Forest Research Laboratory

The Forest Research Laboratory conducts research on innovative approaches for managing forest resources to enhance lives and improve the health of Oregon’s lands, businesses, and vital ecosystems.

OSU Extension Fire Program increases outreach to Latino communities

Oregon State University Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Program (FNR) has a mission to teach Oregonians how to be prepared for increasing wildfires, which in recent years have been larger and occurring more frequently in ...

Mar 2023 | Impact Story

More than 600 fifth-graders learn importance of Oregon’s forests from OSU Extension

Oregon’s forests, an economic and recreational powerhouse, can be a topic of contention. Information – and sometimes misinformation – filters down to children, who when misinformed may grow up with distrust in the state’s ...

Mar 2023 | Impact Story

Led by OSU Extension Fire Program, statewide campaign prepares Oregonians for wildfire

In addition to climate change and a century of vegetation buildup, people contribute to wildfires more than ever. This is especially true as they move into houses that were built next to forest and agricultural lands where ...

May 2022 | Impact Story

OSU Extension Fire Program shares benefits of prescribed burning

For thousands of years, fire supported environmental health in many parts of Oregon through both natural occurrences and cultural practices of Indigenous peoples. But after more than a century of fires being suppressed, Oregon’s ...

May 2022 | Impact Story

Master Woodland Managers educate on the environment in eastern Oregon

Oregon's small woodland owners manage almost 4.5 million acres – or 40% of all private forestland in the state. In Baker and Grant counties, private owners manage 150,000 acres, providing substantial contributions to local ...

Feb 2023 | Impact Story

Woodland Pollinator Stewards enhance bee habitat on private lands

Pollinator health has captured the interest of the country as people become concerned about dwindling populations of bees. Oregon forests are home to an estimated 300 native bee species but there’s much to learn about their ...

Mar 2022 | Impact Story

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 ...

Mar 2021 | Impact Story

Forestry Extension assists state with monitoring the invasive spongy moth

The spongy moth (formerly known as 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 ...

Mar 2021 | Impact Story

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 ...

Mar 2021 | Impact Story

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 ...

Jun 2020 | Impact Story