Oregon's Green Treasure

 

photographer Al Levno, USFS PNW-OSU Forest Science Data Bank

OSU Studies and Helps Preserve Our Forests For too long, many people did not fully see Oregon's forests, for the trees. Now, we understand that we can no longer take our natural treasures for granted. The forest is a complex, integrated system whose sustainability is essential to the health of the whole earth. Because human activity impacts all aspects of the ecosystem, we are challenged to make wise choices among often-conflicting wants and needs. Oregon State University research has become key to the long-term understanding of forests, which in turn is key to our largest environmental issues. Knowledge gained at OSU about forests spreads widely through scientific circles. Andrews Forest research has generated more than 2500 publications, with an average of about 100 per year for the past decade. Natural Hazards: What's Going On? The Long-term View

Natural Hazards: What's Going On?

Landslides, floods, fire, windthrow, insect outbreaks . . . Natural hazards cause many millions of dollars in damage and civil litigation in Oregon.

Is the frequency of these events increasing?
Is there any positive side to such disturbances?

Long-term observations of climate, steam flow, and landslides in the H. J. Andrews Long-term Ecological Research Program (LTER) have allowed OSU researchers to determine how often, where, and under what conditions natural hazards occur.

The data promotes informed decision-making about critical issues

For example, in the past 50 years, three extreme floods, with associated landslides, have occurred in western Oregon. They were associated with warm rain falling on deep snow packs. Forest harvesting and road construction appear to have increased the potential of large floods, although flood-protection dams have mitigated actual damage.
These facts have important implications for the sitting of roads and housing, to minimize human risk.
While natural processes are often characterized as disasters, researchers are coming to understand them as part of the evolution of landscapes, with many ecological benefits. For example, landslides can add large wood, rocks, and gravel to streams, providing aquatic habitat. They can create patches of young vegetation, providing habitat for birds and animals.
In the past two decades, Andrews LTER scientists have provided such important information to the Governor's office, the National Forest system, and other policy arenas. The data serves to promote informed decision-making about critical issues, for the benefit of humans, natural species, and the land.

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The Long-term View

A 1999 review panel of the National Science Foundation (NSF) commended the combination of applied and fundamental ecological research at OSU's H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest. Since 1948, the 15,800 acres in the Oregon Cascade Range have been the site of influential studies on temperate conifer forests. More than 100 projects each year focus on forest geology, soils, streams, trees and other plants, wildlife, fungi, and insects, plus the social and economic aspects of forest management. The site is part of the national Long-term Ecological Research (LTER).
The Andrews LTER is a collaboration between OSU and the Forest Service, involving faculty and students from 13 OSU departments. The NSF praised the team's work on the ecological links between forests and streams, and the usefulness for forest management solutions.
The NSF provides the project about $600,000 a year in funding, the Forest Service about $500,000, and OSU about $100,000 in direct funding plus $250,000 in research salaries.

Changes, for the Better

Much of research is basic, building general scientific knowledge; yet many OSU findings about forests have been put quickly into application. Research has improved how Northwest forests and streams are managed and how Oregon regulates private lands. Partnerships between the state, industry, and the university help make changes possible.

• Carbon dynamics, including log decomposition, is a subject of study by Mark Harmon of OSU Forest Science. Findings from the very early stages of that research, about the role of logs in temperate ecosystems, already resulted in a beneficial change of Forest Service policy. Leaving slash where it falls instead of moving it to a single pile has saved $1 million per year in the Willamette National Forest and about $15 million per year across the West.
• Riparian zones, the interface between the forest and the streams running through them, are important habitats for many species. New practices to restore these ecosystems, such as adding logs, have been developed by members of the Andrews LTER program. The unique controlled experiments are leading to key insights about improving not only the habitats, but also the economy. For instance, helping the Oregon salmon recover and be managed in a sustainable way will revive revenues of a multi-million dollar industry.
• Paint a picture of the future of Oregon throughout the next century, given our current land-use policies. Now, visualize how any changes could alter that picture . . .
  The Coastal Landscape Analysis and Modeling Study (CLAMS) does all that, using satellite imagery as well as a braintrust of experts in everything from geography to the social sciences.
  "CLAMS enables us at last to think of the entire landscape, not just our own small piece," says Norm Johnson, OSU professor of forest resources, "and to consider how our actions will affect it." With an accurate, comprehensive view of vegetation, biodiversity, habitat, and human activity, the team can provide valuable help to federal land managers, watershed councils, cities and counties, private landowners, extension services . . . "[It gives us] a method to weigh and compare alternatives, a way to work towards common ground and agreement." This innovative project of OSU's College of Forestry, the Oregon Department of Forestry, and the U.S. Forest Service may well impact the future far beyond this state.

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