Forests in Oregon

Scenic old growth grove Table Rock Wilderness Area

Oregon is well known for its spectacular public forests. From the towering Douglas firs of the Coast Range to the “yellow-bellied” Ponderosa pine forests in the Blue Mountains, the Oregon Chapter Sierra Club is an advocate for sound management of our state’s treasures.

Our primary activities in Oregon include wilderness advocacy, reversing the damage done by the Bush administration to sound scientific management of public lands, and working to protect state forests from logging interests.

We advocate for the protection of roadless areas, mature and old growth forests, and robust investments in ecological protection that restores fish and wildlife habitat damaged by past logging and roadbuilding activities.

In our state forests, the Sierra Club works to protect forests from clear-cutting and other unsustainable logging practices.

In the Coastal Forests

On June 3rd the Oregon Board of Forestry approved a new forest management plan that opened up 20%, over 100,000 acres, of the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests for clear-cutting. We are working to raise awareness of the forests, which are major salmon spawning areas, as well as being vital to Tillamook and Clatsop Counties. Intact coastal forests mean healthy economies as well as fish and forest ecosystems.

Learn more about the Tillamook Forest

Take Action to protect our State Forests!

In the Eastside Forests

Oregon’s drier “eastside” forests are also increasingly threatened by misguided strategies promoted by the timber industry as a way to improve forest health. The Sierra Club’s Oregon Chapter is highly engaged in protecting the forests of central eastern Oregon and advocating for sound management.

Check out their slide show called Forests Fire Resilience and Restoration (pdf).