In March 2020, during week 10 of the winter term and shortly after faculty and staff began moving into the newly constructed George W. Peavy Forest Science Center, the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a global pandemic. COVID-19 completely changed the landscape of higher education, and as the pandemic continued to spread and the remainder of 2020 shifted alongside it, the College of Forestry quickly adapted to support students.

“During this challenging time, staff and faculty adapted quickly, working to provide ideas, courses and programs that met students where they were at with real solutions to complete research and support their progress towards their academic goals,” said Tom DeLuca, the Cheryl Ramberg-Ford and Allyn C. Ford Dean of the College of Forestry.

When stay-at-home and social distancing orders came down from the governor’s office in March, Ethan Harris, a senior in forest engineering, had to change course to complete his senior capstone project. Instead of surveying a stand on Starker Forests lands in the Oregon Coast range to appraise its value, develop a harvest plan and coordinate with mills and truckers, he had to cancel his survey work and timber cruises and coordinate team project meetings virtually through Zoom. Woodam Chung, Stewart Professor of Forest Operations, helped Harris find available data and complete the project.

Another senior, Wade Christensen, had a similar experience for his capstone project. Help arrived in the form of remotely sensed LIDAR data from a leading expert in the field, Bogdan Strimbu, assistant professor in forest biometrics and geomatics. Allowing for differences between direct observation and point clouds, Christensen estimated timber volumes and completed his work.

Both Harris and Christensen graduated on time, but they are examples of the stressful scramble brought on by pandemic restrictions last spring. Adjusting capstone projects, jumping into remote classes, recalibrating internships, filling gaps in students’ resources — all fell to faculty, advisors and support staff.

For Nicole Kent, manager of advising & academic relations for the College of Forestry, the shift became all-consuming. She and her team make sure that the college’s nearly 1,000 undergraduates get the courses and experiences they need. They also conduct student orientations and other events.

Only about half of those students are on the Corvallis campus. Others work at OSU Cascades in Bend, at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande or through Ecampus. “We were already doing a lot of remote teaching. That gave the college a head start in adjusting to the pandemic,” Kent said.

Most students in Corvallis are there because they want to learn in person — in the forest, on field trips, in labs, face to face. With COVID restrictions in place, students saw internships and other work-experience opportunities evaporate. Some courses were cancelled and others shifted to the computer screen.

Nevertheless, the College of Forestry prides itself on producing work-ready graduates, so advisors and faculty shifted gears to find alternatives. They determined what courses would provide the required learning outcomes and kept students on the path to graduation.

“I can’t say enough about how wonderful the Student Services team is and how hard they have worked,” Kent said. “They were all at home working remotely. They stepped up to show such great care and compassion for our students.”

Those efforts included finding financial help when income had suddenly dried up. The OSU Foundation led an effort that saw over 3,000 donors contribute over $1 million for Beavers Care, an initiative to make a difference for OSU students, faculty and staff in urgent need of emergency support. College staff navigated the federal CARES Act to determine who was eligible for assistance and who was not. Staff also identified additional university resources to help fill gaps in their personal lives, such as access to groceries and medications.

Even laboratory-based classes, which usually take place in person, transformed to adapt to remote delivery. Wood science and engineering professor Lech Muszynski successfully adapted his renewable materials laboratory class. The class utilized a combination of online lectures, team assignments, video clips with recorded lab routines and procedures, discussions and publicly available web content. Elements of Muszynski’s innovative class strategies were shared with the OSU campus community as part of a best practice webinar series.

Staff in the college’s IT office also made extraordinary efforts to ensure all students had access to computers and the internet at home. During the same weeks the college was moving into the new Peavy Forest Science Center building, IT was assisting students with Zoom meeting software, loaner computers and off-campus access to computer labs.

Throughout the year, OSU and the college communicated with students, sending updates about available resources and helping people who were struggling with isolation.

