Trust For Public Land and Oregon State University Announce Acquisition of 3,110 Acres in Tualatin Mountain Forest
Trust For Public Land (TPL) and Oregon State University (OSU), in partnership with Metro, Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), and local community organizations, announced today the acquisition of 3,110 acres of timber land from Weyerhaeuser Company.
Located 10 miles west of Portland and within proximity of the beloved Forest Park, the Tualatin Mountains are where many local residents go to recreate and revel in Oregon’s natural wonderland.
TPL and OSU, in partnership with Weyerhaeuser, have permanently conserved 3,110 acres of actively managed forestland, ensuring this incredible forest remains a resilient and accessible natural resource for all. Continued management as a research forest will ensure future access to an extensive network of trails, conserve 20 miles of creeks and headwaters, and open up nature-based educational experiences for youth with limited exposure to managed and accessible forest landscapes.
“Conserving and opening access to the Tualatin Mountain Forest is an investment in the health and well-being of communities across the Portland metro area, for those here now, and for future generations,” said Kristin Kovalik, Oregon Program Director for Trust for Public Land. “We’re deeply grateful for the collaboration between partners, which will help ensure that everyone can connect with the outdoors and experience the benefits of nearby nature.”
The newly acquired land will be owned by Oregon State University and managed by the College of Forestry. With the acquisition of the Tualatin Mountain Forest, the College of Forestry now manages 10 research forests across Oregon, comprising more than 18,000 acres. The forest will serve as a living laboratory for researchers from Oregon State and other institutions, Tribes, agencies and organizations to advance research in forest resilience, habitat restoration, sustainable timber production and wildfire risk reduction, with learnings applicable across Oregon and beyond.
“The Tualatin Mountain Forest will offer incredible opportunities for educational programming, public access, and the co-identification of research and management priorities with Tribes, including the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, on whose ancestral lands the forest is located,” said Tom DeLuca, dean of the Oregon State University College of Forestry. “We’re so thankful to our partners who helped establish the Tualatin Mountain Forest as an OSU Research Forest. This forest gives us the rare chance to research and demonstrate new and different approaches to active management, and to showcase how timber harvest, research and access to nature-based recreation and education can beautifully support our economies, urban communities and our understanding of forest ecosystems.”
As living outdoor classrooms and demonstration sites, OSU Research Forests provide a diversity of forest conditions for short-and long-term research projects and enable Extension faculty to educate and engage with forest owners, managers, educators and youth across the state. They are also financially self-sustaining, with all research, education, outreach and recreation activities funded through revenue generated by sustainable timber harvests, grants and philanthropy.
“We have a long-standing relationship with Oregon State University and the Oregon Department of Forestry, as well as a shared interest in advancing the science and understanding of sustainable working forests and all the benefits they provide,” said Alex Littlejohn, Conservation Director for Weyerhaeuser. “This project presented a compelling opportunity to support long-term forest research and enhanced outdoor access for the greater Portland community, and we appreciated the collaboration with all our partners to make sure this area remains a thriving forest ecosystem.”
Beyond important research and education, public access is a key part of OSU’s vision for the Tualatin Mountain Forest. In the coming years, the College of Forestry will develop a visitor use and recreation plan that ensures ecological integrity of the forest and community benefit, as well as alignment with active forest management. Additionally, OSU plans to explore new partnerships focused on K–12 nature-based education to expand outdoor learning experiences regarding climate, science and natural resources stewardship for Portland area youth.
Providing public access will also contribute to Oregon’s outdoor economy, which generates billions in revenue each year and relies on healthy ecosystems. As an important wildlife corridor, this property provides aquatic habitat that supports salmon and other fish downstream, which are essential to the local economy, and hold cultural significance to many Tribes in the area. The acquisition ensures that over 20 miles of water resources important for fish and wildlife habitat will remain stewarded and protected as part of a thriving and actively managed forest ecosystem, including creeks in the Multnomah Channel headwaters that contribute to downstream critical habitat for federally threatened Chinook salmon, Coho salmon and steelhead.
