Climate change

Oregon Climate Smart Forestry Award

Summary

The Oregon Climate Smart Forestry Award recognizes landowners, land managers, researchers, operators, or other forestry professionals who use climate change-adapted practices, or develop innovative methods for carbon capture, retention, or reduced carbon release.

2025 Award nominations open October - December 2024

Nomination form instructions

Note: The form does not work from iOS platforms (iPhones/iPads). If using Mac OS, download the form with Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Access the application using the button below, download to your computer, and complete the application.
Once completed, use the submit button provided on the form or email the completed form and any attachments to csf.award@odf.oregon.gov, or print and return to:
Oregon Department of Forestry
Danny Norlander
2600 State Street
Salem, OR 97310

2025 Oregon Climate Smart Forestry Award nomination form

2024 Winners

After thoughtful review of the 2024 nominees by an internal Oregon Department of Forestry committee and the Forest Legacy Working Group, the following recipients were selected.

Research and Innovation recipients are David and Mary Ann Bugni for employing holistic forest resilience strategies that increase carbon capture through longer rotations and reduced resilience of fossil fuels through forest stream-generated energy.

Landowner and Land Manager recipients are Craig Bienz and Steve Rondeau on behalf of The Nature Conservancy and The Klamath Tribes for: 1) using traditional ecological knowledge such as fuels reduction strategies to reduce catastrophic wildfire and carbon emissions, 2) measurably increasing forest carbon capture, 3) improving forest health and enhancing resilience to climate change and catastrophic wildfire, and 4) collaboration with various university scientists to produce data on efficacy of these strategies.

Honorable mention recipients are Peter Hayes and Dean Moburg for initiating conversations across multiple audiences regarding identifying barriers to “climate smart" forestry, identifying strategies that meet landowners and managers where they are – all of which contributed to development of criteria used in this award.

Climate Change and Carbon Plan

ODF has developed a Climate Change and Carbon Plan for the agency. The Board of Forestry approved the plan at its Nov. 3, 2021, meeting.

The plan will position Oregon forestry as a regional leader in climate-smart forestry, including both climate-change mitigation and adaptation. The goals are to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, increase carbon sequestration (i.e. storage of carbon in trees), and positively benefit climate-impacted and resource-dependent communities. Under the plan, ODF will become a leader in promoting climate-smart forest policies and actions.

View the final Climate Change and Carbon Plan (Approved by the Oregon Board of Forestry on 11/3/2021.)

General comment can be submitted to the agency by filling out this comment form.

Informational webinar archives

Climate Change and Carbon Plan informational webinar was held on May 27, 2021.

Climate change and Oregon forests

The amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the air keeps increasing. As amounts of these gases rise above pre-industrial levels, they are causing higher average temperatures and other effects on climate across the planet and in Oregon. Greenhouse gases are released into the air from human activities that rely on burning carbon-rich fuels, such as oil and natural gas, for transportation, power, industrial activity, farming, and heating and cooking.

Oregon's forests are already being affected by changes in climate. There is evidence fire seasons have become longer and more intense, with more acres burned. Where some plant species grow is also starting to change.

If greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced soon, predictions are for even bigger changes. For example:

Forest wildfires are expected to become more frequent, severe, and burn even larger areas.
Tree deaths are expected to increase from droughts, insects, and disease.

Forests are a key part of our planet's carbon and water cycles. Huge amounts of carbon are stored in forests because trees pull carbon dioxide from the air through photosynthesis. They use that carbon to grow roots, trunks, branches, and leaves. In the process, large amounts of oxygen and water vapor are released into the air. A fully grown tree in one day can release hundreds of gallons of water, helping cool its surroundings. Wildfires, droughts, and heat waves can greatly reduce these functions, which people and the planet depend on for comfort and survival.

Oregon Department of Forestry has been committed for over 100 years to preserve and sustainably manage forested ecosystems. The agency considers climate change a major threat to those goals. We have been actively collaborating with agency partners to develop effective policies to help mitigate and adapt to the predicted changes.

Keep up on current research and knowledge of climate change in Oregon through the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute.

Our climate change vision

The Oregon Board of Forestry and ODF provide national leadership in climate-smart and socially equitable forest policies that promote climate health, resilient forests, community wellbeing, and a viable forest products industry.