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WHAT IS THE STARKER PROGRAM?
The Starker Program in Private and Family Forestry at Oregon State University
was initiated in 1994 by a gift from the Starker family of Corvallis,
Oregon. The program supports an endowed chair in the Department of Forest
Resources and a growing cadre of graduate students. The Starker Program
conducts research, teaching,
and outreach related to private forests, particularly
non-industrial private forests.
WHY FOCUS ON PRIVATE AND FAMILY FORESTS?
Private and family forests comprise 39%
of Oregon's forestland and are of growing economic, environmental, and social
significance. They are vital to the economies of forest-dependent communities
that once relied upon now-unavailable public sources of wood. Private forests
occupy ecologically significant areas such as riparian zones. Private forest
owners themselves are a valuable human resource linking rural Oregon to its
largely urban population. As Oregon's population grows, the forest values,
amenities, and products associated with private and family forests will become
increasingly important. |
