Press

At We The Forest, we believe that every voice in forestry matters, especially those creating real solutions for the challenges our industry faces. Today, we’re honored to feature Blake Manley as a guest contributor.

Blake Manley is a passionate advocate for forestry education and workforce development. From teaching at Sweet Home High School to founding Manley Jobs during the 2020 pandemic, Blake has dedicated his career to connecting people with careers that you don’t often see in the everyday classroom. With his forestry background his primary target has been the forest products industry. His innovative efforts, featured on Fox News and national radio shows, have positioned him as a leader in reshaping how the industry engages with young people and underserved populations.

With a direct, no-nonsense approach, Blake focuses on bridging critical gaps in training, education, and workforce engagement. Now, in his own words, here’s one person’s view on what the forestry industry needs to do to build a sustainable future.

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What if Oregon led the nation in growing a renewable resource, powered by solar energy that sequestered carbon from the air and produced sustainable building materials? What if responsibly managing that resource helped protect our communities from wildfires, enhanced wildlife habitat, created family wage jobs and directly supported essential public services such as education?

As a forester, I am often asked what will happen to our forests with hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of dead and dying trees caused by this year’s historic wildfires. The answer comes as a surprise to many: It depends. 

There already is an emerging debate of climate change vs. lack of forest management and it is honestly not an either or, it is both. Even if our state had approved aggressive climate policies this year, it wouldn't have changed what's happening right now, and it’s not all that has to be done.

Recent statistics illustrate the impacts of catastrophic wildfire on NSO habitat. Oregon’s 2020 wildfires burned more than 560 square miles of suitable nesting and roosting spotted owl habitat. Of that, over 300 square miles are no longer considered viable for the owl.

There is nothing more disheartening than being called a hero during fire season and then slandered in the media or overregulated outside of fire emergencies. Firefighters are not just 20-person handcrews, hotshots and smokejumpers. They are also loggers, ranchers, road builders and much more.

The department should be proposing in its CCCP a focus on research into biomass markets, engineered wood products and a lifecycle assessment of the timber industry in Oregon similar to the work being done in Washington.