That is the theme for the 88th Annual Oregon Logging Conference.
Impressive displays of state-of-the-art logging and forestry equipment, as well as the latest in Construction, Trucking, and heavy Equipment is just one of the many reasons to attend the upcoming 88th Annual Oregon Logging Conference. The annual gathering, February 19 – 21, 2026 at the Lane Events Center and Fairgrounds in Eugene. This year’s theme will set the stage for unique educational and networking opportunities with industry professionals.
Of this year’s theme “Responsible Forestry Today, Healthy Forests Tomorrow” 88th Annual Oregon Logging Conference President Mike McKibbin said it is more than just a theme.
This year’s theme, ‘Responsible Forestry Today, Healthy Forests Tomorrow,’ is more than a theme. “It is a call to action about how we manage our forests in Oregon,” McKibbin said. “Executive orders signed last year by President Trump call for the immediate expansion of domestic timber production from our public lands,” he added. “This action will not only make our forests healthier but also will provide more raw material for an industry that desperately needs it.”
Keynote Speaker
The 88th Annual Oregon Logging Conference Keynote Speaker is Jacque Buchanan. She is the Regional Forester for Region 6 (Oregon & Washington), Region 5 (California) and Acting Regional Forester for Region 10 (Alaska). In Region 6, Buchanan oversees six National Forests, two National Scenic Areas, a National Grassland, and two National Volcanic Monuments.
Her keynote address will be given on Thursday morning, during the opening session of the Oregon Logging Conference.
Buchanan has served with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the USDA Forest Service for more than 30 years. She has had a diverse career in the U.S. Forest Service, working extensively in the area of resource management, focusing on overall forest health, fire management, range, wildlife, wilderness, and wildfire crisis response. She has also worked in international forestry and has traveled to Brazil, Guyana, and India, teaching fire leadership courses and helping those countries to establish both fire and wilderness management programs.
Buchanan holds a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources from Pennsylvania State University.
Desserts for Dreams Fundraiser to Benefit Compassion Tillamook
All the proceeds from this luncheon held at the Graduate by Hilton Eugene on Friday, February 21st will benefit the non-profit organization Compassion Tillamook, an organization that provides services for those in need. At its 3rd annual Compassion Clinic on February 22, the organization and community volunteers will provide free services including medical, dental, and vision care, a hot meal, vaccines, haircuts, showers, early childhood screening, clothing, and toiletries.
Oregon Logging Conference First Lady Angela McKibbin selected the charity to benefit from this year’s 22nd Annual event. The luncheon features salads and desserts donated by local bakeries and restaurants. This year, the luncheon will include a toiletries collection, with all donations to be distributed at the Compassion Clinic.
8th Annual Future Forestry Workers Career Day
This invitation-only event on Friday, February 20th is an interactive and hands-on career day for high school students, providing them with information about current and future jobs opportunities, and the skills needed to fill those positions. More than 900 high school students from 33 schools in Oregon have signed up to attend and at the event will rotate to different stations to learn about forestry and logging, wildland firefighting, trucking, diesel mechanics, welding, and heavy equipment operation. This event takes place in the Livestock Arena at the Lane County Fairgrounds.
14 Oregon High School teams are expected to participate in the high school forestry skills relay, which is a part of Future Forestry Workers Career Day. Schools participating in this event are Tillamook, Sweet Home, Taft, Philomath, Yoncalla, Waldport, Central Linn, Crater, Neah-Kah-Nie, Clatskanie, Scio, La Pine, and Suislaw High Schools, and Sabin-Schellenberg Center. Students will observe their peers showing off their logging skills in four events: choker setting, hose pay, chainsaw use, and crosscut sawing. These are skills loggers of today and yesterday needed to carry out their trade. This event is sponsored by Nygaard Logging and Warrenton Fiber.
Family Day and OLC Open to the Public Day
There is something NEW and EXCITING this year on Family Day, Saturday, February 21st, the final day of the Oregon Logging Conference and the same day there is free public admission to the show.
Family Day activities are planned from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Wheeler Pavilion, on the Lane County Fairgrounds and for the first time will include virtual visits to a working forest. For The Trees is a series of videos produced by Oregon Forests Forever, each a few minutes long which takes the viewer on a journey through active forest management, wildfire prevention, reforestation, and introduces the people who keep Oregon’s forests heathy and sustainable. This virtual reality experience shares the sights and sounds that can only be found inside a working forest.
Other family day activities will include the popular building of wooden birdhouses, live wildlife, free seedling giveaways, and other forestry-related hands-on opportunities.
“Saturday, we invite our industry’s families to join us, as well as being open to the public which provides an opportunity for everyone to learn more about who we are and what we do and meet many of the professionals who make their living in this industry,” said Rikki Wellman, OLC Manager. “Our conference is also a place where forestry and natural resource professionals can socialize and network with others in the industry.”
Seminars and Panel Discussions
A variety of current topic seminars and panel discussions will be taking place at the OLC. A full list is posted on the OLC website (www.oregonloggingconfernce.com) and is also available in the TimberWest Magazine 2026 OLC Show Guide (https://issuu.com/forestnet2/docs/timberwest_january_february_2026_or_192e6292277397)
Two business seminars being offered again this year are First Aid/CPR/AED and Basic Fire School Certification classes. The First Aid class will be taught by Chet Casey of First Aid Safety Training Inc., includes an additional sign-up fee, and is limited to the first 50 registered OLC members who register. The Basic Fire School Certification class will be taught by Mike Jackson of the Douglas Forest Protection Association, and those who complete the course will receive a basic fire certification card.
Seminars and panel discussions take place Thursday and Friday, February 20th and 21st and are open to those registered to attend the OLC.
Fun to Watch Activities
The annual 16th Annual Log Loader Competition is a popular outdoor event which tests the skills of log loader operators, as they demonstrate speed, skill, and efficiency. Operating a Link-Belt log loader, contestants have seven minutes to stack log blocks end-to-end, matching numbers or colors on predetermined marks on the ground.
Watch as the Chainsaw Carvers use their skills to create amazing and beautiful works of art. Two chainsaw carvers will be at the Oregon Logging Conference: Jay Peppard, Chainsaw Buzz and Wayne Lyon, Bears, Bears, Bears Wood Carving.
For more information about the 88th Annual Oregon Logging Conference, visit the OLC website: www.oregonloggingconference.com