Volunteers

Want to help with trail maintenance, but don't want to be a crew lead or sawyer? Join on of the volunteer work parties on the third Saturday of the month for trail maintenance around the Forest. There are also opportunities to join independent volunteer crews with saw, brushing, and tread projects throughout the season. If your knowledge and interests lie more with plants, there will also be some opportunities to join in the volunteer trails days as a weed warrior! This would include removing a variety of invasive species along the work area and can accommodate a variety of different physical abilities and endurance levels.

Sawyers use chainsaws or crosscut saws to cut downed logs out of trails. To be a sawyer, you must be certified by the Forest Service and be First Aid/CPR-certified. A-level sawyers must cut with B-level sawyer or higher.

Crew leads head up saw, brushing, or tread crews in the field. They must be First Aid/CPR certified, be trained in field communication, and be approved by FS staff. If you're interested in being a crew lead, attend the Volunteer Leadership Training and Advanced Skills Trail Stewardship course. Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator-Misti-Kae Bucich at misti-kae.n.bucich@usda.gov for more information. 

With hundreds of miles of trails on the Forest, scouts play a vital role in providing trail updates for the trail program. Scouts send in status reports, help keep the ArcGIS map updated with relevant information, and help with wilderness inventories.

Campground hosts act as the public face of a campground. They ensure fees are paid, vehicle limits are abided by, and rules are followed by guests. They may also provide recreation or interpretive information. Visit https://www.volunteer.gov/s/ to find your volunteer opportunity.

Volunteers are needed to staff Colliding Rivers Visitor Center in Glide and Diamond Lake Visitor Center in the summer months. Tasks include providing customer service, communicating information, orientating new visitors to the area, trip-planning, and representing the Umpqua National Forest.

Administrative volunteers play a crucial role in supporting the forest by handling tasks such as organizing the office, scanning documents, making copies, restocking pamphlets, sorting maps, and other general administrative tasks.

Dorena Genetic Resource Center (Dorena) is a native plant nursery and genetic screening center serving the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Our nursery staff specialize in collecting seed, growing plants, planning and implementing restoration projects, and monitoring their success. Our goal is to conserve and restore our native landscapes as they face the emerging threats of wildfires, climate change, and non-native diseases.

NATIVE PLANT PROGRAM

We grow a variety of native plants for restoration projects. This process starts with collecting locally adapted seed that will be suited to the location and habitat where the plants will eventually end up. The seeds are sown and grown in our greenhouses until they are ready to be planted. Then we outplant and monitor them in restoration sites.

PORT ORFORD CEDAR PROGRAM

This is a tree species with a small range in Oregon and Northern California that is threatened by a nonnative Phytophthora root disease. We are working to find and cultivate resistance of Port Orford Cedar trees to this disease, and get resistant seeds planted back into their native habitat.

5-NEEDLE PINE PROGRAM

There are multiple native species of five-needled pines with populations that are vulnerable to white pine blister rust. This program is focused on finding and cultivating natural resistance to this non-native disease to support restoration of these important native pines in our forests.

TREE CLIMBING

The Forest Service National Tree Climbing Program is based here and we host an annual tree climbing training for federal employees. There is a high demand in the agency for climbing trees to support forest management, including collecting seeds from conifer cones. We perform cone collection for our programs and train others to safely do so.

VOLUNTEERING

Dorena has a growing volunteer program that is seeking volunteers to join us on the second Tuesday of each month from 9:30 to 2pm. Volunteers may help with various nursery tasks including transplanting, pruning, thinning, spacing, fertilizing, and weeding. Whether you’re looking to gain horticultural experience or just enjoy working with plants and being out in nature, we welcome you to volunteer with us. Come and join us for a fun day of plant care!