“As this crisis unfolded and continues to unfold, we believe it is more critical than ever to support each other,” DeLuca said. “Our first priority is the safety and well-being of our community and we will continue to do everything we can to support academic success and the College of Forestry community.”

This story was part of the College of Forestry’s 2019-2020 Biennial Report.

On February 9, we recognized our 2020 Dean’s Award recipients and retirees with an awards ceremony and celebration on Zoom. Since 1990, the Dean’s Awards for Outstanding Achievement have recognized outstanding contributions by our community members that significantly advanced the mission of the College.

For outstanding achievement in Fostering Undergraduate Student Success, Woody Chung, Bogdan Strimbu and Austin Finster were recognized for their herculean efforts to digitize a forest. Due to the pandemic, access to the research forest wasn’t available for the typical capstone experience. Students noted that Woody’s positive, encouraging attitude, Bogdan’s adaptability, and Austin’s dedication all contributed to a great outcome for the term.

Zowie DeLeon from the Dean’s Office was recognized for outstanding achievement in Contributions as a Student Worker. Nominators noted that Zowie was a leader to her office mates and participated in hiring and training fellow student workers.

Two graduate students were recognized for outstanding achievement in Graduate Student LeadershipKatie Nicolato and Skye Greenler. Nominators noted that one of Katie’s greatest strengths is the comprehensive experience she brings to her program and the FERM department, including getting her FAA Remote Pilot Certificate, becoming President for the OSU American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, and serving on the WFGRS planning committee. Skye’s nominator wrote that she has established a superb academic and leadership record with us here in the College, including exemplary performance on her qualifying exams. She has shown strong leadership and professional qualities, including service as president of our Student Association for Fire Ecology (SAFE) chapter and on the WFGRS planning committee.

Outstanding achievement in the Mentorship of Graduate Students went to Ashley D’Antonio and Mariapaola Riggio. Students who nominated Dr. D’Antonio noted they value her thoughtful leadership and her commitment to promoting principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) which includes a reading group that relates to issues of DEI in the outdoors. Dr. Riggio’s nominator noted that she is an exceptional role model for each graduate student that she has mentored. They said, “her encouragement of my research and opportunities surrounding it has been a key focus of my experience in the College of Forestry. So much, that I wanted to continue to work with Dr. Riggio as a PhD student.”

Misty Magers was recognized for Outstanding Achievement in Distinction to the College. Nominators noted that she is an exceptional office manager with a deep wisdom about the department, and a seemingly endless capacity to remember details. 

The Pauline Barto Award for Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion went to Adrienne Wonhof. Nominators noted that Adrienne has been the voice to department heads and college leadership to maintain flexibility and create remote working conditions that cultivate inclusive environments. She has ignited a passion within colleagues to strive for equality and diversity.

Retirees Doug Maguire, Mike Bondi, Rakesh Gupta, Jim Johnson, Chal Landgren, and Milo Clauson were recognized for their service to the college. Rakesh served as a Professor in Wood Science and Engineering from 1991 to 2020 and has studied the behavior of wood frame structures under extreme loads (from natural disasters) to the mechanical properties and behavior of wood and wood composites.In 2006, Jim Johnson accepted the Associate Dean position for Extension and Outreach. Jim is most proud of the programs he had a hand in starting, the students he taught and mentored, and the outstanding colleagues he hired. Professor Landgren has served as Extension Christmas Tree Specialist at Oregon State University since 2008, when the position was created by the state legislature. Milo joined WSE in 1987.  His work supported material testing classes, graduate and undergraduate student research programs, and timber engineering faculty.

The Oregon Society of American Foresters awarded four members of Oregon State University’s College of Forestry with prestigious awards at their 2020 Annual Meeting. Stephen Fitzgerald, Professor and Extension Specialist and Director of OSU Research Forests, received Forester of the Year. Dr. Jim Rivers, Assistant Professor in the College of Forestry, Forest Engineering, Resources and Management Department, received the Research Award. Lauren Grand, Oregon State University Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Agent for Lane County, received the Young Forester Leadership Award. Samuel Zamudio received SAF’s OSU Student Award.

