wind shifts on websites (check out windy.com for a…
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Emmerson Lab opens to help bring innovative wood products to market On May 14, 2019, the Oregon State University College of Forestry celebrated the grand opening of the A. A. “Red” Emmerson Advanced Wood Products Laboratory. Sierra Pacific Industries, founded by Emmerson and his father, R. H. “Curly” Emmerson, contributed the lead gift of $6…
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by Henry Fields Sometimes to understand an economy you need to look at the things that make a place unique. Location quotients (LQ) are a tool that help analysts do just that. LQs compare local employment in one industry or occupation with the nation as a whole. It’s basically like looking at the whole U.S.…
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By: Energy Trust Looking for new ways to trim energy operating costs and increase the bottom line in your facility? Whether you’ve already made energy improvements or are just getting started, an energy assessment can help you determine the largest savings and decide where to focus. Available at no cost to eligible customers of participating…
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By Jenna Reed, Vice President General Counsel and Compliance Services Cascade Employers Association jreed@cascadeemployers.com If it’s been more than a year since you’ve given your employee handbook a thorough read, chances are it’s already out of date. I don’t know too many people that jump up and down about the prospect of updating their employee…
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Susan Morgan Rural communities where the federal government owns most of their land have been strapped into the front seat of a financial roller coaster. For more than 100 years, counties with public forest lands have received federal support, but faced the ups and downs of fluctuating and uncertain payments. Most recently, federal support has…
Read MoreBackground Over the past several years, there has been growing circumstantial evidence that some institutional investors are cashing out of timberland investments in favor of more liquid, and perhaps better performing alternatives. The well-publicized exit of CalPERSs from much of its timberland portfolio, and rumors of divestitures by other longtime institutional investors supports a narrative…
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