This is one of several statewide caches designed to connect you
with forests and with history, and to commemorate the centennial
year of the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), Oregon’s
biggest fire department. To appreciate the wider story of
Oregon’s forest history and the evolving work of ODF, be sure
to check out the entire series.
Often confused with the U.S. Forest Service, the Oregon
Department of Forestry is Oregon’s state agency (“the
other guys”) responsible for management of about 1 million
acres of state-owned forest; protection from forest fires on about
16 million acres of public and private forest; and implementation
of standards and rules to protect natural resources during forest
operations on private lands.
We started out as a fire department in 1911 with two paid
employees. Since then, our mission has grown to include planting
and management of the Tillamook, Santiam, Clatsop, Elliott, Sun
Pass and Gilchrist State Forest, and other scattered forest lands.
Today, we operate offices in 17 Oregon communities statewide, and
have about 800 full-time employees. Much has changed in 100 years:
land ownership, harvest practices, the economy, transportation
systems. What hasn’t changed is our commitment to serving
people and protecting Oregon’s forests.
As you seek out this cache, we hope you’ll appreciate the
history behind the place you’re going as you take a moment to
see the forest and the trees.
Safe and happy cachin!
Southwest Oregon District
Headquarters
A 2-part cache located at the Oregon Dept.
of Forestry's Southwest District headquarters. ODF provides
wildland fire protection on about 2 million acres in Jackson and
Josephine counties. We are the fire department for private,
industrial, county, state, BLM and municipal forest lands. See
http://swo.odf.state.or.us
for weather at the cache site! There is no need to go inside the
fence for this cache.