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OSAF 2020 Annual Meeting Finds Success in Virtual Format

November 9, 2020 •

By Julie Woodward and Andrea Watts 

SAF_Awards_2020 all group.jpg

Just shy of 5:00 p.m. on October 8, the two-day OSAF 2020 Annual Meeting came to a successful conclusion. When the planning committee decided in August to switch to a virtual format, we were uncertain whether SAF members would be interested in attending a virtual conference, especially since we couldn’t recreate the comradery found at annual meetings. To our surprise, there was interest in our annual meeting that extended beyond Oregon. There were attendees from Washington, California and even Canada, And the final registration count of 165 attendees is our average attendance at an in-person annual meeting! 

Highlights of the annual meeting included: 

  • a virtual field tour featuring wildlife habitat and stream restoration; 

  • over 25 presenters highlighting current research and forest practices; 

  • a virtual field tour of the McMinnville Watershed; 

  • a panel on the recent wildfires in Oregon that featured Doug Grafe with the Oregon Department of Forestry; and Rick Barnes, Barnes and Associates; and Kyle Williams, Oregon Forest & Industries Council; and 

  • a student panel that featured Lakyn Jacoby and students with Mount Hood Community College. 

Even in a virtual setting we could recognize our 2019 OSAF award winners, and many were on-hand to express their appreciation with the meeting attendees.  

Community College Student – Lakyn Jacoby, MHCC 

OSU Student – Samuel Zamudio 

Chapter Achievement – Mary’s Peak Chapter 

Research – Dr. Jim Rivers, OSU 

Forestry Appreciation Award – Alex Paul, Albany Democrat-Herald  

Young Forester Leadership – Lauren Grand 

OSAF Lifetime achievement – Gary Blanchard 

OSAF Lifetime achievement – Michael Cloughesy 

Forester of the Year – Steve Fitzgerald 

Heritage Award – Barnes and Associates 

If you couldn’t attend the meeting, the presentation materials are now available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC7VwU8vARP2-mzsBd3x2fA/featured.  

Next year’s meeting will be hosted by the Blue Mountain Chapter and is tentatively scheduled for May. Stay tuned for details.