Steve Strauss, Oregon State University distinguished professor of forest biotechnology, focuses his attention on genetic engineering and the modification of genes in trees used in plantation forestry and horticulture. He’s also Director of the GREAT TREES research cooperative, which researches genetic technology to make state-of-the-art advancements in basic methods for genetic modification of forest trees.

“GREAT stands for Genetic Research on Engineering and Advanced Transform­ation of Trees,” Strauss says. “Meaning how we can learn to efficiently modify or insert genes in the important, but often very biologically difficult, trees critical to the global forest industry.”

Most of the GREAT TREES members are major forestry companies worldwide that grow trees like eucalypts as significant pulp and energy sources.

Strauss’ goal is to create major advances in how genes are put into tree cells to modify or insert new functions, and then regenerate those cells into healthy trees with desired properties like pest resistance, better wood for specific purposes, or improved social acceptability. For example, trees that are improved for industrial uses but will not spread into wild populations should find wider acceptance.

“This work,” Strauss says, “requires a basic understanding of how plants naturally develop their embryos and shoots, and using that knowledge to help prod the cells to do what you want them to.”

Recently, Strauss’ published research from field trials at OSU that showed that poplar could be genetically modified to reduce negative impacts on air quality while leaving their growth virtually unchanged.

Poplars are fast-growing trees that are a source of biofuel and other products, including paper, pallets, plywood and furniture frames. These trees are also a significant isoprene producer, the critical component of natural rubber, and a pre-pollutant. Poplar and other trees, including oak, eucalyptus and conifers, produce isoprene in their leaves in response to climate stress, such as high temperatures. Increases in isoprene negatively affect regional air quality and lead to higher atmospheric aerosol production levels, more ozone in the air, and longer methane life. Ozone and methane are greenhouse gases, and ozone is a respiratory irritant.

The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are important because poplar plantations cover 9.4 million hectares globally – more than double the land used 15 years ago. A research collaboration led by scientists at the University of Arizona, the Institute of Biochemical Plant Pathology in Germany, Portland State University and OSU participated in this work.

“As the world faces increasing challenges to keep forests productive and healthy given new pests and rapid climate change, companies are looking to all the technologies for help, and genetic modification is a big option,” Strauss says.

There are barriers to pursuing gene modification work, however. First, says Strauss, it is complicated and expensive work, which is where GREAT TREES research cooperative comes in. The second barrier is fear and distrust.

“The public has been educated to fear modern genetic modification across the board, so regulations and market restrictions are very stringent,” Strauss says. “In many cases, the restrictions are impossible obstacles for even the largest companies to deal with as common market restrictions exclude any possibility for research with genetically modified trees in their forests or products.”

One part of GREAT TREES’ work, albeit a small part, says Strauss, is to try and influence policy and regulations about genetic modification of trees and crops to make them much more science-based and research-friendly.

“If something is GMO, it’s guilty until proven safe in the minds of many and in our regulations today,” he says. “These technologies are new tools that require scientific research to evaluate and refine them on a case-by-case basis. Blanket exclusions go against international scientific consensus. We have a huge need for expanded production of sustainable and renewable forest products and ecological services, and biotechnologies can help meet that need.”

Over the past few years, Strauss has received around $4 million in funding from the National Science Foundation to develop new phenomic and genomic insights into genetic diversity in the capacity for regeneration of new shoots and roots in poplar. In short, phenomics means to take data on plant growth in a precise, rapid, and computer-assisted manner. Genomics is the same idea, but applied to large-scale determination of DNA sequences.

Working with professor Fuxin Li in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at OSU, Strauss and his team have created and submitted for publication a new annotation tool, using machine learning, to enable researchers to rapidly and precisely code images of plant material. These data are then used in machine vision models to estimate regeneration rates in thousands of samples used in genetic analysis. Work at this scale was previously not possible using existing techniques. So far, they have completed and edited machine vision-derived data for two regeneration experiments involving about 1,300 replicated genotypes each, and a third experiment is nearly complete and another one starting up.

