Students view the forest canopy.

Forests Today & Forever provides area educators and students with natural resource learning opportunities, including curricula and a day of in-field lessons on private landowner properties and grants to support Outdoor Schools and teacher education. We also offer high school forestry and career exploration opportunities, as well as tours of private and public forests guided by the professionals who manage them.

In 1985, leaders in the Lane county forest products and associated industries recognized the need to involve and educate the public about forest issues to gain their support for the active management of public and private timberlands. They worked to create Timber Resource Education (TRE), a non-profit organization that produced the monthly magazine TIMBER!

In 1992, the decision was reached to broaden the mission of Timber Resource Education. It was reorganized as Forests Today and Forever, which also acquired non-profit status, and its working area was expanded to include Lane, Linn and Benton counties. TIMBER! magazine was discontinued in 1997 in favor of an expanding program of direct interaction with the public.

Forests Today and Forever is governed by an 11-person board of directors whose members represent the forest products industry and other related businesses, the Oregon Department of Forestry and the area’s educational community. We contract with LaRae Ash to be our program coordinator and run the daily affairs for Forests Today & Forever.