schoppyi « College of Forestry

How did you become interested in conservation, management, and global forest restoration, and/or why did you go into teaching it?
I spent my childhood in Galveston, Texas. There was an educational tourist destination there called Moody Gardens, which consisted of three large pyramids. One was an aquarium, one held science exhibits and activities, and one was a huge greenhouse with a tropical rainforest inside. I was fascinated by the rainforest pyramid as a kid – seeing the poison dart frogs, barracudas, free-roaming iguanas – and went to many events there during my time in Galveston. I was definitely one of those 90s kids that went to a “save the rainforest” science camp.

Fast forward 30 or so years, and my interests in the diversity of global forest ecosystems that our amazing planet hosts has only grown with time. I have had the immense privilege of living in ten different states across the U.S. and traveling to twenty different countries (including living in Thailand for three years). As I’ve explored the forested landscapes in these places, I have retained my initial interest in tropical forests but have found myself increasingly fascinated by the diversity and complexity of global forest ecosystems. I see teaching and research in conservation, management, and restoration of these forests as indulging in the things that excite me – but also as a way of helping these ecosystems and the communities that steward them.

Walk us through one research project you’re proud of, or that you feel had a significant impact.
As I build my research group here at Oregon State University, I frequently think back to my own master’s research project, in which I designed and implemented carbon stock inventories in three mangrove forests in Thailand and four mangrove forests in Vietnam – all in one summer! I remember being very nervous about flying from Connecticut to Thailand to collect all this data and ultimately write not only my thesis – but also a report for a joint United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and United States Agency for International Development program, which was partially funding the work.

Fortunately, I had wonderful mentors and individuals who believed in me, including individuals at the Forest Service that let me cold call them and ask them questions on a very specific set of sampling protocols for several hours. I also had incredible field teams. For example, I had picked up a fair bit of Thai while living in Thailand for three years, but my Thai field crews spoke a different dialect (and not a lick of English) and were patient enough with me that we successfully collected a wonderful dataset that I have used in multiple research projects now. As I meet with prospective students and discuss future projects, I think back on how exciting, fun, nerve-wracking, challenging and rewarding the entire experience was. I am thrilled to now be in a position where I can help others create their own experiences and adventures.

What advice do you have for current forestry students?
Indulge in your interests while in school but also be strategic in setting yourself up well for the future job or career that you want. Formally investing in your education is a wonderful and special thing. Be resourceful and use the flexibility and network of Oregon State University to connect with individuals and organizations whose work excites you. Finally, be kind to your peers and those around you. The natural resources sector is surprisingly small, and they will be your future colleagues!

What do you like to do in your free time?
My favorite thing to do is spend time outside with my partner and our two dogs. I often will go for trail runs with our dogs in the McDonald-Dunn Forest after work, and on weekends we enjoy getting out to the coast or the Cascades. I also really enjoy cooking and exploring the bountiful food options that Oregon has to offer.

What’s your favorite book/movie genre or your all-time favorite title?
It’s a predictably nerdy answer, but I am trying to read as many of the Pulitzer Prize winners for general nonfiction as I can. They are all wonderfully written, on very diverse topics and are guaranteed to teach you something.

The College of Forestry Logging Sports team attended the Lumberjack Classic on November 9-10, hosted by the University of Idaho Logging Sports team in Moscow, ID. Other teams in attendance included the University of Montana, Montana State, Colorado State, Northern Arizona, and Flathead Valley Community College, with over 120 competitors. Events featured axe throwing, chopping, choker setting, crosscut sawing, power sawing, climbing, and more. After 2 days of competition, the OSU A team came away champions for the second year in a row, with a total of 165 points and 11 1st place finishes.

OSU athletes are Belle of the Woods (1st place overall woman) Norah Steed, Captain Angus Nicholson, Captain and Bull of the Woods (1st place overall man) Kaleb Eakins, Zeke Bluhm, Olivia Cooper, Anika Showalter, Xyla Carlson, John Orm, Julian Wenz, Owen Vredenburg, Mason Dunn, Caroline Puckett, Fred Sutherland, Sierra Mirsky, and Bee Hoffman. Their next competition will be at the Sierra Cascade Logging Conference, Feb. 6-8th.

The COF Logging Sports team is part of the Forestry Club at Oregon State University, congratulations on your victory!

