Deschutes

Rangeland faculty help mitigate spread of invasive grasses

Invasive annual grasses are a threat to the Great Basin desert ecosystem that includes much of eastern Oregon. They compromise habitat diversity for important wildlife species such as the greater sage-grouse. They shorten the ...

Aug 2020 | Impact Story

Organic vegetable producers finding new ways to fight weeds

Organic produce continues to be in high demand in Oregon, but what consumers don’t see are the weeds growers fight to keep out of their fields. In surveys, organic vegetable growers in Oregon consistently identify weed ...

Aug 2020 | Impact Story

Oregon Tech Trek results in increased interest among girls in STEM careers

STEM careers are among the fastest-growing and highest-paying in the United States, yet they are still dominated by men, particularly computer science (26% female) and engineering (12% female). Research has shown that females and ...

Jun 2020 | Impact Story

High Desert Garden Tour educates gardeners on growing conditions

Gardeners in the fast-growing high desert of Central Oregon encounter a short growing season, limited precipitation, frost any day of the year, and lackluster soil. Both ornamentals and food are a challenge to raise successfully. ...

Apr 2024 | Impact Story

Forest project focuses on planning and managing for fire at landscape scale

Federal agencies, state government, collaborative groups and businesses have been attempting to increase the pace and scale of restoration in fire-adapted forests east of the Cascades in Oregon. But achieving landscape-scale outcomes ...

Mar 2019 | Impact Story

OSU Extension provides leadership for statewide Outdoor School

Outdoor School is a transformative, immersive experience that instills environmental literacy and positive learning behaviors in students. It also encourages a belief that Oregon is a special place, with ecosystems they can enjoy and...

Mar 2024 | Impact Story

Juntos program empowers Latino families around education, earns accolades

Nearly 25% of Oregon's public school students are Latino. In an environment where Latino students experience persistent disparities in high school completion and college access, it is imperative to offer pre-college support that ...

Jan 2021 | Impact Story

BEPA 2.0 has students stepping up their physical activity

Data show that among school-age children, low physical activity, poor diet, and spending too much time being inactive are not only associated with poor health, but also with poor educational outcomes. In 2007, a new Oregon law...

Oct 2022 | Impact Story

OSU foresters confront Swiss needle cast disease, mountain pine beetles

A serious epidemic of Swiss needle cast has hit the west slope of the Oregon Coast Range. This native fungal foliage disease can significantly reduce growth rates and the competitiveness of Douglas-fir, the most important timber...

Impact Story

OSU helps Oregon's forest products industry remain competitive

About 80% of Oregon’s forestland is classified as “timberland" – forestland that can productively grow commercial-grade timber. From the end of World War II until 1989, timber harvests in Oregon generally ranged from 7 ...

Jun 2021 | Impact Story