“After years of work to develop and test our phenomic systems, then apply them to quantify regeneration rates in literally tens of thousands of stems and Petri dishes containing wild black cottonwood plants whose genomes were previously sequenced, we are poised to identify some of the major genes that affect the capacity for regeneration of shoots, roots and modified tissues from single cells,” Strauss says. “It will be an exciting next couple of years for our laboratory.”

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

As Oregonians grow increasingly interested in learning about the source of their drinking water, they turn to the college’s forest soils and watershed hydrology research group to understand more about watershed processes and disturbances in our forested ecosystems and the effects forest management has on soils, and water quantity and quality.

The research group addresses essential questions like: What effects does forest harvesting have on stream flow or the soil’s ability to capture carbon? How do large wildfires affect water quantity, quality and aquatic ecosystem health? And how do forest management activities affect our drinking water?

Led by associate professor Catalina Segura, associate professor Kevin Bladon, assistant professor and extension specialist Jon Souder, and forest engineering, resources and management department head and associate professor Jeff Hatten, the research group provides knowledge that contributes to sustainable soil and water resources and supports informed forest management and policy decisions related to wildfire, salvage harvesting, and forest harvesting. It also helps support healthy, resilient forests and soils and helps ensure the communities that rely on them have access to clean drinking water.

Segura, who studies forest hydrology and fluvial geomorphology and received the prestigious National Science Foundation Career Award for her work, utilized data from the long-term Alsea Watershed Study in the Oregon Coast range to show summer streamflow in industrial tree plantations harvested on 40- to 50-year rotations was 50% lower than in century-old forests.

The research is an essential step toward understanding how intensively managed plantations might influence water supplies originating in forests and downstream aquatic ecosystems, especially as the planet becomes warmer and drier.

“Industrial plantation forestry is expanding around the globe, and that’s raising concerns about the long-term effects the plantations might be having on water, especially in dry years,” Segura said.

Together with other regional studies, the findings indicate that the magnitude of summer streamflow deficits is related to the proportion of watershed area in young (30- to 50-year-old) plantations. The findings also highlight the need for additional research and the value of long-term data.

Hatten, a soil scientist, conducted research in partnership with Weyerhaeuser Company that found conventional timber harvesting has no effect on carbon levels in the western Pacific Northwest’s mineral soils for at least 3 1/2 years after harvest.

The study is important because soils contain a large percentage of the total carbon in forests. Understanding soil carbon response to clear-cuts and other forest management practices is vital in determining carbon balance in any given stand and the overall landscape. Stable carbon levels in the ground mean less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

“Concern about rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations has heightened interest in the role that forests play in carbon sequestration, storage and cycling,” Hatten said. “Living trees sequester and store carbon, but less recognition has been given to soils’ role. We have plans to resample these sites in coming years and decades to look at the longer-term impacts.”

Bladon’s research focuses on the effects of wildfire and various post-fire forest management strategies on our water supply and aquatic ecosystem health. He explained that the effects of large, high severity wildfires on water quantity and quality could last for decades.

“Smaller, low severity fires can have positive outcomes for aquatic ecosystems,” Bladon said. “However, the larger fires, which we’ve seen more of in recent years, are the ones that cause us the most problems in terms of impacts on water.”

High severity fire can lead to increased annual streamflow, peak flows, and shifts in the timing of snowmelt to streams to earlier in the year. Additionally, large fires can raise stream temperatures, sediment, nutrients, and heavy metals in streams, negatively impacting aquatic ecosystems, recreational values, and drinking water sources.

Bladon and collaborators are currently developing a model of the Pacific Northwest to identify resilient or resistant streams to wildfire effects, which will enable informed prioritization of lands for active forest management.

