ODF Takes To The Air To Protect Oregon’s Forests

A new report shows the health of Oregon’s forests, following years of drought and historic wildfires.  And researchers are relying on aerial fly-overs to gather critical data.  Oregon’s Department of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service work together to fly over public lands to assess forest health.  ODF Aerial Survey Specialist Sean McKenzie said they’re looking for discoloration and other signs of disease.

"What we are mapping is generally the last thing in a chain of things that injured, stressed and then finally killed the trees."

That means a death might be attributed to a bug that simply took advantage of easy prey, a tree already sickened by drought or wildfire.  They found 580,000 acres damaged by things other than fire in 2024, but McKenzie admits it’s not an exact science.

"We’re flying at between 90 and 140 miles per hour, 2,000 feet off the ground, so there’s a certain degree of uncertainty."

The most common non-fire injury was caused by a disease known as Swiss Needle Cast.  Click Here to read that ODF report.

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