The forest service workforce in the Pacific Northwest is largely immigrant, low-literate, and Spanish-speaking with unique vulnerabilities due to a lack of skills and safety training, occupational immobility, remote work locations, and small contractor employment.
This project is conducted for reforestation pesticide handlers, a workforce that is largely Latino, faces significant language barriers to accessing label information, and has limited organizational and safety training support. According to U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification data from 2015 to 2021, Oregon has seen a significant increase in H2B forestry guest worker visas, compared to the other states in the country, with Jackson County having the most of H2B workers in the state.
