Forest management and policy affects communities, cultures and livelihoods, which is why we research the social dimensions of sustainable forestry and natural resource governance. Learn more about this research by exploring the focus areas below.
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This research focuses on understanding watershed conditions and processes in forested ecosystems and the effects of management activities and evaluating and improving soil and water quality and related practices and policies for forest operations. Projects include studying forest management effects on hydrology and water quality and assessment of forest road design and water quality effects.
Faculty Research Programs
Forest Echohydrology and Watershed Science LabThis laboratory conducts field, lab and modeling research on the impact of natural disturbance and land use on forest hydrology, water quality and aquatic ecosystem health and the hillslope stream reach and small catchment scale.
Website: http://fews.forestry.oregonstate.edu/Forest Soils LabWebsite: mailto:jeff.hatten@oregonstate.eduThe mission of the Forest Soils Lab is to understand the interaction of humans with forest ecosystems in the interest of sustainable management of forest, soil and water resources. This laboratory utilizes a balanced approach of basic and applied research to examine the links between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems at multiple scales through the study of soil, water, sediment, nutrients and carbon. Students are educated and encouraged to manage land responsibly in the face of climate change, population growth and other pressures on natural resources.
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) LabOur goal is to create sustainable and resilient natural systems in which people engage with the Earth with reciprocity. Indigenous peoples have stewarded natural resources for millennia through their knowledge and traditional practices. The TEK Lab explores, facilitates, and honors the synergies between TEK, Western science, and other ways of knowing.
Website: https://tek.forestry.oregonstate.edu/Watershed Processes LaboratoryWebsite: http://people.forestry.oregonstate.edu/catalina-segura/This multidisciplinary research is centered around questions that deal with the interactions among fluvial geomorphology, hydrology and ecology at multiple scales.
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Explores the issues created by the intersection of natural systems and our society's rapidly evolving needs and brings biophysical and social sciences together to explore complex natural resource issues.
Our researchers study how human values and behaviors drive and respond to changes in natural ecosystems. This includes understanding effective governance and stakeholder engagement processes for making decisions about resource management. Some FES researchers study how to improve communication process among scientists, land managers, and the public. Other researchers analyze forest management policies for their impacts on public lands, private forests, and human communities. These efforts extend from studies of barriers to small urban communities applying green infrastructure to landscape-scale interactions between climate, fire, and forests.
- Loren Albert
- Matthew Betts
- Jacob Bukoski
- Ashley D'Antonio
- Emily Jane Davis
- Lisa Ganio
- Claudio A. Guevara
- Reem Hajjar
- Glenn Howe
- K. N. Johnson
- Eric T. Jones
- Suhyun Jung
- Beverly Law
- Kreg Lindberg
- Brenda McComb
- Ian Munanura
- Mark Needham
- Michael Paul Nelson
- Florencia Pech-Cardenas
- Emily Rabung
- Paul Ries
- Randall Rosenberger
- Bo Shelby
- Elizabeth Swanson
- Maria Taggart
Researchers
Faculty Research Programs
Betts Forest Landscape Ecology LabProfessor Matthew Betts and his team studies the ways that landscape composition and pattern influence animal behavior, species distributions and ecosystem function. As humans are one of the primary drivers of landscape characteristics globally, much of their work is applied and focused on management and conservation. However, understanding mechanisms is key to generalization, so a central part of the research program is basic in nature and links landscape ecology to behavioral ecology, physiology, and molecular ecology.
Website: http://www.fsl.orst.edu/flel/index.htmForests, Livelihoods, Institutions, and Governance (FoLIAGe) Research GroupThe FoLIAGe Research Group studies the relationship between forests and livelihoods, and how various governance mechanisms and institutions, including policies, laws, norms, and markets, shape that relationship. Working around the world, we take a multi-level governance approach in our research, from the local scale with community and collaborative forestry, all the way up to the international scale with mechanisms like REDD+ and FLEGT, and how these different scales interact to impact people and forests.
Website: http://foliage.forestry.oregonstate.edu/H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest and Long-Term Ecological Research SiteThe mission of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest is to support research on forests, streams, and watersheds, and to foster strong collaboration among ecosystem science, education, natural resource management, and the humanities. Located in the western Cascade mountains of Oregon, the 16,000-acre site is administered cooperatively by Oregon State University, the USDA Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Research Station, and the Willamette National Forest.
