Public can join forestry committee in tour of Tillamook Forest leaving Forest Grove

The public can join forestry officials leaving from Forest Grove for a tour of Tillamook Forest spots, including the South Fork Forest Camp, the Tillamook Forest Center, and Diamond Mill on Thursday. Those interested in the May 14 field tour must RSVP no later than 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 12, to Nick Palazzotto, nick.palazzotto@odf.oregon.gov, 971-375-6344. The tour is part of a two-day session held by the State Forests Advisory Committee (SFAC), a group that advises the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF). SFAC advises ODF on management of 640,000 acres across the Tillamook, Clatsop and Santiam state forests, plus scattered state-owned tracts in the West Oregon and Western Lane districts. The State Forests Advisory Committee tours the Tillamook State Forest on Thursday, May 14, with a 9 a.m. carpool leaving from the Oregon Department of Forestry's Forest Grove District Office at 801 Gales Creek Road. Those attending should bring their own lunch, refreshments, and a vehicle suitable for forest roads. Thursday's field tour — billed as “delivering social benefits as part of providing Greatest Permanent Value” — has three stops: South Fork Forest Camp at 10 a.m., the Tillamook Forest Center at 12:30 p.m., and the Diamond Mill Off Highway Vehicle Area at 2:30 p.m. Wrap-up is scheduled for 3:45 p.m. Carpools also leave from the Astoria ODF office at 8 a.m. and the Tillamook ODF office at 9 a.m. On Friday, May 15, the committee reconvenes from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the same Forest Grove district office, with a Microsoft Teams option for remote attendance. Full agendas for both days are posted on the SFAC webpage. The tour agenda and May 15 meeting agenda are available as PDFs.