The Southwest Oregon Regional Forest Practice Committee will meet Friday, December 4, 2015 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The meeting will be held at the Douglas Forest Protective Association Office, 1758 NE Airport Road, Roseburg, Oregon 97479. The Committee will discuss the Southwest Oregon Operator of the Year nominations and select a nominee to receive the award. The Operator of the Year award for Southwest Oregon recognizes forest practices operators that ‘go the extra mile’ for protecting Oregon’s natural resources while working in the forest. Nominees are selected by a Stewardship Forester and are evaluated on an operator’s consistency of positive performance, innovation in project design, relative difficulty of the harvest operation and commitment to protecting Oregon’s natural resources. Regional Forest Practice Committees are panels of citizens – mandated under Oregon law — that advise the Oregon Board of Forestry on current forestry issues and forest management approaches. Three Regional Forest Practice Committees, serving the Northwest, Southwest and Eastern regions of the state, were created by the 1971 Oregon Forest Practices Act. Under Oregon law, a majority of Regional Forest Practice Committees members must be private forest landowners and logging or forest operations companies. Members of the public may attend the meeting. The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities. Requests for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or other accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made at least 48 hours prior to the meeting. Questions about accessibility or special accommodations for the meeting can be directed to the Oregon Department of Forestry at 503-945-7427. Oregon’s forests are among one of the state’s most valued resources, providing a balanced mix of environmental, economic and social benefits. Additional information about ODF’s Regional Forest Practice Committees is available on the Oregon Department of Forestry’s web site: www.oregon.gov/ODF/Board/Pages/RFPC.aspx.