Stephen Fitzgerald, SAF Forester of the Year

This award is presented annually to a member of the Oregon Society of American Foresters who has been recognized by their peers for contributing to both the profession and the public through application of their professional skills to the advancement of forestry in Oregon and through public service that benefits their community or some larger segment of society.

Fitzgerald is a dedicated and experienced forester, manager, and extension specialist. His knowledge of forestry is unique in that he has been with OSU and the Extension Service since the 1980’s in various positions and locations throughout the state. Throughout, he has been able to provide mentorship to OSU forestry undergraduates and graduate students, as well as forestry peers. His research interests include fire ecology, forest health and silviculture and he is now providing guidance through OSU extension to forestland owners affected by the devastating Oregon fires. Fitzgerald has a M.S. in Education and Training, Forest Management from University of Idaho, a B.S. in Forest Biology from the State University of New York, and an AAS from Holyoke Community College.

Dr. Jim Rivers and Stephen Fitzgerald

Dr. Jim Rivers, SAF Research Award

This award is presented in recognition of outstanding achievement in any branch of science leading to advancement in either the science or practice of forestry in Oregon.

Dr. Rivers is lead researcher in early-seral communities and forest management practices effects on multiple species of wildlife and pollinators. These include:

  • Marbled Murrelet reproductive success
  • Post-fire wildlife demographics and recovery
  • Herbicide treatment effects in managed forests
  • Biological diversity trends over time
  • Animal behavior patterns
  • Snags and harvest residue effects
  • Habitat linkages

Dr. Rivers has produced over 50 peer-reviewed publications and numerous outreach publications. He presents frequently, including at the SAF National Convention in Portland, at forest health conferences, at managed forest landscapes workshops, at early seral biodiversity and management workshops, and fisheries, wildlife, and ecology symposia. He has conducted invited talks for the Oregon Forest and Industries Council, Pacific Northwest Reforestation Council, and National Council for Air and Stream Improvement. His work is funded by both large and small grants from a range of sources, for both basic and applied research. 

He has a Ph.D. from University of California, Santa Barbara in Biology and a M.S. from Kansas State University.

Lauren Grand, Young Forester Leadership Award

The Young Forester Leadership Award recognizes “outstanding leadership by a young forestry professional in the development and promotion of an individual program or project, or for a sustained leadership role benefiting the practice of forestry and the Society of American Foresters.” The award is reserved for people under the age of 40. 

Lauren has been the OSU Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Agent for Lane County since 2016. As the OSU Extension Forester for Lane County, Lauren has demonstrated leadership and produced content and tours to benefit the practice of forestry in the county and the state. Lauren has a B.S. in Environmental Science from University of California, Berkeley and a M.S. in Forest Resources from University of Washington.

Samuel Zamudio, SAF OSU Student Award

The award is presented to an OSU forestry student who is a member of the Society of American Foresters, participates regularly in OSU SAF activities, including a leadership role of some kind, represents the OSU SAF Student Chapter at state or national SAF gatherings, and who demonstrates good academic standing, good citizenship and excellence in extracurricular and professional work activities.

Samuel excelled as the OSU SAF 2020 Student Chapter Vice-President and was responsible for coordinating the Career Fair for the College hosted by OSU SAF. 

Sam graduated in the spring of 2020 with a B.S. degree. 

Congratulations to all of the award recipients!

McKenzie Huber and Autumn Granger

College of Forestry advisors McKenzie Huber and Autumn Granger have been recognized as the Oregon Academic Advising Association Advisors of the Year for 2020!  Autumn is a first generation college student herself, and understands the importance of having someone to help guide you. McKenzie has her Ed.M. in College Student Services Administration from Oregon State University and has dedicated her career to academic advising.

