In the News

Want to live longer? Consider planting a tree

The Washington Post recently highlighted a study that explored the effects of tree planting on mortality in Portland, Oregon. Geoffrey Donovan, Demetrios Gatziolis, and Abigail Kaminski and colleagues conducted the study, which found, among other things, that planting a tree in each of Portland’s 140 Census tracts would generate $14.2 million in annual benefits.

Sarah Jovan: Tree moss research informed two multi-million dollar class action lawsuits for air pollution in Portland

News channel KGW in Portland, Ore., featured Sarah Jovan, a research ecologist with the Pacific Northwest Research Station, in a story mentioning the station's research on moss as a bioindicator of local air quality. Findings from the innovative Portland moss and air quality study informed two class action lawsuits that were recently settled. 

KGW reporters Pat Dooris and Destiny Johnson write: "Bullseye Glass and Precision Castparts both had to put out millions of settlement dollars after they were involved in class action lawsuits regarding their air pollution levels. 

"Those who received settlement money from the companies have, in part, moss and local researchers to thank."

Northern Spotted Owl Still Fights for Survival: USGS Partner Feature Story

Three studies highlight how the interactions between northern spotted owl and the invasive barred owl are intertwined.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) featured northern spotted owl research conducted in partnership with the Pacific Northwest Research Station, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and other agencies: 

"You don’t have to drive far into the forests of the Pacific Northwest to hear the distinctive hooting of the invasive barred owl high in the treetops. In fact, you can find them in the neighborhoods of cities like Portland, Oregon, where you might glimpse one perched above on a walk around the block or, you might be surprised when one swoops down to chase you away from its territory. The barred owl is an invasive species in these parts that competes with and threatens the existence of the native northern spotted owl. 

USGS and partner scientists in recent months published the results of three studies about the current status of the threatened northern spotted owl populations, and the effects of barred owls and barred owl removal on northern spotted owl populations. The combined results show that even while forest management policies and practices maintained northern spotted owl habitat across their range, barred owls pose a very serious threat to remaining populations of northern spotted owl. ..."

Brooke Penaluna: Tiny scoops of water are unlocking worlds of information about Oregon watersheds

Oregon Public Broadcasting featured Brooke Penaluna, a research fisheries biologist with the Pacific Northwest Research Station, and her research that uses environmental DNA in stream water to analyze the genetic diversity of salmon and trout in the stream. 

"Next to the babbling banks of the Santiam River’s south fork, Brooke Penaluna sought a flat spot to set up shop. She plopped down a black, pipe-like reservoir with four clear cups on top and clicked the power button on a small pump that sounded like the world’s tiniest lawnmower...

Nicholas Povak: USFS Participant Researches Impacts of Fire Suppression and Management on Forest Ecosystems

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education featured Nicholas Povak, Ph.D., and the research he conducted while in the USDA Forest Service Research Particpation Program. 

"In the forestry community, fire suppression and fire management are two hotly debated topics. Over the past several decades, fire suppression tactics have been widely used to prevent forest fires and protect ecosystems from the damage they cause. In more recent years, research has indicated that suppressing fires entirely could be more damaging to wilderness areas in the long run. Returning fire to the landscapes, rather than suppressing them, shows noticeable improvement in ecosystem resilience and overall ecosystem health.

New Research Clarifies Impacts of Timber Harvest on Sediment in Watersheds

A Sierra Sun Times article featuring a study that used long-term stream and sediment data from the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, Oregon. 

"After timber harvest or fuel reduction thinning operations, sediment delivery to nearby streams and waterways can increase, potentially affecting water quality, drinking water supplies, habitat and recreational opportunities. To effectively reduce these adverse effects of harvest, foresters first need to know the precise causes of sediment increases.

The Mystery of the Missing Martens

It takes a village to find an elusive weasel

In the first half of the 20th century, biologists reported that Pacific martens—a medium-size weasel with relatively large ears that give it a kittenish look—were found on the peninsula “from saltwater to timberline.” These tiny predators thrive in snow and play a big role in keeping populations of mice and voles in check, especially in winter. But when Betsy Howell, a wildlife biologist, moved to the Olympic Peninsula in 2004, nobody had seen a Pacific marten in over a decade. The last person to spot one was a scientist studying spotted owls.

Forest Service recommends changing 21-inch logging rule for six forests

PORTLAND — An environmental analysis published Tuesday by the U.S. Forest Service recommends lifting a 25-year-old ban on logging large trees across six national forests in Central and Eastern Oregon.

