The World Forestry Center is located in beautiful Washington Park in Portland, Oregon, USA. Our neighbors include the 70 hectare Hoyt Arboretum, the Oregon Zoo, and the Children's Museum.

Portland is a green, friendly, and very livable city. It is a city of 1.8 million people living in the metropolitan area, making it the largest city and business center in the state of Oregon. Vibrant, diverse neighborhoods are home to all manner of people, but it is the other things that give a place its soul - the cafes and markets, the art, parks, plazas, vistas and sanctuaries. Portland sits near the confluence of two of the West's mightiest rivers, the Columbia and the Willamette. Recently, Portland was proclaimed as North America's "Best Big City" according to Money Magazine. Portland offers natural beauty, and plenty of recreational activities. Rivaling the city's manmade art are the spectacular masterpieces by Mother Nature. Crowning the city's skyline is Mount Hood, the tallest peak in Oregon's Cascade Mountain Range. Within an hour drive of the city one can be on a mountain, at the beach, in the desert, or in the middle of a forest.

The forestry sector has long been an integral part of Oregon's history and economy. The state's rich natural resources, changing demographics, and public values make it an ideal location to examine various issues impacting forestry. World War II and the 1970's saw booming development in the timber sector, driving Oregon's economic engine. This would change in the 1980's, when federal regulations dramatically reduced harvesting on public lands in Oregon, so that today more than 80% of Oregon's timber harvest comes from private lands. But even with the recent diversification of its economy, Oregon remains the largest producer of forest products among the 50 states.

Oregon Facts:
Oregon is home to 3.5 million residents
Oregon is 248,632 square kilometers, 45% of which is forested
More than half (60.5%) of forestland is publicly owned
Of the remaining 39.5%; 21.5% is owned by large corporate land owners and 18% is owned by family forest and tribal owners
Oregon was the first state in the USA to have a forest practices act to regulate timber harvest practices
Primary industries are Agriculture, High Tech, Forestry, and Tourism

Portland Facts:
Portland was rated America's "Best Big City" in 2000 by Money Magazine
15,000 hectares of parks are located in the metro area, including the 2,000 hectare Forest Park
1.8 million people live within the metro area and nearly 510,000 within the city limits