Our advisors assist students in making the most of their educational opportunity and stay with their students from orientation to graduation. Learn more about our undergraduate degree options and take a virtual tour today!

Assistant professor Catalina Segura has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to Italy.  She will study rainfall-runoff generation response in spring 2021 at the University of Florence. 

Catalina joined the Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management in 2013 and runs the Watershed Processes Lab. The goal of her research program is to understand the physical processes that control the movement of water and sediment and the effects that the variability of these processes have on water availability, water quality, and stream ecology.

If you’re interested in a career dedicated to improving our forest ecosystems, learn more about our undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Where are you from? Where did you go to college?

I was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Go Pack Go!), but I went to school in enemy territory at the University of Minnesota (Ski-U-Mah) where I received my Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Graphic Design.

What brought you to OSU? What is your role in the College of Forestry?

My husband and I moved to Oregon when he started a graduate program at UO. I was looking to make an industry change as I had previously only worked in professional sports, and was interested in opportunities within higher education. I saw the perfect job posted for a senior graphic designer at the College of Forestry and pounced on it! I currently act as the college’s Art Director. It has been my favorite job by far, even with the hour and a half commute!

What’s your favorite part about working for the College of Forestry?

The people and the subject matter. I work with a great team and love feeling like the work I do makes a difference.

What do you like to do outside of work? Hobbies, family, volunteer work, etc.

I have a 7 month old baby, Zoe. She takes up most of my free time outside of work. On weekends, we like to go on easy hikes and take our dog, Oliver, to the dog park. My family is incredibly dedicated to the TV show “Survivor” (yes, it’s still on!) and look forward to watching it every Wednesday night! When I can, I like to read mystery/thriller fiction and historical nonfiction. I highly recommend Tana French for the former and Erik Larson for the latter!

What’s your favorite food?

I LOVE mexican food. I could have rice and beans for every meal.

What’s your favorite time of the year? Why?

Summers in Oregon are hard to beat. The weather is beautiful.

Do you have any pets?

Yes! I have an adorable Pomeranian-mix, Oliver, and I am completely obsessed with him. It is my unbiased opinion that he is the world’s bestest, cutest and floofiest puppy dog.

What is something funny, interesting, or crazy that has happened to you in the past year?

I had a baby 7 months ago and life with her has been been every kind of funny, interesting and crazy! She keeps me on my toes!

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Why?

I just want to be a witch in the Harry Potter universe. I am a Hufflepuff, by the way.

Where are you from? Where did you go to college?

I grew up near Milwaukee, Wisconsin and also spent a lot of my time in the southwest part of the state, where my father’s family live and farm. I attended the University of Wisconsin (Madison) for my Bachelor of Science degree (Forest Science and Natural Resources).

What brought you to OSU? What is your role in the College of Forestry?

My husband, Jacob, and I moved to Corvallis from Denver in early 2016. My husband is a veteran of the Marine Corps, and it was time for him to finish his Bachelor’s degree under the G.I. Bill. OSU seemed like a great option. We were both intrigued by the PNW. For Jacob, it was the coastline and for me, the forests.

I work for the COF Research Forests, managing the forest inventory, GIS, and reforestation programs.

What’s your favorite part about working for the College of Forestry?

It’s really fulfilling to work with students on building their professional skillsets. I’ve been fortunate to work with highly motivated, bright, and curious student workers. I enjoy sharing what I’ve learned [and am still learning] with them and vice versa.

What do you like to do outside of work? Hobbies, family, volunteer work, etc.

I’m a part-time master’s student in the Sustainable Forest Management program, so that takes up a bit of my time. I enjoy vegetable gardening and general tinkering around my home. My husband and I both enjoy camping, fishing, backpacking and hiking.

What’s your favorite food?

