PORTLAND — The Oregon Forest Resources Institute is making progress implementing recommendations from a 2021 state audit to improve the agency’s transparency and objectivity, according to a memo sent Dec. 2 to the Secretary of State’s Office. 

The audit determined that while OFRI presented itself as an objective, educational entity, it was not transparent about its statutory mandate to support the timber industry.

OFRI was created in 1991 by the Oregon Legislature to support the state’s forest products industry through public outreach and landowner education. It is governed by a 13-member board of directors and funded by a portion of the state’s Forest Products Harvest Tax.

Among their findings, auditors stated OFRI had inconsistent mission statements and outdated strategic plans; lacked standards for developing, reviewing and implementing quality information; and provided testimony that could be perceived as attempting to influence legislation, which is prohibited by statute.

The memo detailed steps taken by OFRI to comply with recommendations in the audit.

Staff and board members underwent ethics training in April, provided by the state Government Ethics Commission. The Oregon Department of Justice was also brought in to develop internal policies and processes to keep employees from inappropriate lobbying.

Those policies are expected to be finalized by early next year, said Jim Paul, who was hired as OFRI’s executive director in September. 

OFRI will also update its strategic plan in 2023, beginning as early as February. The plan will clarify the agency’s mission, with goals tied to specific performance metrics, Paul said.

The OFRI board approved a new mission statement for the agency in April, to “support and enhance Oregon’s forest products industry by advancing public understanding of forests, forest management and forest products.” 

Using that as a jumping-off point, Paul said the strategic plan will focus on educational programs and initiatives highlighting how and where the forestry sector and public interests overlap — such as providing thousands of jobs, mitigating wildfire risk and improving water quality. OFRI’s strategic plan was last updated in 2017.

“There are definitely parts of the sector that directly benefit the public,” he said. “We want to be sure the public is aware of that, and the sector is aware of that.” 

To ensure data and information is accurate and unbiased, OFRI adopted a new Quality Information Policy in July. It calls for projects to be led by steering committees, with members selected from from a stakeholder checklist that includes environmental groups, trade associations, government organizations and education institutions. 

Projects will then undergo an eight-step public review process, which was also adopted by the OFRI board in July.

“Most of those (audit) recommendations, the agency has addressed or done significant work addressing,” Paul said. “We’re going to be finishing those up over the next 6-9 months.”