News Releases

April 2011

• 19 April 2011 - La Grande Air Tanker Base Closed For Upgrade - The La Grande Air Tanker Base, located at the Union County, OR,  Airport, will be closed this fire season so the apron where the planes are loaded with retardant can be repaired. Temporary bases for loading the planes  are being considered at either LaGrande or Pendleton.
• 4 April 2011 - Four Forests Receive ‘Kids in the Woods’ Funding - The U.S. Forest Service today awarded more than $122,300 to four Pacific Northwest forests in support of conservation education programs that will provide local community children more opportunities to experience the great outdoors, learn about nature, and build a lasting commitment to conservation and land stewardship.

March 2011

• 10 March 2011 - Forums Set on Forest Service Proposed Planning Rule - The U.S. Forest Service is holding two public meetings this month to explain both the details and intent of the recently proposed draft Planning Rule that, if put into law, will serve as a national blueprint for how hundreds of individual plans will chart national forest management in the coming years.

February 2011

• 17 February 2011 - Connaughton to Lead Pacific Northwest Region of the U.S. Forest Service - U.S. Forest Service Chief Thomas Tidwell today announced the appointment of Kent Connaughton as Regional Forester of the Pacific Northwest Region of the Forest Service. Connaughton will oversee 17 national forests and one national grassland within the states of Oregon and Washington. He is currently the Regional Forester in the agency’s Eastern Region.
• 11 February 2011 - USDA Forest Service Unveils Proposed Planning Rule to Provide Science-Based Framework to Support Healthy Forests and Communities - The USDA Forest Service unveiled its proposed Forest Planning Rule today which would establish a new national framework to develop land management plans that protect water and wildlife and promote vibrant communities.
• 01 February 2011 - Three New Oregon Forest Supervisors Named - Acting Regional Forester Cal Joyner said that Chris Worth will lead the Mt. Hood National Forest in Sandy, OR; Teresa Raaf will lead the Malheur National Forest in John Day, OR; and Monica Schwalbach will supervise the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in Baker City, OR.

November 2010

• 02 November 2010 - Recreation Fees Waived on Veterans Day, Nov. 11 - The public may visit federal recreation sites for free on Veterans Day, Thursday, Nov. 11. The fee-free day honors U.S. veterans, members of the U.S. armed forces and their families. The administrative fee waiver of recreation-use fees applies annually on Veterans Day at public recreation lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service, as well as by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation. 

September 2010

• 24 September 2010 - U.S. Forest Service grants more than $16 million For sustainable forest issues in Oregon and Washington - More than $16 million in recently awarded federal funds have been distributed by the U.S. Forest Service in the Pacific Northwest Region to help states sustain urban and rural forests, and to protect communities from wildfires, insects, diseases and invasive plants.
• 15 September 2010 - Fee-free Day Saturday, National Public Lands Day - Day-use fees at most U.S. Forest Service recreation sites will be waived on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010 to celebrate National Public Lands Day. Saturday, Sept. 25, marks the 17th National Public Lands Day, the nation's largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve America's public lands. Visitors to federal recreation sites will not be charged day-use fees.

July 2010

• 29 July 2010 - USDA Forest Service Suspends Oregon Timber Sale Due to New Spotted Owl Information - The USDA Forest Service is temporarily delaying the contract for the sale of 149 acres of mature stands on the Willamette National Forest in Oregon to the Seneca Jones timber company due to newly presented data on endangered species found in the area.

March 2010

• 24 March 2010 - Forest Service to Host Planning Rule Meeting - The U.S. Forest Service is seeking your ideas as a new rule guiding the formation of national forest land-management plans is developed. Three roundtables and two open houses will be held Tuesday, April 6, in Portland.

February 2010

• 03 February 2010 - U.S. Forest Service contracts with PHC Northwest - The Pacific Northwest regional office of the U.S. Forest Service has contracted with Pacific Habilitation Center Northwest (PHC Northwest) for the administration of the Forest Service’s Quarters Management Information System (QMIS).

