Oregon’s timber industry has undergone an extreme makeover in the 30 years since the fight over old growth forests and spotted owls. But despite timber companies’ diminished economic contributions, they have held on to much of their status and influence. They’ve done that with the help of an obscure public agency -- called The Oregon Forest Resources Institute.

OPB, The Oregonian and ProPublica teamed up to investigate.

Here’s OPB’s Tony Schick, explaining how this public agency has aided industry lobbying and image-making efforts.

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