Oregon SAF Fellow and Golden Member Receives Outstanding Alumnus Award from Penn State

Portland Chapter member Robert G. (Bob) Devlin has been notified that he is the 2023-24 recipient of the Outstanding Alumnus Award from his alma mater, Penn State University, in recognition of his professional achievement and service to the forestry profession, demonstrating high personal and professional standards throughout his career.

A 1958 forestry graduate, Bob came west after finishing school and had a 43-year career with the US Forest Service in Regions 5 and 6. Bob started his federal career in Region 5 and spent 22 years in California, working as a forester on the Oaknoll District on the Klamath National Forest, asst district ranger on the Greenhorn District of the Sequoia, Salmon River district ranger on the Klamath, and timber staff on the Stanislaus. He came to Oregon in 1980 serving as supervisor of the Rogue River National Forest for five years, then on to supervisor of the Umpqua National Forest for an additional six years. In 1991 he transferred to the Regional Office in Portland as R-6 timber staff, then staff director for Natural Resources until his retirement in 2000.  Bob has been an active SAF member throughout his career both in California and Oregon, and he encouraged his employees to be active members of their professional society!

After retirement from federal service, Bob volunteered for an additional two decades as tutor in math and reading for elementary students the Gresham School District helping hundreds of young students gain proficiency in math and reading.

Vision problems in recent years have left him unable to drive, yet he remains active with friends, other SAF members and Forest Services retirees.

Bob and other Penn State alums will be honored by the College of Agricultural Sciences Forest Resources and Ecosystem Science program in April 2024 at the Penn State campus in University Park, PA.

Congratulations Bob on this well-deserved honor!

Grant funds new tree identification signs at the C.J. Reed Arboretum

The C.J. Reed Arboretum located at the Oregon Department of Forestry Astoria main district office now has 40 new interactive tree identification signs thanks to a grant from the Society of American Foresters (SAF). The project was completed by members of the SAF Tillamook-Clatsop chapter.

The signs were designed by Oregon Forest Resources Institute and made by Oregon Corrections Enterprises. Each sign has a QR code that leads to a website for more information about the specific tree species.

The arboretum was developed in the 1960s by the Department of Forestry foresters and is named after Chet Reed, the district forester who served in Astoria from 1955 to 1978. The arboretum is also next to walking trails through the demonstration forest. The self-guided demonstration forest is a mile of hiking trails to help visitors learn about basic forestry practices and enjoy interpretive exhibits that explain how active management of timber stands benefit Oregon’s state forests.

The arboretum and demonstration forest trails are open to the public year-round, 7 days a week from dawn until dusk. More information can be found in the Clatsop State Forest Guide.

SAF is a professional organization of foresters whose mission is to advance sustainable management of forest resources through science, education, and technology; to enhance the competency of its members; to establish professional excellence; and to use their knowledge, skills, and conservation ethic to ensure the continued health, integrity, and use of forests to benefit society in perpetuity.  More information can be found here.

This post is reprinted from the Oregon Department of Forestry.

OSAF Members Recognized for their Achievements

SAF recently announced SAF members who were elected Fellows and selected as Presidential Field Foresters in 2023.

Fellows – Glenn Ahrens, Edwin Baird, Trixy Diamond, Alan Tocchini
The Fellow Award is a prestigious award that recognizes an SAF member for long-standing service to forestry at the local, state, and national levels. The SAF Fellow is recognized as an ambassador for the advancement of forestry. Nominations are accepted from any SAF member in good standing. Awardees are recognized during their local state society meetings and during the SAF National Convention. 

Presidential Field Forester – Shaun Harkins, CF 
The Presidential Field Forester award recognizes foresters who have dedicated their professional careers to the application of forestry on the ground using sound scientific methods and adaptive management strategies.

 

 

OSAF Members Appointed to Northwest Forest Plan Federal Advisory Committee

On July 7, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the formation of the Northwest Forest Plan Federal Advisory Committee, whose role, as per the press release, “will to provide advice and recommendations on modernizing landscape management across national forests within the Northwest Forest Plan area in Washington, Oregon and Northern California.”

Two of the members appointed to the committee are OSAF members: Jerry Franklin, PhD, Professor Emeritus, School of Environmental and Forest Science, University of Washington, and Travis Joseph, President/CEO, American Forest Resource Council.

“Establishing this committee is another way for us to embrace climate-smart science, ensure we hear from diverse voices and get a range of perspectives on how to best confront the wildfire crisis and climate change,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “This committee will also be asked to help reshape ways we engage with communities and deepen our connections with tribes as we go through the Northwest Forest Plan amendment process.” 

To learn more about the role of this committee and their work, the visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r6/landmanagement/planning/?cid=stelprd3831710.

Recognizing Seven New Candidate Certified Foresters and Certified Foresters in Region 2

Congratulations to the following OSAF members who became SAF certified as Candidate Certified Foresters or Certified Foresters in 2022. The Certified Forester credential is for SAF members and non-members promoting excellence in the stewardship of our nation’s forest resources through enhanced professionalism in forestry.