Forests could lead on carbon drawdown

Simple changes in management could double carbon stores in Pacific Northwest forests.

The temperate forests of the Pacific Northwest are the Olympic athletes of the carbon world. They can store more carbon, acre for acre, than nearly any ecosystem on earth. A single acre of old growth in the Oregon or Washington Cascades holds the equivalent of a year’s worth of emissions from 250 cars.

One Path for Wisdom

Michael Wisdom, a research wildlife biologist with the PNW Research Station, studies elk and mule deer at the Starkey Experimental Forest and Range and at other sites in the western U.S. He was featured in the July/August 2020 edition of Bugle, a magazine published by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. 

"From the age of five on, there was never any doubt in Michael Wisdom’s mind-he would help conserve wildlife and their habitat.

Last Call: Tracking the Sound of the Spotted Owl’s Extinction

Oregon Public Broadcasting goes into the woods with station research wildlife biologists Damon Lesmeister and Eric Forsman (retired). 

"The spotted owl changed the fate of Northwest forests in the summer of 1990. Thirty years later, what hope do biologists hold for the fate of the spotted owl?"

The Forest Service Is About to Set a Giant Forest Fire—On Purpose

A man-made blaze on a remote Utah mountainside could provide valuable insights into the behavior of the powerful wildfires growing more and more common out West.

Sometime later this month or in early November, if the weather cooperates, the U.S. Forest Service will fly a pair of fire-spitting helicopters over a remote mountain in southern Utah and set the forest ablaze. 

While the helicopters are pelting burning liquid fuel at the treetops, dozens of firefighters will be providing support on the ground, using drip torches and flamethrowers to create a towering wall of flame that will stretch from the forest floor to the sky. As the heat builds and the blaze roars across spruce- and fir-stippled canopies, a small army of scientists will launch weather balloons and drones, drive radar- and LIDAR-equipped trucks around the perimeter, fly specialized research planes overhead, and gather data on fire-hardened GoPro cameras to analyze the inferno from start to finish

Watch How the Forest Service Burned Down 2,000 Acres for Research

The U.S. Forest Service is undertaking one of the most ambitious studies of wildfires to date.

Dan Jimenez doesn’t get to do this very often. It’s almost unheard-of for researchers to get this close to such a massive fire: In a few hours, if all goes well, more than 2,000 acres of trees will be ablaze, in a controlled burn that will emulate the conditions and behaviors of naturally-occurring wildfires.

Fuel Treatments: Are We Doing Enough?

Fuel treatments, including thinning and prescribed fire, can help create fire-resilient forests, but measuring their effectiveness is inherently complex. Are we doing enough? Forest Service researchers, including Drs. Morris Johnson and Jeremy Fried, with the Pacific Northwest Research Station, are studying the effectiveness of fuel treatments using a variety of approaches. What they’re finding is helping land managers plan the right amount of fuel treatments in the right places. Read Science Update 25.

Fuel treatments, including thinning and prescribed fire, can help create fire-resilient forests, but measuring their effectiveness is inherently complex. Are we doing enough? Forest Service researchers, including Drs. Morris Johnson and Jeremy Fried, with

Fuel treatments, including thinning and prescribed fire, can help create fire-resilient forests, but measuring their effectiveness is inherently complex. Are we doing enough? Forest Service researchers, including Drs. Morris Johnson and Jeremy Fried, with the Pacific Northwest Research Station, are studying the effectiveness of fuel treatments using a variety of approaches. What they’re finding is helping land managers plan the right amount of fuel treatments in the right places.

Fire science experts achieve one-of-a-kind consensus

In 2018, wildfires continued to impact forests and communities across the western United States and around the globe. The number of large wildfires in the United States has increased since the 1980s, and annual acres burned are projected to continue increasing. Some Western ecoregions now have year-round fire seasons. 

In this new era of wildfire, with lives, property, government spending, and biodiversity at stake, preparation and fire management are essential. Yet wildfire science and landscape ecology are complex fields of study. Differing research perspectives on certain controversial topics have fostered disagreement, leaving policy makers and land managers unsure of what to believe and how to act. Furthermore, climate research shows that we should expect ecosystem changes in the future, making it even more challenging to determine how best to manage fire-prone landscapes. 

A group of the country’s leading fire scientists, including the Pacific Northwest Research Station’s Paul Hessburg, came together to provide clarity on these issues. Known as the Fire Research Consensus project, they sought to identify and explain areas of scientific common ground and divergence among fire researchers.