Website: http://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu/
The Andrews Forest has been a US Forest Service Experimental Forest since 1948, and a National Science Foundation Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site since 1980. Facilities, including labs, offices, and housing, are available for research and workshop use. Researchers and graduate students interested in conducting work at the Andrews Forest are welcomed and encouraged—participants benefit from a rich data history and from collaborations across disciplines. See the Andrews Forest webpage, http://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu, for ways to connect. Andrews Forest Facebook. Andrews Forest Newsletter. Andrews Forest webcam.Natural Resources, Tourism, and Recreation (NATURE) Studies LabThe NATURE Studies Lab conducts a program of research and planning focusing on recreation, tourism, marine and terrestrial parks and protected areas, wildlife, forestry, and other natural resources. The goal of this lab’s work is to examine human elements such as use and impacts, and inform management of natural resources and policy development.
Website: http://nature.forestry.oregonstate.edu/TERRA - PNWThe mission of the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research and Regional Analysis group (TERRA-PNW) is to quantify and understand the response of terrestrial ecosystems to natural and human-induced changes such as climate, wildfire and land management practices. Our lab has diverse interests that share a common focus: understanding the dynamics of land-based ecological communities. Our insights into climate and disturbance effects on ecological processes and global change are generated primarily by research on forest, woodland and shrubland ecosystems.
Website: http://terraweb.forestry.oregonstate.edu/Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) LabOur goal is to create sustainable and resilient natural systems in which people engage with the Earth with reciprocity. Indigenous peoples have stewarded natural resources for millennia through their knowledge and traditional practices. The TEK Lab explores, facilitates, and honors the synergies between TEK, Western science, and other ways of knowing.
Website: https://tek.forestry.oregonstate.edu/ -
Forests have long been influenced by anthropogenic and natural disturbances. To sustain the variety of ecosystem services generated by healthy forests requires understanding these processes and evaluating different management practices that can restore and sustain multiple values.
Members of FES examine the impact of disturbances such as fire on the age class structure and habitat suitability of forests, with an eye toward understanding how management can be used to restore desired forest conditions. Others are exploring silvicultural practices that maintain ecosystem resilience and adaptability, while providing services such as timber, habitat, and clean water. Another line of research focuses on the biological control of introduced insect pests. Still other research uses spatial statistics for stream networks to understand the factors that affect the spatial distribution of fish in headwater streams.
- Chris Adlam
- Loren Albert
- Badege Bishaw
- Jacob Bukoski
- Thomas H. DeLuca
- Jeremy Fried
- Lisa Ganio
- Andrew Gray
- Claudio A. Guevara
- Becky Kerns
- Meg Krawchuk
- Barb Lachenbruch
- Beverly Law
- Leon Liegel
- Daniel Luoma
- Florencia Pech-Cardenas
- Steven Perakis
- Klaus Puettmann
- David Shaw
- Elizabeth Swanson
- Dana Warren
Researchers
Faculty Research Programs
Global Trophic Cascades ProgramThe Global Trophic Cascades Program is a research and educational program with the purpose of investigating the role of predators in structuring ecological communities. This program puts special emphasis on the role of potential keystone species in top-down community regulation, with linkages to biodiversity via trophic cascades. OSU Distiguished Professor Bill Ripple is the director of the program.
Website: http://trophiccascades.forestry.oregonstate.edu/H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest and Long-Term Ecological Research SiteThe mission of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest is to support research on forests, streams, and watersheds, and to foster strong collaboration among ecosystem science, education, natural resource management, and the humanities. Located in the western Cascade mountains of Oregon, the 16,000-acre site is administered cooperatively by Oregon State University, the USDA Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Research Station, and the Willamette National Forest.
Website: http://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu/
The Andrews Forest has been a US Forest Service Experimental Forest since 1948, and a National Science Foundation Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site since 1980. Facilities, including labs, offices, and housing, are available for research and workshop use. Researchers and graduate students interested in conducting work at the Andrews Forest are welcomed and encouraged—participants benefit from a rich data history and from collaborations across disciplines. See the Andrews Forest webpage, http://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu, for ways to connect. Andrews Forest Facebook. Andrews Forest Newsletter. Andrews Forest webcam.Landscape Fire and Conservation Science Research GroupThe Landscape Fire and Conservation Science Research Group focuses on landscape ecology, biogeography, pyrogeography, and conservation science. We work at scales from local to global, addressing the causes and effects of ecological disturbances, with a particular interest in landscape fire.
Website: http://people.forestry.oregonstate.edu/meg-krawchuk/Pacific Northwest Permanent Study Plot ProgramThe aim of the Pacific Northwest Permanent Study Plot Program (PNW-PSP) is to study and quantify the long-term dynamics of forest vegetation. We manage more than 140 plot installations across a diversity of forest types in Oregon and Washington. These include coastal forests of spruce and hemlock, Douglas-fir-dominated forests of the western Cascades, higher-elevation forests of mountain hemlock and silver fir, and ponderosa pine forests in Central Oregon.
