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 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

Extension helps deliver critical reforesting information and seedlings to woodland owners affected by 2020 wildfires

Following the 2020 Labor Day week wildfires that affected more than 180,000 acres of family-owned forestland in Oregon, many of the more than 5,000 owners found it almost impossible to find seedlings or tree planters to ...

Mar 2023 | Impact Story

OSU researchers gather data on threatened seabird

The marbled murrelet — a small seabird native to the North Pacific — is considered a flagship species for healthy ecosystems because it is one of the only birds in the world that gets all of its food from the marine...

Impact Story