Why Many Northwest Animals and Plants Need Wildfire

Not all wildfire is a force of destruction. Many of our favorite Northwest plants and animals have evolved to depend on it.

Pacific Northwest Research Station biologist helps Norway identify effects of stressors on Arctic wildlife and systems

Bruce Marcot, a research wildlife biologist with the Pacific Northwest Research Station, was asked by the Norwegian Polar Institute to share details of his work modeling stressors on global polar bear populations. The institute then invited Marcot to visit Norway -- specifically, Svalbard and Tromsø -- to work on developing Bayesian network models projecting effects of stressors on Arctic wildlife and systems to help with travel management planning.

How American scientists are planning to thwart a salamander apocalypse

Yet another fungus threatens to decimate amphibians in North America, but this time, scientists stand ready.

They didn’t see it coming. By the time scientists discovered the first outbreak of chytridiomycosis, a disease caused by a fungus called Bd, it was too late; worldwide, the pathogen had already begun tanking populations of some 200 species of frogs that have gone extinct since the 1970s.

Supporting resilient community conservancies in Kenya

In 2016, Mary Rowland, a research wildlife biologist with the Pacific Northwest Research Station, and John Kerkering, East Africa regional advisor for Forest Service International Programs, traveled to Kenya to explore a potential partnership between the Forest Service and the Northern Rangelands Trust. Founded in 2004, NRT serves as an umbrella organization to support 30 community conservancies in northern Kenya. Its mission is “to develop resilient community conservancies that transform people’s lives, secure peace and conserve natural resources.”

Living with Wildfire in the Western U.S.

Sisters knows better than most communities how much wildfire can affect the environment, the economy, and people's health and well-being. The community hosted Dr. Paul Hessburg on Thursday evening at The Belfry to talk about living with the ever-present threat of wildfire. Hessburg is a landscape ecologist with the Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Research Station and a member of the University of Washington's affiliate faculty. His presentation, "The Era of Megafires," came from the influence of atypically large wildfires particularly in and around Hessburg's hometown of Wenatchee, Washington, where friends' and families' homes were destroyed by fire.

Report: National Forest Visitors Spent Roughly $290 Million in Washington Communities

The Spokesman Review, quoting Eric White

Visitors to Washington State National Forests spent roughly $290 million in nearby communities and supported 2,130 year-round jobs in 2016, according to a new report. The report, which analyzed the spending habits of National Forests visitors, highlights what many have known for a long time: recreation accounts for an important chunk of economic activity.

National Forest Visitors Spend $448 Million a Year in Oregon Communities

National forests in Oregon receive more than 9 million visits a year, generating about $448 million in spending for surrounding communities, according to a new report from the U.S. Forest Service. The report is part of an ongoing effort by the Forest Service to monitor recreational uses of national forests across the country. The recent figures for Oregon and Washington are based on visitor sampling conducted between 2013 and 2016, said Eric White, research social scientist at the Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station.

Group Works with Ranchers, Government to Research Sustainable Cattle Grazing

When Cliven Bundy and his sons were in the headlines last year for the takeover of a remote Eastern Oregon wildlife refuge, it might have been lost that the original dispute was over his cattle grazing on federal lands. 

While Bundy’s camp has always maintained that the government charging and monitoring ranchers on public lands is federal overreach, one group in the Blue Mountains of Oregon is working in partnership — ranchers, government and scientists — to research sustainable cattle grazing on federal lands.

Scientists Discover Evidence of Recent, Rare Alpine Tsunami near Juneau

KTOO Public Media, quoting Rick Edwards

Everybody knows that Juneau is unlikely to be significantly affected by a marine tsunami, like what could have been generated by last month’s earthquake in the Gulf of Alaska. Juneau is located far enough inland that it’s largely protected by the various islands of the Inside Passage. But what about an inland or alpine tsunami?

International collaborations yield results for domestic land management questions

OREGON — This week, Pacific Northwest Research Station scientist Bruce Marcot is working with Australian colleagues from the University of Melbourne to finalize a major review of recent advances in integrating Bayesian network modeling with environmental assessments and decision analysis. These modeling approaches can be used in many different environments; Marcot will share them throughout the Forest Service as well as with international partners. 

Last October, in Portland, Oregon, the research station hosted officials from Australia’s Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. The following month, Marcot continued this collaboration by visiting environmental managers in Australia and New Zealand. His goals were to provide new consultations on a variety of forestry programs and initiate new contacts and projects. 

