Oregon Board of Forestry New Members, New Chair, April 19

The Oregon Board of Forestry’s new chairperson will welcome three new members at the April 21, 2021, board meeting. Governor Kate Brown recently named Jim Kelly as the chair of the Oregon Board of Forestry. He replaces Tom Imeson, who served as the chair for more than eight years. “With climate change and increasing wildfire, and the other critical forestry-related concerns Oregon is facing, the Board of Forestry’s work is more important than ever,” Kelly said. “My goal as the chair is to ensure the board is fulfilling its obligation to the people of Oregon, and that we provide the State Forester with both the direction and support needed for the Department of Forestry to be successful.” “In my role as the board secretary, I work closely with the board, especially the chair,” explained State Forester Peter Daugherty. “I am looking forward to supporting Jim, and the board as a whole, as they build their team and work through the many complex forest policy issues that come before the board.” Additionally, the board’s April 21, 2021, meeting will be the first for the new board members. Karla Chambers, Ben Deumling, and Chandra Ferrari will join Chair Kelly, Joe Justice, and Brenda McComb, nearly completing the Board of Forestry’s roster. There is one position still vacant. The public is invited to watch the meeting online starting at 9 a.m. Board materials and a link to the livestream are available at https://www.oregon.gov/odf/board/pages/bofmeetings.aspx.