Forest Research Laboratory

OSU Get Outdoors Day connects families to the natural world

An Oregon State University Extension Service survey showed underserved families and children in Benton County and other areas of the mid-Willamette Valley have limited opportunities to visit natural areas because they don’t have ...

Forestry Extension assists state with monitoring the invasive gypsy moth

The gypsy moth, which is defoliating trees in the northeastern United States, hasn’t been found in Oregon – but it’s important to keep the moth out of the state. This invasive insect feeds on more than 300 tree ...

Tree School Online helps woodland owners during COVID-19

More than 79,000 family forest owners in Oregon manage 3.6 million acres of private forestland, providing substantial economic, social and ecological value. Surveys show that landowner goals are diverse, as are the challenges they ...

Born from necessity, Extension wildflower videos viewed hundreds of times

Each year, Rachel Werling, an instructor in the Oregon State University Forestry and Natural Resources Extension program, leads groups on hikes in in southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley to teach them about natural history, fire ...

Surveys show revised OSU Woodland Stick satisfies majority of users

Professional foresters have access to myriad tools that measure tree size (height and diameter) and determine wood volume in individual or multiple trees. However, these tools can be expensive and complex for landowners who need ...

Master Woodland Manager volunteers improve Lane County forest health

Forests cover 85% of Lane County and have long been considered a major jewel in the crown of the county’s natural resources. Lane County’s family woodland owners play a vital role in forest management, providing substantial ...

Community scientists track climate change, blaze new paths of communication

Climate change brings new challenges and with those come a demand for information to help natural resource-based communities. Collaboration between researchers, community scientists and the Oregon State University Extension Service is a...

OSU works to educate public on sudden oak death

Sudden oak death (SOD), caused by a non-native pathogen Phytophthora ramorum, has killed hundreds of thousands of tanoak trees in Curry County, Oregon, since it was first detected in 2001. With the expansion of the state ...

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 ...

Researchers study supply chain feasibility of biochar for agricultural use

Biochar, the charcoal-like material created by burning woody debris at high-temperatures in a low-oxygen environment, is recognized as offering a number of benefits for soil health, and is being proposed as a carbon-negative ...