Glenn Jones (left), a graduate student in the COF’s Forest Engineering, Resources & Management (FERM) department, is collaborating with Chris Dunn to reconstruct historical and cultural fire regimes on the east slope of the Central Oregon Coast Range. Supported by the Bureau of Land Management’s Seeds of Success grant, Jones’ work involves a partnership with the BLM and the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians (CTCLUSI).

Blending Indigenous knowledge with Western science, the project addresses knowledge gaps in the Coast Range about fire return intervals and aims to revive traditional burning practices for CTCLUSI. A Hoopa Valley Tribal member, Jones brings personal experience with cultural burning to his work—an approach that supports habitats, maintains ecologically significant species, and sustains traditional resources. He’s also training to become a federally recognized Burn Boss, expanding his impact in helping Oregon Tribes increase cultural burns.

“This research is not only meaningful to me personally, its impactful to our next seven generations as we face an uncertain future with climate change and contemporary wildfires,” Jones shares. “Co-stewardship of the landscape with Tribes, agencies, and stakeholders is essential in informing management of forest ecosystems of the future.”

Phase one of the project—establishing plots, stem mapping, and tree coring—is complete. Phase two begins this winter with fire scar cutting and tree ring analysis.

Tell us a bit about your background and where you consider home to be.
I’ve been working in student affairs now for about 10 years. Broadly, I’d consider the East Coast of the United States to be home.

Why did you decide to join the College of Forestry as an academic advisor and what are you looking forward to doing here?
I decided to join the College of Forestry because of its uniqueness in terms of the degree programs it offers and student populations it serves. I am looking forward to helping COF students meet their academic goals through advising.

What is something you want every student to know (about you or generally)?
I would say that I am committed to COF students’ success and that I want all of them to get as much out of their experience at Oregon State as possible.

What do you like to do in your free time?
I am an avid baseball fan. I follow the game pretty closely. My team is the New York Mets.

If you could have any animal as a pet, what animal would it be and why?
Honestly? A cat. I already have one and they are great companions. They’re very funny and come in handy if there’s a bug in the house or something even scarier (like a mouse).

At the College of Forestry’s Fall 2024 Dean’s Celebration, we honored our scholarship recipients, donors, and college community. Thanks to our generous donors, the college has been able to award over $850,000 in scholarships and fellowships for the 2024-2025 academic year! These contributions make an incredible difference in the lives of our students by allowing them to fulfill their dreams of a college education, and to be successful contributors in our communities after graduation.

The College of Forestry’s Scholarship Committee reviewed 409 applications, and 191 students were selected to receive scholarships scholarship offers totaling $757,000 for the 2025-2025 academic year. College of Forestry fellowships recognize our top incoming and returning graduate students as well, nominated by their degree program. The Graduate Scholarship committee reads and reviews these nominations to make their recommendations and final selections. The committee selected 28 students, both Master- and PhD- level, to receive college fellowships totaling just over $152,600 for the 2024-2025 academic year. The students who were able to attend came up in small groups for congratulations with the Dean, pictured below.

Tell us a bit about your background and where you consider home to be.
I consider Michigan home, went to Western Michigan University for undergraduate and Bowling Green State University in Ohio for graduate school. That was where my interest in advising started, and I have been advising for eight years. I really like it because it is a little bit of everything, you get to support students and see their full journey from the start to graduation.

Why did you decide to join the College of Forestry as an academic advisor and what are you looking forward to doing here?
I’ve been at OSU for six years and wanted to support a different population of students such as transfer, non-traditional and e-campus. I’m passionate about access to higher education for students and the outdoors, and find myself relating to students through that.

What is something you want every student to know (about you or generally)?
Generally, there’s always going to be challenges. But knowing where to go to get help and support is the difference in being able to succeed and get through them.

What do you like to do in your free time?
I’m involved with Heart of the Valley Runners and on the board of directors. It’s a good way to meet people and help support youth and running programs and give back to the kids through programming.

If you could have any animal as a pet, what animal would it be and why?
I would have a tiny orca because they are extremely smart and communicate well.

Oregon State University’s College of Forestry is hosting two Ukrainian forest scientists as part of the BridgeUSA Ukrainian Academic Fellows Program. This initiative aims to foster lasting connections between Ukrainian and U.S. academics, strengthening Ukraine’s capacity in fields crucial for its future rebuilding.

