OSU Forestry & Natural Resources Extension strives to provide objective, science-based education to help forest owners succeed in forest stewardship. The growing body of climate science challenges us to incorporate new information on possible changes in climate, climate variability and extremes.

A basic understanding of local climate is needed to guide key aspects of forest stewardship, such as:

• selecting appropriate tree species and types of forest,
• determining the timing of management actions such as planting and thinning,
• estimating rates of growth and productivity, and
• anticipating climatic stress and threats to forest health.

Our goal with this blog on Oregon Forests and Climate Change is to assist Oregon’s private forest owners in understanding basic climate science principles, anticipated impacts on managed forests, and options for adaptation and management.

We gratefully acknowledge funding from Oregon Forest Resources Institute and the USDA Pacific Northwest Climate Hub to support this work.