October 13, 2026

Tom Partin is has spent nearly 60 year in the forestry profession, working for the Forest Service, Private Industry, and for a Trade Association. He has a passion for active forest management that supports our rural communities and counties.  Tom was also the mayor of John Day, Oregon for one term.  This summer, wildfire burned…

Indigenous Peoples’ Day on October 12 offered a timely reminder that Indigenous peoples actively managed forests across the American West for thousands of years. They cut trees, harvested wood and deliberately set fires to provide homes, canoes, food and wildlife habitat. Many landscapes encountered by European settlers reflected generations of human stewardship. That history presents…