Kyle Goeke Dee, CCF
Sandy Letzing, CF
Seth Parker, CCF
Jacob Putney, CF
Andrew Russo, CF
Amanda Sullivan-Astor, CF
Kyle Sullivan-Astor, CF

Coos Chapter Society of American Foresters Awards C. Wylie Smith III Memorial Scholarship to two Oregon State University Students

Two Oregon State University students from Coos and Douglas Counties were awarded C. Wylie Smith III Memorial Scholarships in February. The two recipients are Cooper Lynn and Carson Burris. Cooper Lynn is a graduate from North Bend High School and Carson Burris is a graduate from North Douglas High School. Both are majoring in Forest Management.

The C. Wylie Smith III Memorial Scholarship was established in 1973 in memory of C. Wylie Smith III, who lost his life in an industrial accident at the age of 29. He was the son of C. Wylie Smith II, one of the founders of Coos Head Lumber Company, which had milling operations in Coos Bay, Oregon. He was a 1966 Oregon State University graduate from the College of Forestry in Forest Engineering.

This scholarship fund is administered by the Oregon State University Foundation and the Coos Chapter Society of American Foresters. Recipients of this scholarship must be full-time undergraduate students enrolled in the College of Forestry with majors in Forest Engineering, Forest Management, or Wood Science and Engineering. First preference is given to students from Coos, Curry, or Douglas counties. Selection is based on proven scholarship performance, potential for success in the profession, and financial need. Congratulations to Cooper Lynn and Carson Burris on their outstanding accomplishment.

Dr. Ronald Boldenow, CF, new District 2 Director!

In 2023, Dr. Ronald (Ron) Boldenow, CF, will join the SAF Board of Directors, representing District 2.

A professor at Central Oregon Community College, Blodenow has been active in SAF, serving as SAF Education Policy Review Committee and the Central Oregon Chapter Chair.

Blodenow’s guidance as an SAF member: SAF has aided my career and is a positive influence on my adult life. My SAF service has varied with engagement at the chapter, state, or national level. The greatest challenge for SAF is to become more welcoming and inclusive while remaining a professional organization with a strong voice supporting forest management. I believe that various tasks and responsibilities are best accomplished at different levels of an organization. Also, as forestry students and young professionals are enthusiastic, we must continue to nurture and tap that enthusiasm to strengthen the profession and SAF.

Seeking Nominations for Chair-elect and Delegate-at-large Positions

Nominations are now open for the OSAF Chair-elect and Delegate-at-large positions, and self-nominating is welcome. The nomination period will close on October 15, and candidate statements are due to wattsa@forestry.org before November 1. Voting will open Tuesday, November 1 and close November 15.

Questions? Please contact wattsa@forestry.org.

Jeff Grogan, CF Selected as 2022 Presidential Field Forester

Congratulations to Jeff Grogan, CF for being honored as the 2022 Presidential Field Forester for District 2! This award recognizes members who have dedicated their professional careers to the application of forestry on the ground using sound scientific methods and adaptive management strategies.

Jeff is a forest planner for Weyerhaeuser’s Southern Oregon Region, and he specializes in forest inventory, GIS, and data systems. He is always looking for and supporting ways to make data accessible in the field and data collection more efficient, providing forest managers with the information needed to make the best possible decisions. Jeff was an important member of the team that planned and managed the salvage of tens of thousands of acres and hundreds in board feet following the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire.

To learn more about Jeff’s accomplishment’s, read The Forestry Source August 2022 issue.

Foresters’ Fund Supports Douglas County Forestry Tour

In 2020, OSAF member Alicia Christiansen was awarded a Foresters Fund grant for $2290 for the “Douglas County Reforestation Education for Fifth Grade Students” project. The project goal was to add in a reforestation activity to the Douglas County School Forestry Tour, an educational event offered to all Douglas County 5^th grade students each year. The 2022 Tour was held May 4-6 at the Glide Education Forest near Glide, Oregon. Over 550 students attended the Tour this year, which is anticipated to grow as the pandemic gets farther out in our rearview mirror. Normal participation at the Tour is usually upwards of 800 students.

During the “Tour,” students spent the morning in the woods rotating between stations learning about different forestry and natural resource topics. After lunch, we gathered and played forest-themed games. The reforestation activity took the place of an old game.

For this activity, we built a 25-foot-long planter box (with pecky cedar donated by C&D Lumber) and filled it with soil. Private timber companies and the BLM donated 1000 Douglas-fir seedlings, which the students practiced planting in the box using garden trowels. Each teacher was sent home with a bundle of seedlings to hand out to their students. Each seedling was bagged individually and contained a planting instruction card that also provided details on our state tree. Oregon Women in Timber and SAF collaborated to lead the reforestation activity and work with the kids, so they understood how to properly plant and care for a tree.

Overall, this event was a huge hit! The local paper, the News Review, wrote a nice article about the Tour and it mentions this project and SAF: https://www.nrtoday.com/news/douglas-county-forestry-tour-returns-for-59th-time-after-two-year-hiatus-with-a-new/article_5557cb31-995f-514e-89fd-a062756d81d6.html.