Scion in New Zealand is a beacon for international researchers in the forestry and wood products industries. More than half-a-dozen Oregon State researchers have connections to Scion, an institute that specializes in research, science and technology development for the forestry, wood product, wood-derived materials and other biomaterial sectors.

A sabbatical hotspot

“Just imagine the College of Forestry with fewer students, and even more focused on research,” says Scott Leavengood, professor and director of the Oregon Wood Innovation Center, who took a sabbatical in New Zealand and worked at Scion in 2016. “Scion has hundreds of researchers and visiting students from around the globe dedicated to forestry and forest products innovation in New Zealand.”

Associate Professor Jeff Hatten also spent his spring 2019 sabbatical there working on projects related to forest nutrition dynamics. He says one aspect of Scion’s mission is to grow trees faster and more sustainably to create better wood products and healthier forests.

“It leads to forward-thinking problem solving around those issues,” says Hatten. “It’s an area of study I haven’t focused on in my career,” Hatten says. “I’m piecing information together and learning more about what Scion has done to manage for Radiata Pine and Douglas-fir.”

Radiata Pine is the largest plantation species in New Zealand. Douglas-fir is also popular, and locals sometimes refer to it as ‘Oregon fir.’

Hatten says the two species are very different but thrive in similar soils.

“There are a lot of similarities between New Zealand and the Pacific Northwest,” Hatten says. “This means there are also similar problems in terms of how we grow and harvest trees. I’m interested in learning more about the problems and helping solve them here and back in Oregon.”

Problem-solving tree diseases

Ph.D. Student Michael Gordon hasn’t been to New Zealand – yet – but he’s working with Distinguished Professor Steve Strauss and Assistant Professor Jared LeBoldus, using gene transfer methods developed by Scion to produce a disease-resistant Douglas-fir tree. While genetically modifying trees is common in species like poplar (cottonwoods and aspens), it’s uncommon in plantation species important in Oregon, like Douglas fir.

The team is using host-induced gene silencing, widely called ‘HIGS’ by scientists, to encourage trees to successfully resist diseases like Swiss needle cast — and to do it by tweaking the natural mechanisms by which trees and their pathogens interact.

Scion scientists will insert the OSU-designed genes into Douglas-fir and send micro-propagated plants to Oregon State where they will grow in a greenhouse. When acclimated, they will be planted in a USDA-regulated field trial and monitored for growth and disease resistance. Gordon says the project is at the cutting edge, and he does not know if it will be successful. However, similar projects with crop plants have seen success, and if successful, this project could open up new and exciting ways to control Swiss needle cast and many other forest diseases.

Pressing on: more work to be done

In April 2019, Liam Gilson, a graduate student studying sustainable forest management and advised by Doug Maguire, the N.B. and Jacqueline Giustina Professor of Forest Management, presented his New Zealand-related research at the Western Forestry Graduate Research Symposium hosted by Oregon State.

Gilson’s project compares growth rates of Douglas fir in the Pacific Northwest and New Zealand’s South Island.

Douglas fir grows faster in the Southern Hemisphere, compared to its native climate in the Pacific Northwest, but little research points to why.

“My project used a group of plantings in western Oregon and the South Island of New Zealand that originated from the same seed lot,” Gilson says. “The project investigates the interplay between genetics and environmental conditions within and between these two radically different geographic locations separated by 7,400 miles. The results will help to develop strategies to minimize risks of plantation damage as our climate changes, inform the choice of genetic material for future plantings and strengthen the case for gene conservation in the context of Douglas-fi r breeding in New Zealand.”

With these and other projects and collaborations in the works, the exchange of ideas, research and people between Oregon State and Scion will likely continue, as New Zealand continues to promote the use of sustainable forestry practices and strive toward an even greener economy.

A version of this story appeared in the fall 2019 issue of Focus on Forestry, the alumni magazine of the Oregon State University College of Forestry. Learn more about international programs within the College of Forestry here.

Science asserts that agroforestry can have many benefits, including increased biodiversity, reduced erosion and healthier trees and crops. But what are people’s attitudes toward agroforestry in the developing world, and who is choosing to implement these mixed land management systems?

Ph.D. student Sonia Bruck is working hard to find answers to these questions. She’s partnered with Anthony Kimaro, Tanzania country representative for the World Forestry Centre (ICRAF) and Peter Matata, environmental scientist at the Tanzanian Ministry of Agriculture, because of their expertise on agroforestry in rural areas throughout Africa.

“I wanted to work with ICRAFbecause their headquarters are in Africa. They’re connected to the people in villages throughout the country and are there to ensure these projects continue,” Bruck says.

She takes comfort in the fact that when she completes the project the data will live with the organization for years to come. So, she set out to live in Tanzania for five months to learn more about agroforestry practices there.

Bruck began her journey by researching the history and socioeconomics of the region she is studying. Located in the northwest corner of Tanzania, the Uyui District was part of the Arab slave trade and later transitioned to a tobacco production region. To cure tobacco, local farmers cut much of the surrounding woodlands to produce charcoal, which resulted in deforestation and soil erosion.

To help combat that problem, ICRAF encouraged the practice of intercropping pigeon pea, a legume-producing woody perennial; cassava, a root vegetable and a tree called Gliricidia sepium.

ICRAF also researched and promoted the use of woodlots for fuelwood and charcoal production.

Bruck says, “Corn is a staple in the region, which requires a lot of nitrogen in the soil. People plant corn in the same place year after year, and that depletes nitrogen stores. Also, many people are undernourished or food insecure. Planting a variety of crops can help people get the nutrients they need.”

When Bruck first arrived in the area, she met with local government officials to obtain a letter explaining why she was there and what her research was.