*Left to Right: Dr. Glenn Howe, Dr. Ihor Neyko, Dr. Oleksandr Soshenskyi, Dr. John Bailey*

Dr. Oleksandr Soshenskyi, from the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv, focuses on silviculture and wildfire management while Dr. Ihor Neyko, from Vinnytsia National Agrarian University, specializes in forest genetics and sustainable forest management. Two OSU faculty, Dr. Glenn Howe and Dr. John Bailey, led the effort to welcome and collaborate with the Ukrainian scholars.

BridgeUSA Ukrainian Academic Fellows Program
The BridgeUSA Ukrainian Academic Fellows Program is administered by the American Councils for International Education in Washington, DC. The BridgeUSA program focuses on developing expertise in areas essential for Ukraine’s future, including forestry, post-war recovery studies, information technology, and pedagogy. The BridgeUSA program provides an invaluable opportunity to exchange knowledge and build international partnerships in forestry research and education.

An active month of visits included meetings with College of Forestry administration, the International Programs office, faculty, staff, and graduate students. The visiting scholars also attended lectures and field labs, and visited experimental forests and research sites. The scholars also visited a variety of OSU’s partner organizations, such as USFS Dorena Genetic Resource Center, Roseburg Forest Products, Lebanon Forest Regeneration Center, USFS Pacific Northwest Research Station, Starker Forests, and others.

Thomas H. DeLuca, Dean of the College of Forestry, says, “The College of Forestry is honored to host Ukrainian fellows Dr. O. Soshenskyi and Dr. I. Neyko so they can contribute to the important work of rebuilding and strengthening Ukraine’s academic and research capacities. This collaboration aligns with OSU’s commitment to global engagement and addressing critical challenges in forestry and environmental sciences.”

*Dean Tom H. DeLuca with Dr. I. Neyko and Dr. O. Soshenskyi*

The scholars shared their experiences and perspectives on forestry practices in Ukraine, enriching the learning environment for OSU students and faculty. While they were here, they presented two seminars, “Ukraine in Wartime: forests and forestry science” and “Digital Tools for Data Collection, Silviculture Sharing, and Remote Learning in Forestry.”

Key Learning and Observations
The scholars were exposed to cutting-edge research in forest biotechnology, including genetically modified poplar plantations and advanced laboratory facilities. Visits to various forest sites provided insights into sustainable management techniques, including seed orchard management and prescribed burning. The scholars learned about the use of digital tools and satellite data for forest monitoring and management. The scholars participated in various classes and the OSU Forestry Extension Tree School Field Day. Their visit fostered connections between Ukrainian and U.S. academics, aligning with the BridgeUSA program’s goal of strengthening Ukraine’s capacity in essential fields.

Conclusion
The month-long visit of Dr. Oleksandr Soshenskyi and Dr. Ihor Neyko to OSU’s College of Forestry provided comprehensive exposure to advanced forestry research, education, and management practices in the United States. This experience is expected to contribute significantly to the development of forestry practices and education in Ukraine, fostering long-term international collaboration in the field.

Several members of the College of Forestry community were honored on University Day with awards for their exceptional contributions.

Arijit Sinha, professor in wood science and engineering, received the Excellence in Postdoctoral Mentoring Award. Arijit has worked with five postdoc scholars since 2019. As a mentor, he prepares them to be successful researchers, providing guidance on proposal writing and budget planning that are essential skills for securing research funding. He also encourages collaboration with industry partners, helping postdocs build professional working relationships with experts in the field.

Greg Goralogia, research associate in forest ecosystems and society, received the Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentoring by a Post-doc Award. Greg has mentored 12 undergraduate and 11 graduate students over the past five years, working one-on-one with students through all the stages of their research projects, from an abstract idea through experimentation and finally to results.

Ashley D’Antonio, associate professor in forest ecosystems and society, received the Faculty Teaching Excellence Award. Ashley teaches three required courses in the Tourism, Recreation and Adventure Leadership Natural Resources program, one of which also fulfills the Contemporary Global Issues requirement in the Baccalaureate Core. She is also active in training and programs for the Center for Teaching and Learning.

Congratulations! We’re incredibly thankful for all our dedicated faculty and staff who make a lasting impact every day.

The new Forest Ecosystems and Society (FES) department Kids Book and Toy Library is officially up and running! This resource is located in the FES Mail and Copy Room (321F Richardson Hall) and is available to anyone in the department who may need to bring their children to work for a few hours, offering books and toys to keep them entertained while employees work.

