April Ehrlich
April Ehrlich is a reporter covering lands and environmental policies in Oregon and Southwest Washington at OPB, after joining as a breaking news editor in November 2021. She previously worked at Jefferson Public Radio in Southern Oregon, where she was a reporter, show producer, and radio host. While there, she focused much of her reporting on wildfire coverage, including an investigation with NPR into federal disaster assistance programs and how they routinely fail people in marginalized groups.
April’s reporting has won numerous Public Media Journalists Association awards and regional Edward R. Murrow awards, as well as a national Murrow.
Latest Stories
‘The Evergreen’: OPB journalists help us make sense of federal government changes
We take a tour of OPB’s newsroom and hear from reporters covering politics, climate, health, business and more about what federal policy changes mean for people in the Northwest.
Oregon fire officials say PacifiCorp didn’t cause Santiam Fire, contradicting federal reports, jury decision
The Oregon Department of Forestry report comes five years after the 2020 fire, as PacifiCorp pushes for legislation that would limit utilities' wildfire liabilities
Oregon lawmakers propose wildfire funding solutions bill
House Bill 3940 is a mash of options proposed by a wildfire funding work group that looked into the challenges of paying to mitigate, suppress and fight fires.
Portland councilors discuss safety of storing oil in an industrial hub sitting on a quake zone
The city’s six-mile hub of fuel storage and shipping terminals along the Willamette River is expected to crumble due to an earthquake phenomenon called liquefaction, a type of riverside quicksand effect that could release millions of gallons of fuel.
Oregon streams, fish protections face budget cuts under legislative proposals
Environmental groups and timberland owners are calling on Oregon lawmakers to support a yearslong agreement that will be financially slashed under current budget proposals.
Oregon wildfire bills offer some financial protections to utility companies
A bill introduced Tuesday would create a fund to help people who lose homes or businesses to utility-caused wildfires — as long as they agree not to sue utility companies for that damage.
PGE can cut into Forest Park following Portland hearing officers' decision
Portland General Electric plans to log about 400 trees in Portland's urban forest to make way for power poles and transmission lines.
Northwest Forest Plan advisers told their committee will be disbanded
The group, appointed under former President Joe Biden, has completed its core assignment, but still has some remaining goals.
Trump’s timber directives could sway Oregon forest policy, but market effects remain unclear
President Donald Trump called on agencies to expand domestic timber supply. That could influence prospective forest polices that are currently in the works, but implications for Oregon's timber industry are less clear.
Portland’s airport hypes sustainable timber, but those lofty claims are more complicated than they seem
The Port of Portland has heavily touted the sustainability and local wood sourcing behind its newly renovated, $2 billion terminal. But a closer look illustrates both lofty ambitions — and a sustainable timber industry that may not exist.