For cooking, I like putting a healthy spin on American food. When eating out, I like restaurants that prepare more elaborate things that I can’t make [well] – like Japanese, Indian, and Thai food.

What’s your favorite time of the year? Why?

Fall – for sure! I prefer the cooler, refreshing temperatures, changing colors, and mist.

Do you have any pets?

I have one cat named Mesa.

What is something funny, interesting, or crazy that has happened to you in the past year?

Well, Covid-19 has been a real showstopper!

Back in July, my husband and I went to New Jersey for a good friend’s wedding. Due to thunderstorms, our flight home got delayed for a couple of days. We literally only had the shirts on our backs. After some hand-washing of laundry in the motel, we decided to use the bonus-day to tour Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. I was blown away by the history museum, and it was an unexpected, memorable change of events for us, especially on Fourth of July weekend.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Why?

I would be able to stop time, so I could fit in all of the fun that I want to have in this life.

The Stay at Home lecture series started with Dr. Ashley D’Antonio’s lecture on “Recreation Science in our National Parks.” Over half of the United States population participates in outdoor recreation activities like mountain biking, snowshoeing and hiking!  In 2014, the National Park Service hosted 294 million visitors, and visitations continue to increase. As she mentions in her talk, balancing recreation and ecosystem protection is becoming critically important.

Watch the video of Ashley D' Antonio's presentation.

Listen to Ashley’s lecture to learn how she has helped inform management of our national parks and other protected areas! If you are interested in working in critical fields that balance the needs of ecosystems and society, Oregon State University offers undergraduate degrees in tourism, recreation, and adventure leadership and natural resources, and provides a broad range of graduate opportunities.

—————– Dr. Ashley D’Antonio is the Gene D. Knudson Forestry Chair and an assistant professor of nature-based recreation.  She studies outdoor recreation science and how recreation science can be used to help inform management of our National Parks and other protected areas.

Oregon State University and the College of Forestry has created a new endowment based on a major donation from the Institute of Forest Biosciences, formerly the Institute of Forest Biotechnology.  

To honor the Institute’s long legacy of identifying ecologically and socially responsible paths for the use of biotechnologies in forestry, the donation will be used to create the Institute of Forest Biosciences Endowment for Forest Biotechnology and related Biosciences. 

Based on the wishes of the donors, the earnings from the endowment will be used to fund travel by students and early career scientists to present their work at national and international conferences.

After recently ceasing operation, the Institute donated its remaining funds to OSU in recognition of the work of the college and the career of Distinguished Professor Steve Strauss, who has had a long association with the Institute. 

As a collaborator and advisor, Strauss’ association with the Institute included hosting conferences, writing publications, and serving as Chair of the Science Committee for the Forest Health Initiative. The initiative focused on restoration of the American Chestnut and was organized in close association with the Institute. 

Strauss was also the first scientist to be recognized by the Institute as “Forest Biotechnologist of the Year,” which over time recognized several of the leading forest biotechnology scientists from around the globe. He received the honor for his work for that combines outstanding science with work to advance application and engagement with society around forest biotechnologies. 

On Thursday, February 6, we recognized our 2019 Dean’s Award recipients and retirees with an awards ceremony and celebration. Since 1990, the Dean’s Awards for Outstanding Achievement have recognized outstanding contributions by our community members that significantly advanced the mission of the College. 

McKenzie Huber was recognized for outstanding achievement in Fostering Undergraduate Student Success. Students noted that McKenzie “has been a huge part of my continued success at OSU,” and “McKenzie has helped tailor a plan that fits my needs as a non-traditional eCampus student serving on active duty.”

Interim Dean Anthony Davis with McKenzie Huber

Kellie Cleaver from FERM was awarded for outstanding achievement in Contributions as a Student Worker.  Nominators noted “Kellie is the first to volunteer to help in any way she can, even if it is outside her position,” and “She always has a smile on her face and is a shining light on the dim days.”

