College of Forestry News

A new paper published in a recent issue of the journal Ecological Applications by Matthew Reilly, while he was a scientist at Oregon State University, says the best way to avoid catastrophic fires may be to allow low- and moderate-severity fires to just burn.

The results of a limited entry system at Obsidian Trail and Pamelia Lake have been positive, said Troy Hall, an Oregon State University professor who has tracked environmental conditions at Obsidian. “I’ve actually been surprised,” Hall said.

Oregon State University College of Forestry is constructing its new headquarters entirely out of engineered wood products. It will the first in the U.S. to use a “rocking wall” seismic design so it can survive a major earthquake.

“This and a number of other studies provide some very nice evidence that current best management practices are proving to be much more effective than historical practices,” said Jeff Hatten, lead author and associate professor in the College of Forestry at Oregon State University.

Writing in the journal Science, a team led by Daniel Griffith, a postdoctoral scientist in the College of Forestry at Oregon State University, argues that dryland forests should not be confused with savannahs, which comprise valuable ecosystems in their own right.

Flammability is “a concern very often expressed, but an easy one to dismiss,” said Lech Muszynski, associate professor of wood science and engineering at Oregon State University’s College of Forestry.