“This project has been an incredible undertaking with hard work and dedication from the project teams to see the project through to completion,” said ODF’s Forest Legacy Program Administrator Christina Helige. “The Tualatin Mountain Forest project will continue to provide beautiful, accessible forests close to Portland for decades to come. It’s really an exciting next chapter for these lands and everyone involved.” Helige added, “Projects like these play a key role in fostering healthy, resilient landscapes that can help improve wildfire mitigation through responsible forest management that benefits our economy and ecosystems.”
“This is exactly the kind of deeply impactful project that voters entrusted us to support when they passed the 2019 parks and nature bond,” said Metro Council President Lynn Peterson. “This acquisition will help preserve the natural beauty that makes our region so special.”
The acquisition of the Tualatin Mountain Forest was made possible at no initial cost to Oregon State University by Trust For Public Land with grants from the U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program and funding from Metro’s voter-approved 2019 parks and nature bond. Additional partners on this project include the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, the West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District, Northwest Trail Alliance, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, The VF Foundation, and other community organizations.
About Trust for Public Land:
Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,504 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, raised $110 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 9.7 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org.
About Oregon State University:
As one of only three land, sea, space and sun grant universities in the nation, Oregon State serves Oregon and the world by working on today’s most pressing issues. Our nearly 38,000 students come from across the globe, and our programs operate in every Oregon county. Oregon State receives more research funding than all of the state’s comprehensive public universities combined. At our campuses in Corvallis and Bend, marine research center in Newport, OSU Portland Center and award-winning Ecampus, we excel at shaping today’s students into tomorrow’s leaders.
About the OSU College of Forestry:
For a century, the College of Forestry has been a world class center of teaching, learning and research. It is now ranked as the top college of forestry in the United States. The college offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs in sustaining ecosystems, managing forests and manufacturing wood products; conducts basic and applied research on the nature and use of forests; and stewards 18,000 acres of forest lands.
About Oregon Department of Forestry:
The Oregon Department of Forestry administers the Forest Legacy Program in partnership with the U.S.D.A. Forest Service. The program helps conserve private forests. It ensures these forests continue to provide clean water, wildlife habitat, and public access. This federal grant program requires private funds to access federal funds. Combined private and federal funds pay for either fee title purchase or a conservation easement to prevent development. The purchase transfers ownership from a private owner to a public owner. The program supports responsible forest management that benefits both the environment and local communities.
About Metro:
Metro serves more than 1.7 million people in the greater Portland area. In addition to managing the Oregon Convention Center, Portland’5 Centers for the Arts, Portland Expo Center and Oregon Zoo, Metro also manages the region’s garbage and recycling system, protects clean water and air at more than 18,000 acres of parks and natural areas, oversees long-range planning across 24 cities and 3 counties, and is supporting construction of more than 4,000 affordable homes region-wide with more on the way. Learn more at oregonmetro.gov.
About Weyerhaeuser:
Weyerhaeuser Company, one of the world’s largest private owners of timberlands, began operations in 1900 and today owns or controls approximately 10.4 million acres of timberlands in the U.S., as well as additional public timberlands managed under long-term licenses in Canada. Weyerhaeuser has been a global leader in sustainability for more than a century and manages 100 percent of its timberlands on a fully sustainable basis in compliance with internationally recognized sustainable forestry standards. Weyerhaeuser is also one of the largest manufacturers of wood products in North America and operates additional business lines around product distribution, climate solutions, real estate, energy and natural resources, among others. In 2024, the company generated $7.1 billion in net sales and employed approximately 9,400 people who serve customers worldwide. Operated as a real estate investment trust, Weyerhaeuser’s common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WY. Learn more at www.weyerhaeuser.com.
About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:
Now in its fifth decade of conservation accomplishment and fueled by hunters, RMEF has conserved more than 9.1 million acres for elk and other wildlife, including nearly 900,000 acres in Oregon. RMEF also works to open and improve public access, fund and advocate for science-based resource management, and ensure the future of America’s hunting heritage. Discover why “Hunting Is Conservation” ® at rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.
