The Oregon Forest Practices Act (FPA) is up for renewal in 2020. According to the State of Oregon, the FPA “sets standards for all commercial activities involving the establishment, management or harvesting of trees on Oregon’s forestlands.

Oregon law gives the Board of Forestry primary responsibility to interpret the FPA and set rules for forest practices.”

Assistant Professor Kevin Bladon has a vested interest in the FPA because of his work in and with harvesting in riparian areas. He says this practice is one of the reasons the act exists. “In the 1950s and 60s, before FPA, logging companies were harvesting next to streams, and a lot of sediment was ending up in the water.”

This had negative impacts on water sources, quality,  temperature and more. To prove this, scientists at the Oregon State College of Forestry conducted a study of the Alsea Watershed in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

For six years, scientists made pre-harvest measurements and observations. Next, over a two-year period, they observed harvest and the change that occurred in respect to the nearby streams. Bladon says the stream temperature rose from a standard 13.9 degrees Celsius to up to 29.4 degrees Celsius.

“That’s more than double the original temperature,” Bladon says. “That has major impacts on fish habitat and the laying and survival of eggs. There was also increased sediment. None of the results were good, and all of this information was built into FPA.”

FPA passed in 1971. Major amendments were made in 1992 with added water and geographic classifications.

“It’s cool to look back on that time and the regulations that have been developed and know this study happened just down the road from us,” Bladon says.

He had a chance to return to the Alsea Watershed when it was harvested again in 2009 and 2015 to conduct a one-of-a-kind study. Work like this will influence FPA and other policy decisions in Oregon and beyond.

“Going back to the same watersheds, it’s clear the FPA had a positive impact,” Bladon says. “We were able to show that based on the stream temperature and amount of sediment, FPA regulations are appropriate and working well for the landscape.”

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 college research here. 

In FY 2017 and 2018, the College of Forestry and the TallWood Design Institute helped bring an exciting new engineered wood product to market: the mass plywood panel (MPP).

Freres Lumber Company of Lyons, Oregon, introduced the new-to-market, veneer-based product.

It’s something Tyler and Kyle Freres have been dreaming about since a 2015 trip to Austria.

“We visited a few facilities that were producing cross-laminated timber (CLT) really efficiently, and we felt we could achieve the same kind of product with veneer,” Freres says.

As soon as they returned to Lyons, they started gluing panels together. He says that working with Oregon State University has helped his company refine the product.

Arijit Sinha, associate professor of renewable materials at Oregon State, led the testing.

“During phase one testing, we helped Freres identify the layup pattern they wanted to use,” Sinha says. “And during phase two we tested an optimized layup at different thicknesses that they eventually took to market in 2018.”

Phase two included bending tests to characterize the strength and stiffness of the product. Later, connections,  performance acoustics characteristics, and shear wall application of the product will be tested.

MPP, like CLT, can be used as a substitute for traditional building materials.

The college is committed to working with industry partners like Freres to promote mass timber solutions.

“We are devoted to seeking out innovative partners like Freres Lumber and D.R. Johnson, who want to create sustainable solutions that improve our forest landscapes and ecosystems while also creating economic vitality,” says Interim Dean Anthony S. Davis. Freres says the advantages of MPP are that is uses 20-30 percent less wood than CLT; large format panels can be manufactured at the production facility to minimize waste and labor on job sites; and the light weight of the panels can help save on transportation costs and logistics during construction.

“We are a good example of a family business working within our rural community to come up with something new and innovative,” Freres says. “It’s also been great to have the experts and the researchers at Oregon State working with us on this project. We have a very close relationship, and appreciate all the extra hands involved in producing MPP.”

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 renewable materials program here.

After a walk across the United States and an epic 48-hour experience in Grand Canyon National Park, junior Josh Lewis knew he had to study forestry.

The park rangers took care of him and gave him advice during his hike through the canyon.

“I hiked from north to south, and due to snow, I had to hike backwards and go back around,” Lewis explains.

But his spirit wasn’t deterred.

“I tried to have the mindset that this is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been, and I get to see it twice,” Lewis says. “And, thanks to the rangers, I realized my dream of working on and managing public lands.”

Lewis was born in the Pacific Northwest and spent time in rural Idaho as a child, before his family moved on to bigger cities.

“I think starting out in nature really shapes you,” he says. “I’ve worked a lot of different kinds of jobs, and after a while, they  all get old. I’ve been studying forestry for about three years now, and it still excites me because of the connection to the natural landscape.”

