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Board honors Operators of the Year and approves consent agenda including staff appointment
Summary
The Board recognized three regional Operators of the Year for exemplary forest‑practice work and accepted the consent agenda (items A–G), which included a staff appointment clarifying Trout Unlimited's nomination for a seat (Dr. Ohm).
The Board of Forestry recognized the 2025 Operators of the Year and accepted a block consent agenda at the Jan. 7 meeting.
Vice Chair Brenda McComb turned to the awards program, and staff outlined the operator recognition criteria that reference the Oregon Forest Practices Act (ORS 527.630). Scott Swearingen and Austin Reimer introduced videos and described the selection criteria: consistent above‑minimum performance, difficulty of the operation, innovation, results for resource protection and the financial risk assumed by operators.
Winners highlighted in staff remarks included Boulder Ridge LLC (Eastern Oregon) for large-scale selective thinning to reduce fire risk and remove dwarf mistletoe while protecting riparian buffers; Weber Logging and Construction (Southwest Oregon) for complex harvests on steep slopes using tethered logging and slope-retention areas; and Quality Excavation Inc. (Northwest Oregon) for installing fish‑passable modern culverts that restored upstream habitat.
Board members praised operators’ innovation, safety focus and the role of regional committees in nominations. The board recessed for lunch and held an awards photo session with recipients.
Earlier in the meeting the board approved the consent agenda as a block after the vice chair clarified that item C would allow staff to select Dr. Ohm for a position referenced in Trout Unlimited’s nominations. A motion to approve the consent agenda was made and seconded; roll-call responses recorded the motion as accepted and the board stated that consent items A through G were accepted.
Why it matters: The awards highlight contractors and operators implementing resource‑protection practices under the Forest Practices Act; the consent vote moved routine items and a staff‑recommended appointment forward without separate debate.