“I had to meet with the chief and elders of the village as well,” Bruck says. “One thing that stuck with me during those meetings was how much people were interested in seeing the results of my study, so my goal is to eventually provide them with feedback and information about the data we collected.”

During her five-month stay, Bruck used a survey to understand who is adopting agroforestry in the region and the potential impacts intercropping has on food security. Together with five hired enumerators from a local agricultural college, Bruck surveyed 43 households randomly selected from village registries.

“So far, we found that many people are planting cassava. Fewer are planting the pigeon pea, and even fewer are planting Gliricidia sepium,” she says. “Many people report they’ve heard of agroforestry practices, but haven’t fully adopted them.”

She returned in July 2019 to disseminate her full questionnaire to 600 households among 12 subvillages and hold focus groups.

Before jetting off to Africa, Bruck helped plan and attended the North American Association for Temperate Agroforestry biennial conference (AFTA), hosted at Oregon State in June 2019. Bruck’s major professor, senior instructor and program director Badege Bishaw, is the current president of AFTA.

Even though the study region is not temperate, she presented her work on the project so far.

“Agroforestry professionals are interested in all kinds of climate zones, and people come to this conference from all over the world,” Bruck says. “It’s exciting to be able to collaborate with people and organizations who have the same research interests. I’m also extremely grateful for support from the College of Forestry, my advisors, committee members and collaborators in Africa.”

A version of this story appeared in the fall 2019 issue of Focus on Forestry, the alumni magazine of the Oregon State University College of Forestry. Learn more about international programs within the College of Forestry here.

Robert Rose is a senior studying renewable materials. He landed at Oregon State after growing up in New Mexico, a stint in the Air Force and working in Japan as a Department of Defense contractor.

With his first bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Rose had broad knowledge of the construction industry, but wanted to switch roles.

“A few friends told me about the College of Forestry at Oregon State, which led me to discover the renewable materials program, and it seemed like a good fit,” he says. “I wanted to learn about what renewable materials are and how to apply renewable products to the field of construction.”

The father of three considers school his job right now. He finished his renewable materials coursework and is now focused on business classes for the marketing and management option within the degree program.

Rose says one of his favorite areas to study is mass timber. He says his dream job is working with innovative products within the construction industry.

“I’m hoping I can take the knowledge and experience I gained here and translate it into getting plugged back into the workforce,” Rose says.

He says he’s excited about mass timber because of its unexpected construction potential.

“People just don’t really think about wood as a suitable material for large-scale construction projects,” Rose says. “But once you start learning about the properties behind it, it’s really intriguing and interesting. There’s also an aesthetic piece to it that I really like, so overall it makes for an interesting material to work with.”

During summer 2017, Rose completed an internship with Accsys Technologies. He worked with the College of Forestry’s Office of International Programs to travel abroad to the company’s headquarters in The Netherlands for a week where he observed the manufacturing process for Accoya wood products.

Once he returned home, Rose worked with Scott Leavengood,  director of the Oregon Wood Innovation Center, to test a variety of modified wood products including acetylated red alder similar to the wood that will be used on the exterior cladding of the new George W. Peavy Forest Science Center building.

“Robert is an exceptional student and employee,” Leavengood says. “His natural curiosity; attention to detail and ability to organize, plan and conduct his work independently are strong assets for any researcher.”

A version of this story appeared in the spring 2019 issue of Focus on Forestry, the alumni magazine of the Oregon State University College of Forestry. Learn more about our undergraduate programs here. 

Senior Vanessa Mckinney is passionate about forestry, natural resources and conservation.

The Eureka, California, native came to Oregon State to study forest management, but after participating in field school decided – with the help of an advisor – that the natural resources major would be a better fit.

“Coming to Oregon felt like a new opportunity for me,” Mckinney said. “Here at Oregon State, and in the state of Oregon in general, everyone encourages students to get out into the woods and into the field and find out how we can make a change for the better.”

Mckinney stays as active as she can, participating in a variety of hands-on learning opportunities.

During summer 2018, Mckinney worked with a graduate student to reopen the greenhouse at the Oak Creek building on the Oregon State campus. The neglected space is now an active research facility again.

“I helped graduate students get seedlings going,” Mckinney says. “It was really rewarding to make that area a productive space for research again.”

Mckinney also participated in the Mentored Employment Program (MEP), which provides College of Forestry undergraduate students paid opportunities to work with faculty members on research projects or to gain field experience.

Mckinney worked with Carlos Gonzalez-Benecke, assistant professor, and Maxwell Wightman, faculty research assistant, on a project for the Vegetation Management Research Cooperative (VMRC). She said that before working with the VMRC, she began to question her future and interest in natural resources and forest management.

“I was wondering if I really wanted to be here,” she says. “But getting  into the field with the VMRC gave me a new sense of confidence. I gained real experience with real data that I knew was going to be applied. This added to my OSU experience.”

Mckinney’s data ended up in the lab, and will eventually have real applications for land managers and other scientists.

“Working with her as a mentor through the program was a wonderful experience,” Wightman says. “I worked closely with her in the field and saw her grow in skill and confidence. Her work with the VMRC was so exceptional that we immediately hired her as a student employee once her time with MEP ended.”

In her spare time, Mckinney also volunteers with Oregon State Community Service and has participated in the Polar Plunge event for the Special Olympics. She plans to attend graduate school and eventually hopes to work with children and youth, teaching them about forestry, natural resources and conservation.

“As a child, I was captivated by the outdoors at an early age,” Mckinney says. “If we captivate children at an early age, they can become leaders in managing and protecting our natural resources for the future.”

A version of this story appeared in the spring 2019 issue of Focus on Forestry, the alumni magazine of the Oregon State University College of Forestry. Learn more about our undergraduate programs here.