This initiative is an important step in fostering a family-friendly and supportive work environment, helping to maintain a healthy life balance. Kids sometimes need to come to the office, and this library is a small way of recognizing and supporting that reality.

A big thank you to Dana Warren and Josephine for setting up and organizing this space. The library will be maintained by those who use it. To donate items or help maintain the collection, reach out to Dana Warren.

Artificial intelligence enhances monitoring of threatened marbled murrelet

*Photo: Brett Lovelace/Oregon State University*

Artificial intelligence analysis of data gathered by acoustic recording devices is a promising new tool for monitoring the marbled murrelet and other secretive, hard-to-study species, research by Oregon State University and the U.S. Forest Service has shown.

The threatened marbled murrelet is an iconic and elusive Pacific Northwest seabird that relies on the sea for food but raises its young as far as 60 miles inland in mature and old-growth forests.

“There are very few species like it,” said co-author Matt Betts of the OSU College of Forestry. “And there’s no other bird that feeds in the ocean and travels such long distances to inland nest sites. This behavior is super unusual, and it makes studying this bird really challenging.”

A research team led by Adam Duarte of the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station used data from acoustic recorders, originally placed to assist in monitoring northern spotted owl populations, at thousands of locations in federally managed forests in the Oregon Coast Range and Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Researchers then developed a machine learning algorithm known as a convolutional neural network to mine the recordings for murrelet calls.

Findings, published in Ecological Indicators, were tested against known murrelet population data and determined to be correct at a rate exceeding 90%, meaning the recorders and AI are able to provide an accurate look at how much murrelets are calling in a given area.

“Our results offer considerable promise for species distribution modeling and long-term population monitoring for rare species,” Duarte said. “Monitoring that’s far less labor intensive than nest searching via telemetry, ground-based nest searches or traditional audio/visual techniques.”

College of Forestry graduate student Matthew Weldy joined Betts and Duarte in the study, along with Zachary Ruff of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Jonathon Valente, a former Oregon State postdoctoral researcher now at the U.S. Geological Survey, and Damon Lesmeister and Julianna Jenkins of the Forest Service.

Indigenous Knowledge and western science braided into recommendations for land managers

Two College of Forestry faculty are among the lead authors of a report that combines Indigenous Knowledge and western science for the purpose of informing future climate-adapted land management decisions across the United States. The authors say their recommendations include “practical and cultural
management interventions that could help avert the loss of thousands of acres of old-growth forest.”

The report, co-led by Cristina Eisenberg and Michael Paul Nelson of OSU and fire ecologists Susan Prichard of the University of Washington and Paul Hessburg of the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station, urges that Tribal stewardship practices such as thinning and burning be considered in future land management decisions by the U.S. Forest Service. The Forest Service had expressed interest in gaining a better understanding of the connection between Indigenous Knowledge and western science in land management planning.

“Our forests are in grave danger in the face of climate change,” said Eisenberg, the College of Forestry’s associate dean of inclusive excellence. “By braiding together Indigenous Knowledge with western science, we can view the problems with what is known as Two Eyed Seeing, to develop a path forward that makes our forests more resilient to the threats they are facing. That is what this report is working to accomplish.”

Eisenberg, who is Native American, is the associate dean of inclusive excellence and the Maybelle Clark
Macdonald Director of Tribal Initiatives for the college and Nelson is a professor of environmental philosophy and ethics.

“Our report is deeper than changes in policy and management—it proposes a fundamental change in the worldview guiding our current practices,” Nelson said. “Our writing team’s cultural, geographic and disciplinary diversity allows for guidance on a shift in paradigms around how we approach forest stewardship in the face of climate change.”

Represented on the core writing team are Tribal members and Forest Service personnel as well as faculty from North Carolina State University, the University of Missouri, the University of Idaho, the University of Minnesota, the University of Arizona, the University of California and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

A version of this story appeared in the Fall 2024 issue of Focus on Forestry, the alumni magazine of the Oregon State University College of Forestry.

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Author Archives: schoppyi

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Fall 2024 Dean’s Celebration

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Oregon State University Hosts Ukrainian Scholars in the College of Forestry

University Day awards

FES Kids Book and Toy Library

Research updates: Fall 2024

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