About 75 community members — including local officials, business owners, teachers and nurses — boarded buses for a first-hand look at one of Clatsop County’s most important commodities and sources of employment during the 27th annual Forestry Tour earlier this week.
Forest management, stream restoration and protection were the featured topics, with visits to Lewis & Clark Timberlands/Greenwood Resources and Weyerhaeuser in the Highway 26 area. The tour was organized by Clatsop Forest and Wood Products Economic Development Committee.
Keynote speaker Katie Voelke, executive director of the North Coast Land Conservancy, said she never thought a group like the one she represents would be asked to give the keynote talk at an event like the Forestry Tour. But she pointed to several instances of collaboration between the timber industry and conservation groups over the years, saying they have found ways to build trust and work together for the good of the North Coast community.
The tour’s goal was to demonstrate that this most-traditional North Coast industry continues to play a vital role today, directly employing hundreds of local people and providing payrolls that ripple outward through our economy.