January 2010

• 25 January 2010 - Federal Recreation Advisory Committee To Meet by Teleconference Feb. 2 – A regional federal recreation advisory committee will hear proposals to establish or change user fees on three national forests when it meets on Tuesday, Feb. 2.

October 2009

• 30 October 2009 - National Bat Symposium Set for Nov. 4-7 - The North American Symposium on Bat Research will hold its annual meeting in Portland, November 4 – 7. The symposium, which is the annual conference for the North American Society for Bat Research. More than 300 people are expected to share the latest research on chiropterans – Latin for bats, derived from the Greek word for “hand” and “wing.”  Participants are expected from North, Central and South America as well as Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
• 28 October 2009 - Recreation Fees Waived on Veterans Day, Nov. 11 - The public may visit federal recreation sites for free on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11. The fee-free day honors U.S. veterans, members of the U.S. armed forces and their families.
• 20 October 2009 - Federal Recreation Advisory Committee To Meet in Portland Oct. 30 - A regional federal recreation advisory committee will hear 20 proposals to establish or change user fees on four national forests and the Salem District of the Bureau of Land Management when it meets in Portland on Friday, Oct. 30.

September 2009

• 30 September 2009 - Our Forests At Work - ARRA Progress Report - Welcome to our 2009 report on how the Pacific Northwest Region and the Pacific Northwest Research Station of the U.S. Forest Service are progressing with their contribution to economic recovery. During Fiscal year 2009 – which ended September 30 – we received more than $237 million in funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. That money is putting people to work fixing forest roads, maintaining buildings and trails, restoring habitat and reducing the threat of wildfires all over Oregon and Washington.
• 29 September 2009 - Federal Recreation Information Center Opens October 5 in Downtown Portland - On Oct. 5, a new interagency Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Recreation Information Center will open in downtown Portland at the Robert Duncan Plaza, 333 S.W. 1st Ave., at the 1st and Oak streets MAX line stop.

June 2009

• 01 June 2009 - Forest Service Celebrates National Trails Day - This Saturday, June 6, marks the 17th annual National Trails Day. People can join the celebration by enjoying a hike at a favorite trail or by participating in a planned volunteer activity such as a trail work project or dedication.

March 2009

• 19 March 2009 - Weed-free Feed Required in Northwest Forests - As part of a larger effort to reduce invasive species on national forest lands, weed-free feed is being required in the 17 national forests and the Crooked River National Grasslands of the Pacific Northwest this year. This follows a requirement in 2007 that weed-free feed be used in Pacific Northwest Wildernesses.
• 10 March 2009 - Forest Service Announces More Economic Recovery Projects - Jobs clearing brush and trees to prevent disastrous wildfires in rural Oregon will be funded with $10 million in economic stimulus funds, U.S. Forest Service Chief Gail Kimbell announced today.
• 04 March 2009 - Forest Service Announces Economic Recovery Projects - Chief Abigail Kimbell has announced the first set of U.S. Forest Service projects to be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The first two projects in the Pacific Northwest are the Oregon Youth Employment Initiative Phase 1 and the Olympic Peninsula Structure Restoration.

February 2009

• 12 February 2009 - Northwest Firefighters to Help in Australia - About 25 firefighters from the Pacific Northwest will assist with managing and suppressing wildfires in Australia, according to officials at the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center (NWCC) in Portland, a regional center for mobilizing resources.
• 03 February 2009 - Deputy Regional Forester Named for Oregon, Washington – U.S. Forest Service Budget Director Lenise Lago has been named Deputy Regional Forester for the agency’s Pacific Northwest Region based in Portland.

January 2009

• 21 January 2009 - Federal Recreation Advisory Committee To Meet in Portland Jan. 30 - A regional federal recreation advisory committee will hear approximately 50 proposals to establish or change user fees on six national forests and the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area when it meets in Portland on Friday, January 30.