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 ...

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 ...

Practical applications discovered for western juniper

Due to changes in land management practices, wildfire suppression in particular, western juniper acreage in the western United States has increased dramatically in the past 100 years. Thinning juniper stands helps restore rangelands ...

OSU Extension partners with landowners to reduce fire risk in dry southern Oregon forests

Over the past century, forests of the Pacific Northwest have been dramatically altered by human activities, including logging, grazing, and fire suppression. Many of today’s forest stands, such as those in dry southern Oregon, ...

Extension helps Oregon’s woodland owners manage their land

About 62,000 small woodland owners hold title to more than 4 million acres, or 42 percent, of the state’s private forestland. But most family forestland owners are not professional foresters, and many need help if they are ...