At the University of Melbourne, Marcot delivered a keynote address at the joint international conference of the Australasian Bayesian Network Modelling Society and the Society for Risk Analysis. He spoke on the use of expert knowledge in ecological modeling and met with researchers and managers from several countries in the region, discussing many topics related to decision science, ecological modeling, and statistical theory. At a modelling society board of directors meeting, he was voted in as a board member and honored as the organization’s first and only lifetime member.

Faces of the Forest Service: Meet Cindy Miner

While growing up in northern Minnesota, Cindy Miner lived in Duluth, camped on the Superior National Forest, canoed in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, and took extended vacations across Montana. Farm and ranch work as a teenager gave her an appreciation of rural life. Her father and mother taught her to take in the beauty of nature each day: the color of the sunset, the reflection found on the water, or the shape of a leaf. Avid outdoors people, her grandparents passed along a strong land and work ethic, which extended for Cindy into public service.

Meet the Govie Fighting Air Pollutants with Tree Moss

GovLoop, quoting Sarah Jovan 

In Portland, Oregon, the U.S. Forest Service has started using a pollutant detector that’s been right in front of humans for as long as we’ve existed. If the agency’s experiment continues to prove successful, it could be a game-changer for urban landscapes the world over. This innovative instrument of detection? Tree moss.

Fighting Fire with Fire

Blue Mountain Eagle, quoting Paul Hessburg

As wildfires continue to burn in Oregon and throughout the West, a research ecologist’s insights from the past could shape the future of fire management. A combination of factors has turned forests that were once a patchwork of tree stands and open meadows into overgrown tinderboxes, prime to erupt into the massive fires plaguing the current era that are far more devastating than the smaller, more frequent blazes of the past, Dr. Paul Hessburg said during his presentation “Era of Megafires” Thursday in John Day.

Artists, Scientists Collaborate on Climate Change Exhibit

Skagit Valley Herald, quoting David L. Peterson

The landscape holds many clues about what’s happening in the environment. Slabs of bark shed from a tree suggest beetles feasted there, a graying tree may have red pine needles because it didn’t get enough water to survive the hot summer, and a chalky white material oozing along the trunk of a tree indicates it is infected with disease.

Where Will the Eagle Creek Fire's Smoke Go?

The Oregonian, highlighting the AirFire Team’s research 

The Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Lab in Seattle, part of the U.S. Forest Service, created a tool that incorporates predictions from the National Weather Service to forecast where smoke can be expected to blow over time. Known as "Ensemble Trajectories," it's one of a variety of cool online apps that the lab offers on its website. But the website also comes with a caveat.

Forest Service Scientists Share Research on Changing Shorelines and Subsistence Gathering

KFSK, quoting Adelaide Johnson and Linda Kruger 

Shorelines in Southeast Alaska are changing fast. Sea levels are rising everywhere, but here, land is also springing back from under the weight of glaciers as they retreat. Two scientists from the Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station teamed up to predict what our coastlines will look like in the future. They’ve also been investigating what those changes mean for coastal species, and for communities that gather them for food.

The Era of Megafires

Cranbrook Townsman, quoting Paul Hessburg 

Forestry management policies in the western United States have contributed to a new era of mega-wildfires, says an expert who delivered a public presentation alongside local emergency personnel at the College of the Rockies on Monday.

Updates on Forest Experiment

Forks Forum, citing PNW Research Station 

Evening Talk: Updates on the Experiment at the Long Term Ecosystem Productivity Site in the Olympic State Experimental Forest (OESF)(link is external) with Courtney Bobsin, master’s degree student from the UW’s School of Environmental and Forest Sciences. Our DNR/ONRC LTEP site is near Sappho. Courtney Bobsin has been the lead DNR intern on the site. Principal investigators on this long-term project are ONRC Director Dr. Bernard Bormann, Dr. Richard Bigley of the DNR, and representatives from Oregon State, University of Oregon, Western Washington University and the Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station.

The High Cost and Low Benefits of State Timber Sales

Juneau Empire, citing PNW Research Station work 

In his State of the State Address, Gov. Bill Walker said that Alaska should export finished products, not raw resources. I couldn’t agree more. Processing resources locally makes sense. Otherwise we become a resource extraction colony, exporting jobs in exchange for a degraded environment. Large timber sales of hundreds or thousands of acres fall into the second category. The Baby Brown timber sale, on the Haines State Forest, just upriver from the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, will provide few local benefits while the timber is sent unprocessed to Oregon. Most shocking is that Alaskans pay dearly for this.