Oregon is well known for our beautiful forests, running water and soaring mountains. The natural beauty and abundant natural resources in our state have been bringing people to Oregon throughout history.

Forests provide a plethora of social, biologic and economic benefits to communities in and around them.  It is the professional forests and operators in Oregon that get to steward these lands to ensure forests continue to be forested, these benefits remain balanced and our future generations get to experience their beauty in the same way we get to today.

Strict forest laws assure trees are planted and growing to replace timber harvested. Oregon has the highest private land reforestation compliance rate in the nation -- averaging 97%. For example, Oregon's landowners planted trees on a total of 150,879 acres in 1996 -- over half of this reforestation was done by private owners. More than 40 million seedlings were planted. That's 12 seedlings for every Oregonian.

A Brief History About Oregon's Forest Protections

1941: Oregon adopted the Oregon Forest Conservation Act to address reforestation and fire protection.  Oregon was among the first in the nation to pass a law focused on forest protects on this nature.

1971: The Oregon Forest Practices Act (OFPA) was written into law and Oregon became the first state in the U.S. to pass a comprehensive forest practice package.

1971-Present: The OFPA was designed to be updated when new science dictated a need for changes to forest practices in the state. Changes can also be made as new technology is available and new techniques are developed. In the end, every forest professional seeks to ensure our forest resources are properly protected.

Learn more and discover additional resources about the Oregon Forest Practices Act on our dedicated webpage!