Souder led the Trees to Tap project, a science-based summary of forest management’s impacts on community drinking water supplies, commissioned by The Oregon Forest Resource Institute (OFRI). Bladon, assistant professor Emily Jane Davis, assistant professor Bogdan Strimbu and Jeff Behan of the Institute of Natural Resources collaborated on this report.

Three hundred thirty-seven public water providers service almost 3.5 million Oregonians and rely on surface waters for some or all of their water supply. These providers may own their source water watersheds, but many do not. As a result, they have little control on activities occurring in their source watersheds, many of which are forested and managed by a diversity of owners. This report details the effects forest management has on these source watersheds and the future of Oregon’s drinking water.

“Oregonians value water produced from forests and rank water quality and quantity as primary concerns with forest management. Oregon’s extensive and diverse forests generally produce high-quality water and supply the majority of the state’s community water systems,” Souder said.

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

As society continues to face growing climate and sustainability crises, the Oregon State University College of Forestry aims to create a better future through education, research and outreach programs that address the most pressing issues related to forest conservation and management. To advance that mission, Oregon State University and the Oregon Department of State Lands are working collaboratively to develop a vision for transforming Oregon’s famous Elliott State Forest into a publicly owned world-class research forest.

The Elliott is a critical oasis for several imperiled species such as the marbled murrelet, northern spotted owl, elk and coho salmon. Twenty-two percent of Oregon wild salmon come from its streams and coastal old growth in the Elliott is prime nesting habitat for the threatened marbled murrelet.

“We look forward to furthering our work with the State Land Board, the Department of State Lands, Oregonians and stakeholders on the next steps to create a research forest plan that will provide benefits to all Oregonians,” said Tom DeLuca, the Cheryl Ramberg-Ford and Allyn C. Ford Dean of the College of Forestry. “From a scientific standpoint, the Elliott would provide OSU the ability to conduct large, landscape-level experiments that can endure time and be practical, relevant and collaborative.”

As an 80,000+ acre living laboratory, the Elliott will help the College of Forestry answer the fundamental question: What is the best landscape-scale approach to providing society with sustainable wood resources without compromising biodiversity, ecosystem functions, climate resilience and social benefits?

Located in Oregon’s coastal range near Reedsport, the Elliott is currently managed to benefit the Oregon Common School Fund.

In December 2018, the State Land Board requested that OSU, in partnership with the Oregon Department of State Lands, explore the Elliott’s potential transformation into a state research forest managed by OSU and the College of Forestry.

Since then, OSU has worked with Department of State Lands and a range of stakeholder groups and community members to develop a vision for turning the forest into a world-class research location while also benefitting important public values such as recreation, conservation and local economies.

The proposal, consistent with the Land Board vision for the forest, includes:
• Keeping the forest publicly owned with public access.
• Decoupling the forest from the Common School Fund, compensating the school fund for the forest and releasing the forest from its obligation to generate revenue for schools.
• Continuing habitat conservation planning to protect species and allow for harvest.
• Providing for multiple forest benefits, including recreation, education, and working forest research.

In December 2020, after receiving an update from OSU on the research forest plans and process, the Oregon State Land Board voted to continue evaluating how to transform the Elliott into a research forest.

“We are appreciative of the support Governor Kate Brown and the rest of the State Land Board have expressed for the College of Forestry’s research vision for the Elliott State Forest,” DeLuca said. “The Elliott provides a unique opportunity to conduct needed research that can address challenges and inform decisions that will help us sustain ecosystems and economies.”

Over the past two years, efforts have included the work of an OSU-led exploratory committee; extensive input from an advisory committee of stakeholders convened by the Department of State Lands; multiple public forums; and conversations with tribal governments, local governments, stakeholder groups and other interested Oregonians.

The university and the state will continue to engage with constituents to refine and develop details of the research forest concept. The planning will consider governance and financial issues that must be resolved before OSU would approve assuming management of the Elliott.

To learn more about the Elliott State Forest and the research forest exploratory process, visit the Department of State Lands and OSU websites.