Interim Dean Anthony Davis with Kellie Cleaver

Ray Van Court was recognized for outstanding achievement in Graduate Student Leadership. Ray is a first year PhD student with five published peer-reviewed papers and one book chapter. They have three papers currently in review. Nominators noted “Ray is chair of the graduate student council, a member of the Forestry Executive Committee, treasurer for Xi Sigma Pi (the forestry honor society), member of leadership committee for IFSA (international forestry society), and they are also part of the graduate student advisory committee,” and “Ray’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is exceptional and their work on awareness and support makes the community much more inclusive for other graduate students.”

Interim Dean Anthony Davis with Ray Van Court

The Pauline Barto Award for Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion went to Shannon Harwood. Nominators said, “As she visits high schools, she delivers a message of empowerment to students from all backgrounds while informing them of the opportunities available to them at OSU and the College of Forestry. These visits occur all over the west coast, in rural and urban settings, and I’ve been surprised by the number of teachers who have reached out to me personally about what a great representative Shannon is for our programs.”

Interim Dean Anthony Davis with Shannon Harwood

Jed Cappellazzi and Reem Hajjar were recognized for outstanding achievement in the Mentorship of Graduate Students.  Students who nominated Jed noted, “Jed is an excellent resource to consult for in-depth, intellectual, and educational discussions on a variety of topics,” and “his guidance is always relevant, his expectations clear, and he always encourages progressive thinking.” One of the many students who nominated Reem noted “I entered Reem’s class feeling an incredible amount of anxiety about whether I was going to be able to do anything meaningful with my thesis, and left it feeling confident that I could pose and investigate questions that are relevant to me AND the broader scientific community.”

Interim Dean Anthony Davis with Jed Cappellazzi

There were four very deserving recipients of this year’s Outstanding Achievement in Distinction to the College. Ari Sinha has been spearheading ground-breaking research on new and existing mass timber products, and translating it into the public domain by providing guidance and data for engineers and architects to use it confidently. Chris Dunn participated on Forest Service Committees and the Governor’s Wildfire Council in 2019.  Members of that Council wrote personally to note that “Chris’s work on helping the committee with data gathering, assessment, and mapping products related to evaluating and responding to wildfire risk in Oregon has been invaluable. His hours of hard work in producing quality products and ability to ensure they are understandable to committee members have been remarkable.” Michael Nagle’s nominator said, “He is the most brilliant graduate student I have had in my 33 years at OSU, and he is keystone to our 4 million dollar project on gene mapping from the National Science Foundation that simply could not succeed without him.” Michael Collins nominators noted, “Michael has assembled and leads a team that has taken college communications to an entirely different level,” and “Michael is unflappable, maintains a sense of humor and perspective, and is a strong leader.”

Interim Dean Anthony Davis with Ari Sinha
Interim Dean Anthony Davis with Chris Dunn
Interim Dean Anthony Davis with Michael Nagle

Retirees Will Roger Admiral, Rob Pabst, Bev Law, and Glenn Folkert were recognized for their service to the college. Glenn joined the College in 1990 as a scientific buyer. If a product existed, he could find it, buy it and get it delivered in or out of the U.S. for the lowest price and fastest delivery.  In Rogers 23+ years with the college, he was on the project team for the construction of Richardson Hall, has centralized and/or supervised Communications and Marketing, Forestry Computing, the Media Center and the Student Learning Center, and has provided financial and administrative consultation to five deans and interim deans. Rob has spent the past 34 years with the college working first on ecology of woody plants, then riparian forest ecology, and then forest modeling with the Coastal Landscape Analysis and Modeling Study and the Forests-People-Fire Project.  Bev has served the State of Oregon and Oregon State University for 23 years in Biogeosciences, specializing in forest ecosystem response to climate and disturbance. Thank you for your service and contributions and all the best in retirement!

Interim Dean Anthony Davis with retirees Roger Admiral, Rob Pabst, and Bev Law