College of Forestry

CORVALLIS, Ore. – An analysis of 50 datasets from more than 1,000 individual parcels of tropical and subtropical forest show that avian species richness declines fastest when those pieces of habitat are surrounded by areas that woodland birds find inhospitable.

The study by an international collaboration that included Matthew Betts of the Oregon State University College of Forestry suggests the conservation value of forest remnants could be greatly increased simply by working to give the areas around habitat patches more tree cover.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Scientists say multiple Earth system components appear closer to destabilization than previously believed, putting the planet at increased risk of a “hothouse” trajectory driven by feedback loops that can amplify the consequences of global warming.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – A new analysis shows that the Pacific Northwest’s mature and old-growth forests are most at risk of severe wildfire in areas that historically burned frequently at lower severity.

The study by scientists at Oregon State University and USDA Forest Service Research & Development is important because those forests are culturally, economically and ecologically significant, supporting biodiversity while storing vast amounts of carbon, and they are under increasing threat of stand-replacing wildfire.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – In the aftermath of historically severe wildfires in 2020, a study of Cascade Range watersheds found that stream vertebrates are doing surprising well, highlighted by flourishing fish populations.

“Our work looked at the three years following megafires in western Oregon and suggests that fishes are thriving and amphibians are persisting,” said Oregon State University postdoctoral researcher Allison Swartz, who led the study.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State University College of Forestry has finalized a new management plan for the OSU-owned McDonald-Dunn Research Forest in the Coast Range foothills northwest of Corvallis.

Last revised in 2005, the updated plan provides an adaptive framework for sustainable management in a changing climate and sets the stage for the next century of stewardship, said Holly Ober, the college’s associate dean for science outreach and the leader of the planning process.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – If mistletoe’s status as a nutrient-stealing freeloader has been cooling your holiday ardor, new research led by an Oregon State University scientist may help relight the fire.

A survey of urban forests in seven western Oregon cities found no observable connection between mistletoe infestation and negative health outcomes for the trees it was parasitizing.

So worry not: Your yuletide kissing tradition probably does not involve a tree killer. And as you’re setting concern aside, you might want to head outside.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Rising wildfire risk in the Pacific Northwest combined with notoriously volatile timber pricing may lower forestland values by as much as 50% and persuade plantation owners to harvest trees much earlier than planned, a new analysis of Douglas-fir forests shows.

Under the worst-case scenarios, modeling by researchers at Oregon State University suggests harvesting trees at 24 years would make the most economic sense. Absent wildfire risk, the optimal age would be 65 years.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – A satellite imagery analysis shows that the 2021 “heat dome” scorched almost 5% of the forested area in western Oregon and western Washington, turning foliage in canopies from a healthy green to red or orange, sometimes within a matter of hours.

Damage to foliage leads to a range of problems for trees including reduced photosynthesis and increased vulnerability to pests and disease, scientists at Oregon State University say.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – 2024 was the hottest year on record and likely the hottest in at least 125,000 years, according to an annual report issued by an international coalition led by Oregon State University scientists.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – An analysis of forest-based projects funded through the sale of carbon credits shows that 10% of them may have a net warming effect on the climate because of the way they alter the Earth’s albedo, or how much sunlight is reflected back into space.