Northwest Timber: Where Grit Meets Science
The Pacific Northwest has long been the epicenter of the American forestry and logging industry. Today, Oregon and Washington are the top-two softwood lumber producers in the nation, together accounting for 29 percent of the building materials produced in the U.S. The region’s expansive forests, dominated by towering Douglas fir and western hemlock, have provided […]
Students’ Art Transforms Hampton Lumber Wrap
At Hampton Lumber, we believe in the power of community and the importance of celebrating the unique character of the places where we operate. That’s why, in 2022, we gave local high school students the opportunity to showcase their creativity and community pride through a lumber wrap design contest. We received around 100 submissions, each […]
Seeking a Better Future for National Forests at Risk
Since the early 1990s, timber harvest volume on federally-managed National Forests in the Pacific Northwest has decreased by more than 90 percent. While National Forests make up nearly half of all forestland in Washington and Oregon, they currently account for only 10 percent of wood supply in the region. As a result, many mills shuttered […]
Portland YouthBuilders and Hampton Team Up
Hampton has a long history of engagement in the communities where we operate. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, we work with a number of local non-profit organizations that work to improve quality of life for all. One such organization is Portland YouthBuilders (PYB). PYB has helped thousands of young people whose experiences with poverty, violence, drugs, […]
Girls Build Comes to Oregon’s North Coast
Girls Build, based in Portland, Oregon, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering girls aged 8 to 14 through hands-on building and construction activities. Founded to address gender disparities in the trades, Girls Build offers workshops, camps, and after-school programs where participants learn skills such as carpentry, welding, and electrical work from female instructors. We discovered […]
Trees & Bees: Pollinator Habitat on Timberlands
Hampton’s working forests provide raw materials for a variety of value-added wood products but they also create a wide range of habitat opportunities as trees grow and mature, including for native pollinators. Recent studies reveal that timber harvest sites can act as valuable pollinator habitat by opening up areas of forest canopy for habitation by plant […]
Yes, in My Backyard: Rural Oregonians Defend Deep Connections to Working State Forests
Commissioner Courtney Bangs left her home on Oregon’s north coast at 5am on a Tuesday morning. Her destination; the Oregon Capitol. Her mission; keep State Forests working for her community. A working mom of three, her position on the Clatsop County Commission is her first experience with public office. “It’s been like drinking from a […]
Can Collaboration Save Our National Forests?
There is very little timber being harvested from National Forests in Oregon and Washington these days, despite increasingly severe wildfire seasons and a widely acknowledged need for fuels reduction. What is also true is that what is harvested is hard won progress, the result of years of research, dialogue, debate, collaboration, and sometimes litigation. National Forest […]
Oregon State Forest Plan Doesn’t Deliver
Last week it became clear that the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) has a big problem on its hands. The 70-year Oregon State Forest Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) the agency spent years developing will decimate the agency’s budget, do significantly more economic harm to surrounding communities than was previously reported, and shutter many large and […]
Cruising for Timber…and Dinner in Oregon State Forests
Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) managed State Forests are a particularly important source of timber for Hampton’s sawmills. ODF harvests a portion of these lands to provide revenue for schools and other public services and cover the cost of forest protection and recreational access. State Forest timber sales are planned and advertised by ODF. Each harvest […]
