Southern Oregon Forest Restoration Collaborative

09/25/2026

This Saturday, riparian restoration and wildfire risk reduction work picks up again at Willow Wind Community Learning Center in Ashland, near the origin of the 2020 Almeda Fire! 🌿🔥

SOFRC is proud to be part of this effort, which builds on hundreds of hours of work by students and community partners last year and on a legacy of stewardship started by more than 25 years ago. Crews from , funded through the State's Oregon Conservation Corps, will be on site, with coordination and support from Ashland Fire & Rescue.

The work continues throughout the school year. Willow Wind students will plan and complete their own projects through the Taking on the Terrain elective, taught by Emily Bland and SOFRC educators led by Ben Ho, with key funding from . It's hands-on learning where students see their work contribute directly to their community's wildfire resilience.

Thank you to everyone giving their fall Saturday to this work. Teamwork and collaboration make good things happen! 💚

09/15/2026

You can continue to round up or donate at the register through the month of September at the Medford Food Co-op.

Thank you to the members, staff, and shoppers for your support!

09/08/2026

Managing Our Forests for a Future with Climate Change. Oregon’s cherished forested lands are facing critical, interconnected challenges from a changing climate and rising wildfire risks. To address these urgent threats, SOCAN is hosting its monthly general meeting featuring Terry Fairbanks, Executive Director of the Southern Oregon Forest Restoration Collaborative (SOFRC).

Drawing from her extensive forestry and silviculture background with the USFS and BLM, Fairbanks will outline vital regional efforts to minimize environmental risks and promote forest health as global warming continues to impact our dry forests.

During this presentation, Fairbanks will discuss why active management is required to help our region stay resilient in a hotter, drier climate. She will explain how “ecological forestry” retains large, old, fire-resistant trees, and how the Rogue Basin Strategy applies ecological principles across the basin to reduce wildfire risks to homes. We will also learn how local management keeps carbon stable and concentrated in large trees rather than dense stands, and how the Rogue Forest Partners are working on the ground right now.

Tuesday, September 29th, 2026, 6pm at the Medford Public Library, 205 S Central Ave, Medford.

This educational program is completely free and open to the public

More info: https://buff.ly/ckkMMz0

09/05/2026

Get ready for Labor Day weekend at the Medford Food Co-op and round up your purchase to support our wildfire education and workforce training programs! Our high school curriculum prepares students to pursue valuable careers in wildland firefighting and other natural resource fields. 💪🌲

08/30/2026

We are excited to announce that SOFRC’s education programs -- SOFEE and FireBright -- will be the recipient of the Medford Food Co-op's Positive Change program in the month of September! Round up your spare change or make a donation at the register to fuel our wildfire education and workforce training programs. Thank you !

06/18/2026

Did you know, only 10% of historic oak habitats remain in the Pacific Northwest? Our work with the Klamath Siskiyou Oak Network restores critical oak habitats for wildlife, wildflowers, and people who love the wild!

KOBI-TV NBC5 recently interviewed KSON partners - Lomakatsi Restoration Project, Klamath Bird Observatory, and The Understory Initiative about the Upper Rogue Oak Initiative project in the Rogue Valley.
Read the article: https://kobi5.com/.../14-5m-project-restores-oregon-oaks.../
Watch the video: youtube.com/watch?v=l34kqG0oZBQ

EAGLE POINT, Ore. – A $14.5 million collaborative effort led by the Klamath-Siskiyou Oak Network is actively restoring over 3,800 acres of oak habitat across southern Oregon. The Upper Rogue Oak Initiative aims to reverse decades of habitat degradation caused by fire suppression and the resulting ...

06/12/2026

We want to give a shout out to our community partners at Southern Oregon Trail Alliance - SOTA.
Thanks to SOTA, over 50 students in Josephine county were able to practice building fuel breaks and improving trail systems around the region!

Throughout the school year, they loaned us essentail fire tools for hands on learning, like mcCleods, polaskis, shovels, and rakes.

Here are some pictures taken at a fieldtrip at the Siskiyou Field Institute where students are prepping some units for a community fire education event called Ignite, Spring 2026.

06/01/2026

Learn here from local fire science students how smoke can affect your health. Are you at higher risk of smoke exposure? Check out resources to support clean air in your community here https://www.epa.gov/air-research/smoke-ready-toolbox-wildfires

06/01/2026

Did you see smoke this spring? Our partners have been hard at work over the last 15 years to make the Ashland watershed more resilient to wildfire and to improve safety for firefighters and the whole Ashland community. Ecological thinning and prescribed fire can reduce wildfire severity by 70% and improve the health of big old legacy trees. Thanks to the Oregonian for covering this important story of success!

https://www.oregonlive.com/wildfires/2026/05/a-powerful-partnership-aims-to-save-an-oregon-city-from-wildfire-decision-makers-are-taking-notes.html?outputType=amp

Lomakatsi Restoration Project U.S. Forest Service- Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Ashland Fire & Rescue City of Ashland Oregon The Nature Conservancy in Oregon

Tribal fire crews use controlled burns and forest thinning techniques passed down for centuries, proving that "good fire" can help stop devastating wildfires before they start.

05/29/2026

Check out this website made by local high school students!
Four students from NVHS put together a flyer and a website to educate their community about fire preparedness.
https://sites.google.com/trsdstudents.org/fireprecautionshomehardening/home
Check it out!