The Oregon Forest Industry Directory (www.orforestdirectory.com) helps to connect woodland owners, service providers, wood products manufacturers, industry consultants and anyone else interested in the region’s forest industry. The directory receives over thousands of visitors each month for uses that include:
- Woodland owners are finding:
- Log buyers for large and small diameter logs, ‘nontraditional’ species like western hardwoods and western juniper, and buyers’ preferred diameters and lengths
- Niche markets by locating buyers of logs for log homes, utility poles, ‘character logs’ for furniture, and buyers for non-timber forest products
- Sawmills are finding:
- Suppliers by locating the woodland owners in the region with Logs for Sale
- Customers interested in buying the type of lumber they produce
- Buyers for waste products/ downfall such as sawdust, shavings, bark and low-grade lumber
- Service providers for custom lumber drying or machining
- Furniture makers and Cabinetmakers are finding:
- Suppliers that have the type of lumber they need
- Opportunities for outsourcing or partnerships through Services such as custom machining, kiln drying and finishing
- Buyers for waste products/ downfall such as low-grade lumber or trim ends
- Other Audiences –
- Architects can find firms that provide certified wood products or large timbers
- The general public can search for local custom sawyers (for example, for that downed walnut tree), furniture and cabinet makers, boughs for wreaths, etc.
- Dozens of users have used the Classified Ads to post items they want to buy or have for sale.
User feedback has resulted in several upgrades:
- Maps for locations of companies
- Streamlined searches – Users can now locate log buyers, sources of logs, custom sawyers, and cabinet and furniture makers in a single click.
- Hardcopy results – Advanced search results can be exported to a spreadsheet.
- Timber Volume – Landowners can enter the volume of standing (i.e., potentially available) timber they have available for each species – confidentially. Interested buyers see the total inventory volume by species in each region and can fill out a form to contact all the landowners in the region.
- Non-timber forest products – Dozens of new non-timber/special forest products have been added such as cones, edible plants, moss, resins, decorative wood/limbs, etc.
How is the information kept up-to-date? – The Oregon Forest Industry Directory allows users to update their own information; update reminder notices are sent every 6 months. Those not currently on the list sign-up by filling out an on-line form.
Contact the Oregon Wood Innovation Center (541-737-4212; owic@oregonstate.edu) with comments, questions or suggestions.