Website: http://pnwpsp.forestry.oregonstate.edu/Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) LabOur goal is to create sustainable and resilient natural systems in which people engage with the Earth with reciprocity. Indigenous peoples have stewarded natural resources for millennia through their knowledge and traditional practices. The TEK Lab explores, facilitates, and honors the synergies between TEK, Western science, and other ways of knowing.
Website: https://tek.forestry.oregonstate.edu/ -
Examines the complex interactions between our communities, cultures, governments, and the natural resources that support our continued life and development. Explores methods for engaging scientists, managers, and the public in addressing environmental problems.
Our researchers study different forms of governance and stakeholder engagement to identify effective approaches for decision making. This includes understanding communication among scientists, land managers, and the public. Other department members use systematic evidence-based reviews to inform educational programs for forest owners, while some researchers test the effectiveness of different educational programs and materials.
Faculty Research Programs
Forests, Livelihoods, Institutions, and Governance (FoLIAGe) Research GroupThe FoLIAGe Research Group studies the relationship between forests and livelihoods, and how various governance mechanisms and institutions, including policies, laws, norms, and markets, shape that relationship. Working around the world, we take a multi-level governance approach in our research, from the local scale with community and collaborative forestry, all the way up to the international scale with mechanisms like REDD+ and FLEGT, and how these different scales interact to impact people and forests.
Website: http://foliage.forestry.oregonstate.edu/H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest and Long-Term Ecological Research SiteThe mission of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest is to support research on forests, streams, and watersheds, and to foster strong collaboration among ecosystem science, education, natural resource management, and the humanities. Located in the western Cascade mountains of Oregon, the 16,000-acre site is administered cooperatively by Oregon State University, the USDA Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Research Station, and the Willamette National Forest.
Website: http://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu/
The Andrews Forest has been a US Forest Service Experimental Forest since 1948, and a National Science Foundation Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site since 1980. Facilities, including labs, offices, and housing, are available for research and workshop use. Researchers and graduate students interested in conducting work at the Andrews Forest are welcomed and encouraged—participants benefit from a rich data history and from collaborations across disciplines. See the Andrews Forest webpage, http://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu, for ways to connect. Andrews Forest Facebook. Andrews Forest Newsletter. Andrews Forest webcam.Natural Resources, Tourism, and Recreation (NATURE) Studies LabThe NATURE Studies Lab conducts a program of research and planning focusing on recreation, tourism, marine and terrestrial parks and protected areas, wildlife, forestry, and other natural resources. The goal of this lab’s work is to examine human elements such as use and impacts, and inform management of natural resources and policy development.
Website: http://nature.forestry.oregonstate.edu/Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) LabOur goal is to create sustainable and resilient natural systems in which people engage with the Earth with reciprocity. Indigenous peoples have stewarded natural resources for millennia through their knowledge and traditional practices. The TEK Lab explores, facilitates, and honors the synergies between TEK, Western science, and other ways of knowing.
Website: https://tek.forestry.oregonstate.edu/ -
Explores psychological motivations and benefits of recreation, as well as approaches to ensure sustainable recreation and tourism enterprises. Includes recreation and tourism behavior, social and/or ecological impacts of tourism, and planning, management and policy.
Research in recreation explores the motivations and experiences of visitors to parks, marine protected areas, and developed recreation settings, as well as public attitudes toward resource management. Other FES members work to develop ecotourism venues that benefit both natural ecosystems and local human livelihoods.
Faculty Research Programs
H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest and Long-Term Ecological Research SiteThe mission of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest is to support research on forests, streams, and watersheds, and to foster strong collaboration among ecosystem science, education, natural resource management, and the humanities. Located in the western Cascade mountains of Oregon, the 16,000-acre site is administered cooperatively by Oregon State University, the USDA Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Research Station, and the Willamette National Forest.
Website: http://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu/
The Andrews Forest has been a US Forest Service Experimental Forest since 1948, and a National Science Foundation Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site since 1980. Facilities, including labs, offices, and housing, are available for research and workshop use. Researchers and graduate students interested in conducting work at the Andrews Forest are welcomed and encouraged—participants benefit from a rich data history and from collaborations across disciplines. See the Andrews Forest webpage, http://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu, for ways to connect. Andrews Forest Facebook. Andrews Forest Newsletter. Andrews Forest webcam.Natural Resources, Tourism, and Recreation (NATURE) Studies LabThe NATURE Studies Lab conducts a program of research and planning focusing on recreation, tourism, marine and terrestrial parks and protected areas, wildlife, forestry, and other natural resources. The goal of this lab’s work is to examine human elements such as use and impacts, and inform management of natural resources and policy development.
Website: http://nature.forestry.oregonstate.edu/