Lewis now calls Maui home, and first studied at the University of Hawai‘i, but took a break to complete his long walk when he realized he wasn’t working toward a particular goal. Since arriving at Oregon State, he’s kept his head in his books and focused on his classes. He says that since entering professional school, he’s hit a groove, and is enjoying his upper-level forestry classes.

He marks field school as one of the best Oregon State experiences so far.

“It felt like class, but it was really self-driven,” Lewis says. “I needed a lot of time to finish some of the exercises we did because going in, I wasn’t completely confident in my forestry skills.”

Field school orients students to the professional forestry  program and reinforces skills they’ve learned in the classroom by allowing students to practice in a real-world setting.

Lewis says one of the benefits of field school was getting to know his fellow classmates.

“During field school, we spent all day in the woods together and lived together at night,” he says. “It was an A-plus experience.”

Lewis’s goal is to work at Haleakala¯ National Park on Maui, but he says staying put in Oregon is a great backup plan.

“I love it here,” he says. “It’s beautiful, and it’s not really that far from the islands.”

He encourages anyone interested in the outdoors to consider studying forestry at Oregon State.

“I’m earning marketable skills in an industry that will allow me to work outside,” Lewis says. “My experience has been seamless. Everyone is friendly, and I love the atmosphere of my classes.”

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.

When Bill and Marion Collins moved onto 160 acres near Gold Hill in Jackson County, they had no idea what to do with their land or how to manage it.

The couple used their small farm to raise horses, rabbits and chickens for about 13 years. Their interest turned to forestry after visiting the Oregon Small Woodland booth at the county fair.

“The OSU Extension Service had a booth at the county fair, and I talked to the person about my problems,” says Bill Collins.

“We ended up working together to build seven miles of roads throughout the property.” The roads opened up new possibilities for the Collins’ land and initiated their first phase of forest management, which included selective harvesting.

“It went well, and harvesting made us a little money,” Collins said. “I got a lot of help from Oregon State, and we went from there.”

Collins was part of one of the first Master Woodland Manager classes offered in Jackson and Josephine Counties.

Stephen Fitzgerald, director of the Oregon State College of Forestry Research Forests, taught part of the course.

“It’s been wonderful to keep up with the Collins family over the years,” Fitzgerald says. “Their forest is incredibly well managed and well taken care of. It’s an example to foresters of what good stewardship looks like.”

Max Bennett, Jackson and Josephine County forestry extension agent, says the Collins’ property was one of the first private woodlands he visited when he started his position in 2000.

“They worked a lot with my predecessor,” Bennett says. “And they’ve been very generous with their property and with their time over the years. I’ve used their properties to host classes, tours and workshops on topics like basic woodland management, small-scale timber harvesting and thinning.”

Collins says it’s important to him to give back, “because the community helped me,” he says.

In 2018, Collins took his love for the community and extension to another level when he, along with his family, decided to donate his land to Oregon State University.

“We are really excited about this donation,” says Zak Hansen, director of of development for the College of Forestry. “We’ve had a couple of these kinds of forests donated in the past, and it’s a great opportunity for extension agents in those areas to use the land as a resource for their programs.”

Fitzgerald says he is excited to have another parcel under the Research Forest banner.

“With this land, we will continue our tradition of providing excellent teaching and extension outreach,” he says. “It gives me peace of mind to know that the land is close to an extension station.

There will be a strong OSU presence, and we will make sure it’s well utilized.”

Bennett agrees.

“This is an opportunity to continue doing what we’ve been doing on this property for many years,” he says. “We will continue to use it as a demonstration site and as an example of a very well-managed, multi-generational working forest.”

Bennett says many of the small woodland owners he works with in Jackson and Josephine Counties are concerned about issues of forest health and fire, and the Collins property will help him address and educate the public about those issues.

While the donation process took time, Collins still encourages others to consider donating their land.

“The process was worth it,” Collins said. “We’re very proud to be part of the newly-created ‘Collins Demonstration Forest’ here in Jackson County.”

The Collins’ will continue living on their property as long as they choose. When they leave, their house and its five acres will be held or sold at the discretion of the OSU

Foundation, and the money will be used for extension programming and scholarships, with preference given to students from Jackson and Josephine Counties. The bulk of the donated acreage will be held for at least 20 years.

“If it’s working the way it should be in 20 years, we will continue to hold on to it,” Hansen says. “This gift is a wonderful portrait of the Collins’ appreciation for the extension programs and their care for future generations.

For more information about how to donate land to the College of Forestry, contact Zak Hansen at the OSU Foundation: zak.hansen@osufoundation.org.

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 the College Research Forests.