Environmental Health

Willamette River Basin symposium renews planning and collaboration

The Willamette River Basin is Oregon’s most populated watershed and supports much of the state’s agriculture, industry, transportation and fish and wildlife habitat. In the coming decades, the basin is expected to face increasing...

May 2026 | Impact Story

Clatsop students explore forestry careers outdoors

Clatsop County is 87% forestland, with a mix of public and private ownership. Though the area is rich in natural resources, many local students and families may not be aware of the career opportunities nearby. The program ...

May 2026 | Impact Story

Students gain skills while supporting watershed projects

Across Jackson County and much of Oregon, restoration and conservation projects often outpace the funding and staff capacity needed to monitor them. At the same time, high school students beginning to consider their future career ...

Apr 2026 | Impact Story

School IPM Program protects health and safety of Oregon children

Asthma is the top cause of absenteeism in U.S. public K–12 schools. In Oregon, common school pests such as mice, cockroaches and flies can trigger asthma and spread diseases including E. coli, Lyme disease and salmonellosis. ...

Mar 2026 | Impact Story

OSU field courses bolster rangeland workforce

The sagebrush biome is the largest native ecosystem in North America and one of the most at risk. Altered fire regimes, expanding juniper and invasive annual grasses have made management more difficult across Oregon and the ...

Mar 2026 | Impact Story

OSU helps Oregon strengthen invasive species defense

Invasive species are nonnative plants and animals that can spread quickly and cause environmental or economic harm. In Oregon, they harm agriculture, aquaculture and forests, damage infrastructure, habitats, outcompete native species for...

Mar 2026 | Impact Story

OSU-USDA genomics study stiffens Oregon sudden oak death defenses

Sudden oak death has killed tanoaks and oaks along the West Coast for decades, altering forests, wildlife habitat and cultural resources. In southwest Oregon, it forces hard choices about quarantine, eradication and how to protect...

Mar 2026 | Impact Story

OSU builds forest biodiversity data through community science

The Oregon State University College of Forestry owns and manages the McDonald-Dunn Research Forest, an 11,500-acre, heavily visited forest north of Corvallis. After three years of collaboration among scientists, educators, tribes and ...

Mar 2026 | Impact Story

Volunteers collect Oregon ash seeds to fight EAB

Oregon ash (Fraxinus latifolia) is an ecologically important West Coast tree that may disappear from much of its range — from British Columbia to California — as emerald ash borer, an invasive insect, spreads in North ...

Mar 2026 | Impact Story

Heat dome canopy damage mapped to inform Northwest forest decisions

The 2021 “heat dome” brought record heat to the Pacific Northwest, stressing forests at a scale few managers had seen before. Extreme heat can scorch foliage in the forest canopy, reducing photosynthesis and leaving trees ...

Feb 2026 | Impact Story