Talk:Oregon Forest Resources Institute

OFRI and the Presentation of Dissenting Views

OFRI currently lacks a forum for the presentation of dissenting views and information. The legal structure of OFRI, as required by statute (https://oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_526.610) and stated in OFRI literature (https://oregonforests.org/people), suppresses fair debate of issues relevant to the people of Oregon, and affirms OFRI's reputation as a de-facto corporate timber lobby. Relevant issues which are absent from OFRI's literature and public education include environmental concerns regarding the effects of intensive forest practices on 4 million acres of corporate forest land in western Oregon logged over the past 30 years. The vast majority of this acreage has been helicopter-sprayed and planted to a single species, Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), which is the species most beneficial to corporate forestry and most promoted by the Oregon Department of Forestry (see https://www.oregon.gov/odf/documents/workingforests/seedling-catalog.pdf.) This conversion of diverse forests to a single species has both environmental effects (https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2002549117, https://entomology.rutgers.edu/graduate/docs/papers/Wagner2020InsectDeclinesAnthropocene.pdf, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320719317823) as well as economic effects, by reducing log supplies for specialty products which depend on other species, such as Western redcedar (Thuja plicata) and red alder (Alnus rubra).

OFRI presents annual data on the number of seedlings planted, acres of forest land by ownership, timber production by ownership and other statistics complimentary to the industry. OFRI does not report acres logged by ownership, number of trees cut by species, number of seedlings planted by species, number of acres sprayed, declining populations of spawning salmon or the ongoing attrition of forest sector jobs (https://naturalresourcereport.com/2016/10/the-past-future-of-oregons-timber-industry/). Reporting these and other statistics would provide a more well-rounded view of the state of forestry in Oregon. Gkral (talk) 07:36, 22 January 2023 (UTC)

Edit request from OFRI with citations

{{edit COI}} * Specific text to be added or removed: Change "OFRI was created by the Oregon Legislative Assembly in 1991 and is funded by a dedicated forest-products harvest tax." to "OFRI was created by the Oregon Legislative Assembly in 1991 to support the state's forest products industry through public outreach and landowner education, and is funded by a dedicated forest-products harvest tax." * Reason for the change: More detailed description of OFRI that includes its legislative mandate. * References supporting change: https://www.capitalpress.com/ag_sectors/timber/ofri-provides-update-on-audit-recommendations/article_e05e2992-74c4-11ed-9116-4751064636ac.html ~~~~

{{edit COI}} * Specific text to be added or removed: Add an updated and functioning citation to this sentence, "Its forestry education programs reach more than 100,000 students and more than 1,000 educators annually." * Reason for the change: The current citation is outdated and the url does not work. * References supporting change: https://oregonforests.org/sites/default/files/2021-02/OFRI-K12-Summary-sheet-Dec20.pdf ~~~~

{{edit COI}} * Specific text to be added or removed: Change "Oregon Forest Literacy Program" to "Oregon Forest Literacy Plan." * Reason for the change: "Oregon Forest Literacy Plan" is the correct name of the OFRI publication. I've provided a link to the publication itself with the correct title as reference. * References supporting change: https://oregonforests.org/sites/default/files/2022-07/OFRI_OFLP2022_DIGITAL.pdf ~~~~

{{edit COI}} * Specific text to be added or removed: Add an updated and functioning citation to the sentence that reads,"OFRI manages the Rediscovery Forest, a forested area used for educational purposes and to demonstrate diverse Oregon wildlife habitat and forest ecosystems." * Reason for the change: Current citation is old and the url does not work. * References supporting change:https://oregonforests.org/content/rediscovery-forest-maps ~~~~

{{edit COI}} * Specific text to be added or removed: Change "The bill has been sent to the senate." to "The measure failed in the senate." * Reason for the change: Update that the bill failed in the senate. * References supporting change: https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2021/07/tax-funded-oregon-forest-resources-institute-misled-public-may-have-broken-state-law-audit-finds.html ~~~~ Jane at OFRI (talk) 18:51, 25 January 2023 (UTC)

In general, we should not add text supported by statements that the organization makes about itself. See WP:PRIMARYSOURCE for details. Please do not propose text supported by citations to oregonforests.org. Quoting directly from the enabling legislation would probably be acceptable. – Jonesey95 (talk) 20:06, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

I included links to OregonForests.org in this edit request because the article about OFRI in its current form includes a couple of citations that go to OregonForests.org, but the links are broken. In the request, I'm providing the correct, functioning links.

It would be great if this article quoted directly from OFRI's enabling legislation. I've provided links to that in my original edit request. In particular, it would nice if it used some of that language in the summary at the top of the article describing OFRI. Here's a link to OFRI's enabling statute that describes the general authority of the Institute: https://oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_526.640 Jane at OFRI (talk) 20:25, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

More non-primary sources

1. Oregonians expres mixed feelings about benefits of logging in new survey
2. Former state agency head hired as executive director of OFRI
3. Report: State forestry institute should be more transparent and Transparency (cont.)
4. With conflicts abroad, logging at home needs prioritization
5. Resources for Family Forest Owners & Stewards
6. Oregon forest laws
7. Steep cuts to Oregon forestry education agency proposed again
8. Flatbed Report: 'Firmageddon' leaves an estimated 1.1 million acres of dead trees in Oregon
9. Oregon Forests Forever: List of resources

— Grand'mere Eugene (talk) 16:08, 29 April 2023 (UTC)

Thank you for providing these links. Here are a few more that may aid editors:

1. Rediscovery Forest

2. Rediscovery Forest Education Programs

3. Oregon Forest Literacy Plan (note that this is the correct title of this Oregon Forest Resources Institute-produced publication not "Oregon Forest Literacy Program" as it's called in the Wikipedia article about the Institute) Jane at OFRI (talk) 22:43, 1 May 2023 (UTC)

OFRI's enabling legislation

Here's a link to the Oregon Forest Resources Institute's enabling legislation (ORS 526.605) to make clear that it is a state agency, created by the Oregon Legislature in 1991, to support Oregon’s forest products industry and the wise stewardship of natural resources for the benefit of Oregonians. It is not a "forestry trade organization." Jane at OFRI (talk) 21:40, 3 May 2023 (UTC)

Conflict of Interest Edit Request

• What I think should be changed:

The lead of this article that says, "The Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) is a publicly-funded forestry trade organization," should be changed to, "The Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) is a state agency statutorily mandated to support Oregon’s forest products industry. OFRI provides forest education programs for the general public, K-12 teachers and students, and forest landowners."

• Why it should be changed: OFRI is not a forestry trade association. It is a state agency created by the Oregon Legislature in 1991 to support Oregon's forest products industry by advancing public understanding of forests, forest management and forest products. Its primary focus is on forest education and providing educational resources that teach Oregonians about forests and help landowners sustainably manage their forests.
• References supporting the possible change (format using the "cite" button):

Oregon Blue Book

ORS.526.605

Jane at OFRI (talk) 22:52, 10 May 2023 (UTC)

Hey, @Jane at OFRI! Those sources tell us what the state would like us to say about this agency, but extremely reliable sources are calling it a de facto lobbying organization for the industry. We need to see someone other than the state or the agency itself discussing it. Valereee (talk) 14:44, 11 May 2023 (UTC)

References