Take Starker Forests Tours in 2017 and tour a gorgeous working forest!

Free guided tours of beautiful Starker Forests are available in July and August. Starker Forests Tours are about three and a half hours long and begin when you’re picked up in front of the Corvallis Comfort Suites Inn lobby at 12:45 and transported to Starker Forests for your tour. The tour involves, among other activities, a 1/4-mile walk , where you will learn about the different practices of forest management that Starker Forests applies. Remember to dress appropriately for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes! You’ll return to the Comfort Suites Inn around 4:30 pm.

Seating for the tours is limited so reservations for all Starker Forests Tours are required. Please call Visit Corvallis at 800-334-8118 or 541-757-1544 to make your reservation. Please be sure to call Visit Corvallis if you need to cancel, so we can make room for those on the waiting list. Please try to call by the Tuesday before your tour, by 5pm if you need to cancel. For those signing up 10 or more people, please call to make arrangements to take tour on a different day of the week. (We like to leave the Wednesday tour available for those reserving for smaller groups, pairs, or by themselves.)

Special, all-day tours happen three times this season. On these days, you’ll tour the Georgia Pacific Mill in the morning, followed by the guided tour of Starker Forests in the afternoon. You’ll be picked up at the Corvallis Comfort Suites Inn at 10:30am and whisked away to tour the mill. Afterwards, it’s off to the forest for the guided tour. Bring a lunch with you to enjoy on the drive! You’ll be back by around 4:30, as usual, and dropped off at the Comfort Suites Inn.

No children under 12 are allowed on this all-day tour, as the Georgia Pacific Mill is a working mill. Guests on this tour must remember to wear closed-toed shoes like sneakers or hiking boots, and long pants. No open-toed shoes like sandals, or shorts or skirts, are allowed. Unfortunately, it’s not possible at this time to sign up for only the Mill tour or only the Starker Forests tour on these all-day tours.

Complete Starker Forests Tour Schedule

• July 5
• July 12
• July 19 – Georgia Pacific Mill Tour
• July 26
• August 2 – Georgia Pacific Mill Tour
• August 9
• August 16 – Georgia Pacific Mill Tour
• August 23
• August 30

Company Actively Seeks New CEO

12/7/16

After 41 years following in his family’s legacy, Starker Forests, Inc’s Chief Executive Officer and President, Bond Starker, will retire this coming spring. Bond is the grandson of Thurman James (T.J.) Starker who started the family business more than 80 years ago with a visionary approach to purchasing second-growth forests in a time when logging old-growth timber was common. Bond and his brother Barte, who retired in 2015, have carried their grandfather’s innovative traditions forward since they assumed leadership roles in 1975 to make the company the fifth-generation successful business that it is today.

“One of the trademarks of my grandfather’s accomplishments was his foresight and ability to plan for the future,” Bond said. “That’s a value that our family has maintained for decades – from our forestry practice to our commitment to this community – we’re in it for the long haul, and that won’t change. I’m looking forward to watching the next generation of leadership at Starker Forests continue to implement those strongly-held values and ingenuity in a way that will continue to sustainably grow our forests and communities.”

In preparation for the leadership transition that will take place when Bond retires, Starker Forests is seeking the best person, whether they be internal or external, to carry forward the stewardship of the Starker family culture and the implementation of the Starker Forests Inc. strategic plan. For more information on the position and instructions for interested applicants, please visit www.starkerforests.com/jobs

We are now offering Christmas tree permits for a minimum $5.00 donation to PYAC, Boys & Girls Club or Old Mill Center, Starker Forests also matches that donation. Come and get a permit if you would like a tree that is not manicured and has grown in the forest.

November 7, 2016

Caring for forests and giving quietly to the community

Starker Forests, Inc. is well-known for producing sustainable timber, wildlife habitats, clean water and recreation on more than 87,000 acres of forestland in Oregon. What is perhaps lesser known is its dedication to serving the communities of which it has been a part for the last eight decades.

Founded in 1936 by T.J. Starker, the company is one of the true pioneers of the Oregon timber industry. The company also was engaging in sustainable forest management before the method was considered popular. Through its business and philanthropic practices, Starker Forests had earned a reputation as one of the most widely-respected family-owned timber companies in Oregon.

For its commitment to the community “ as both an environmentally-conscious forester and philanthropic corporation “ Starker Forests has been named the 2016 AFP Outstanding Philanthropic Corporation. The award recognizes a business that, through their foundation, corporate giving program or their employees, commits significant financial or in-kind resources to assist organizations in meeting community needs “ an entity that is a solid community-minded corporate citizen.