Dustin Rymph

Email: dustinrymph@gmail.com
Title: Project Manager
Organization: Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative
Community: Oakridge-Westfir
Population: Approx. 4000
Counties Served: Lane

Meet Dustin Rymph:

Dustin received his MS in Conflict Resolution with a Land Use Specialization from the University of Oregon in 2021. After graduating from the University of Nebraska with a Poli Sci degree in 2011, he spent the ensuing years working in Nebraska as a prairie ecologist, DIY music organizer, market farmer, high school debate coach, and doing many other odd jobs. Currently he is in his second year in RARE. He can be found in his spare time making music, gardening, foraging for wild edible plants, hiking with his partner, and throwing around a tiny tennis ball with his Chihuahua.

Community and Organization:

Oakridge, Oregon is a town in the Cascade Foothills that was historically built around the timber products industry. It is surrounded by the Willamette National Forest, and has been central in the “Timber Wars” controversies regarding forest management in Western Oregon. The Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative was formed to deal with multiple aspects of forest management to find collaborative, community-rooted solutions that address the needs of stakeholders at all levels.

Project:

Dustin is primarily focused on helping greater Oakridge become a Fire Adapted community. His second year will be spent managing three separate but complementary SB762 funded fuels reduction projects which were awarded in his first year. He facilitates the region’s only active “Fire Safe Council” which brings together agency stakeholders from the local to the federal level in addition to cooperating citizens. He also conducts Firewise assessments. Finally, he facilitates the Recreation Committee, which provides advisory capacity to Forest Service recreation planning.