PORTLAND, Ore. - Nine years ago, the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) installed timelapse cameras in a reforested area on private timberland in Oregon’s Coast Range to capture the growth of 4-year-old and 9-year-old trees that were planted in a clearcut. Footage from the solar-powered cameras, which filmed the fast-growing young trees for seven years, shows how a new forest has filled in the timber harvest within 15 years of planting seedlings.
OFRI has released a two-minute video called A Forest Begins with details about reforestation in Oregon, a summary of the timelapse project, and highlights from the footage. In the video, the trees shoot upwards as the seasons change, their bright green needles budding out in the spring and boughs drooping from the weight of snow in the winter. Eventually, the trees grow so tall they block the view of the cameras documenting them.
The release of the timelapse video coincides with the start of OFRI’s spring educational advertising campaign, which kicked off March 11 and features multiple spots airing on broadcast and digital media. The campaign highlights the importance of reforestation to sustain Oregon’s forests for future generations.
The Institute also recently released a new three-part educational video series called Reforestation in Oregon that explores different aspects of the reforestation process, such as growing and collecting seeds from native and genetically bred trees, or hand-planting seedlings on steep terrain and in brutal weather during Oregon’s replanting season. All three videos can be viewed on OFRI’s YouTube channel.