Tag: ODF

Wildland Suppression Crew at South Fork Forest Camp

The Wildland Suppression Crew from the Oregon Department of Correction’s (DOC) South Fork Forest Camp (SFFC) deployed to Ball Bearing Fire, roughly 12 miles east of Carlton, Oregon. This was only day one of a three-day process. Adults in custody (AICs) and the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) staff took hand tools and water hoses to the side of this mountain. The Wildland Fire Fighters pushed their way through acres of land, cutting and digging deep under stumps, roots, and rocks.

Since 1951, ODF has utilized Oregon Department of Corrections adults in custody to help reforest and protect state forest lands. ODF trains and supervises AIC crews to perform a variety of key forest management and protection projects. It is the largest and oldest work camp in the Pacific Northwest. Work crews perform forest management in eleven counties in northwest Oregon, assist with disaster relief efforts, and engage in fire suppression statewide. In a given year, South Fork Camp can produce up to 28,000-man days of skilled adults in custody labor saving the state millions in labor costs.

This interagency partnership allows adults in custody to gain valuable work skills while providing economic, social, and environmental benefits for Oregonians.

Wildland Suppression Crew

Hiroshima Peace Tree

When a seed gets planted at Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP), a vision is soon to follow, and through thoughtful planning and motivation, attainment is the result. When the seeds of a surviving Gingko Tree of the Hiroshima atom-bombing in 1945 were planted, the saplings swiftly became symbols of peace and resilience as they were distributed worldwide. Aptly named “Hiroshima Peace Trees” also known as “Hibakujumoku,” one of 53 planted seeds and saplings in Oregon made their way to a location that was a first and only of its kind. With the collaboration of the Green Legacy Hiroshima Project, One Sunny Day Initiative, Oregon Department of Forestry, and the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC), a Hiroshima Peace Tree was planted on the grounds of the Oregon State Penitentiary, a multi-custody prison in Salem, Oregon.

Continue reading “Hiroshima Peace Tree” →

South Fork Forest Camp’s Main Benefit is Hope – But Firefighting, Forestry Projects, and Raising Fish Help All Oregonians

TILLAMOOK STATE FOREST, Ore.—More than 46,000 steelhead trout gush out of the rearing pond and into Tuffy Creek at South Fork Forest Camp on an unusual snowy day in April. After being confined to the pond for seven months, the three-to-five-inch fish now face a challenging journey — much like the people who raised them.

“This camp is the only one of its kind in Oregon,” said Dave Luttrell, South Fork camp manager. “We are a minimum-security facility run jointly by the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and the Department of Corrections (DOC)—we house up to 200 adults in custody.” 

Continue reading “South Fork Forest Camp’s Main Benefit is Hope – But Firefighting, Forestry Projects, and Raising Fish Help All Oregonians” →