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

As director of the Mechanized Harvesting Laboratory for the College of Forestry, Kevin Lyons, the Wes Lematta Professor of Forest Engineering, spends a lot of time thinking about the sophisticated machinery involved in mechanized forest harvesting systems. He also spends a lot of time thinking about the people who operate them.

“Forestry is, of course, about the forests,” Lyons says. “But it’s ultimately about the people. Competing demands for forest resources drives the need for management, and this relies on knowledgeable professionals.”

The mission of the Mechanized Harvesting Laboratory (MHL) is to increase the knowledge of modern mechanized harvesting systems. It does this by combining state-of-the-art computer-based forest harvesting machine simulation, mechanical analysis, operations research and field-based research. By increasing knowledge, the MHL hopes to reduce environmental impacts due to harvesting forest products, increase worker safety, reduce the cost of harvesting and increase the value of the products.

In addition to Lyons, the MHL includes faculty members Woodam Chung, professor and Stewart Professor of Forest Operations, Francisca Belart, assistant professor and extension specialist, John Sessions, Distinguished Professor, Strachan Chair of Forest Operations Management and Jeffrey Wimer, senior instructor and Strachan Faculty Scholar of Logging Technology.

“A lot of the work is about dealing with people and behavior,” Lyons says. “It’s about protecting people on the ground but also working with people to train their decision-making and reactions.”

Over the years, great advancements have been made in the development of computer-based forest harvesting machine simulators. The MHL recognized the potential for these systems in research and education, and in 2019 and 2020 partnered with John Deere to add one John Deere frame simulator and ten John Deere desktop simulators to the MHL’s existing Ponsse frame simulator.

The MHL has the capacity for virtual 3D visualization in addition to traditional viewing screens. The simulators include wheeled cut-to-length forest harvesting systems and tracked full-tree systems. The John Deere terrain editor can quickly generate a 3D simulation of the terrain and populate it with a variety of stand conditions, roads, and other features. The desktop simulators are portable and can go on the road for workshops and off-campus research.

The MHL is currently taking advantage of the harvesting machine simulators in two research projects. Lyons’ team is conducting research to determine how to effectively use the simulators to optimize learning and to deliver distance education to forest professionals. In addition, the research group is examining issues related to worker safety and risk assessment.

“It is difficult to conduct research in hazard recognition and worker risk assessment on active logging sites,” Lyons explains. “It is expensive and time consuming to set-up staged events and hazardous to be near active machinery in a forestry setting.”

The harvesting machine simulators combined with the terrain editor provide Lyons the opportunity to simulate many safety incidents quickly to a level that research subjects find sufficient to see the hazards and to assess the risk.

“The combination of being able to build terrains and forests, visualize the machine operating in the forest, and actually run the machine controls provide valuable experiential learning opportunities,” Lyons says.

Lyons compares the experiential and interactive teaching he does in the MHL to coaching soccer.

“People learn by doing,” he says. “Coaching soccer is about creating age and skill-appropriate opportunities for people to experience success and to learn by playing. The same is true for the harvesting machine simulators utilized in the lab.”

While the traditional use of harvest machine simulators is to train machine operators, explains Lyons, the MHL believes the harvesting machine simulators have the potential to reach a much broader audience.

“Foresters and engineers can work with the simulators and terrain builder to better recognize opportunities and to improve their road and cutblock designs,” Lyons says. “Landowners can view harvesting their land with various combinations of machinery and silviculture systems. Researchers can use the simulators to create environments in which to conduct research considering machine design, safety and operations.”

The MHL has developed several undergraduate courses that utilize the harvesting machine simulators, including a course that introduces the harvesting systems and develops scenarios for analysis as well as a course covering worker safety that includes both a focus on people and system design.

“One of the challenges with forest engineering and logging is it’s a complicated and uncontrolled environment,” Lyons says. “You have to make on the ground decisions that affect safety.”

Lyons views his job as one that helps people make better decisions.

“At the heart of it, a person is running the system,” Lyons says.

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