Oregon Dept. of Forestry seeks nominees for new Climate Smart Award

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Oregon Dept. of Forestry is seeking nominations for its new Oregon Climate Smart Award. The award will recognize 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.

Nominations are due by Dec. 31.

“The goal of this award is to encourage, improve, and recognize climate and carbon practices,” says ODF State Forester Cal Mukumoto. 

In March 2020, Governor Brown signed an executive order that highlighted that the state is experiencing an increase in frequency and severity of wildfires that endangers public health and safety and damage rural economies. The order directed agencies, including ODF, to prepare and plan for the impacts of climate change and to take actions to encourage carbon sequestration and storage. 

“From that executive order the Oregon Board of Forestry in the fall of 2021 adopted ODF’s Climate Change and Carbon Plan. The idea for an awards program arose in response to that plan,” says Mukumoto. 

Christine Buhl is a member of the selection committee that will review nominations. In her work as a forest entomologist she already sees signs of stress on trees in Oregon forests from extreme heat waves and prolonged droughts. She said, “With these awards, we hope to encourage reductions in emissions and help forests and communities adapt and become more climate resilient.”

Buhl said specific actions that will be considered for recognition under the award program include:

• Efforts to improve the climate resilience of forestlands and restore ecological functions
• Climate Smart forestry practices in growing and maintaining trees
• Wildfire management, response, and fire or smoke adaptation
• Carbon reduction or capture in forest operations, such as logging or thinning
• Innovative research or products that reduce emissions or increase climate resilience

Buhl’s co-lead on the selection committee is ODF Monitoring Specialist Emily Martin. Martin said nominees may include universities, educators, consulting and research agencies, fabricators, forest operators, and private industry firms working on non-federal lands across the state. “Anyone can be nominated who’s doing climate-related mitigation and adaptation work or research, and anyone can nominate them.”

Find details and the nomination form here.