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!
ODF Lake Unit Headquarters
The Klamath-Lake District administers Department programs on 1.4 million acres in Klamath and Lake Counties located in south central Oregon. The District stretches north from the California border to Crater Lake National Park and east from the crest of the Cascades to the Warner Mountains east of Lakeview. The District has deep historical roots with beginnings as the Klamath-Lake Counties Forest Fire Association in 1908. The Association changed its name in 1922 when it incorporated as Klamath Forest Protective Association (KFPA). In 1975, the Oregon Department of Forestry took over the fire suppression responsibilities. This office was built in the mid 1970's as the headquarters for the ODF Lake Unit.