Author Archives: grottaa

Forest carbon science is complicated. Billboards and sound bites don’t do it justice.

Posted on by

By Amy Grotta, OSU Forestry & Natural Resources Extension – Columbia, Washington & Yamhill Counties

Marketing messages bombard us constantly, claiming that a product makes you, or the planet, better. That herbal supplement, organic produce, shade-grown coffee, recycled packaging, new diet fad, and so forth. Often, the messages invoke scientific research supporting their product. In reality, it’s hard for the non-expert to separate scientific truth from propaganda.

Now, marketing forests as a carbon storage solution has entered this arena. Here’s a billboard on the side of a semi trailer that showed up in the Willamette Valley recently.

Image source: Ask an Expert (ask.extension.org)

“Young, growing trees pull carbon from the atmosphere better than older trees.”

A local resident asked us whether the billboard’s claim was accurate or propaganda.  The short answer: Is it accurate? Kind of. Is it propaganda? Yes. Continue reading →

Resiliency in the dry forests of Oregon

Posted on by

By Paul Oester, OSU Forestry & Natural Resources Extension Agent – Union, Umatilla & Wallowa Counties

Resilience is a term that is bounced around a lot when discussing ways our forests can adapt to changing environments. But, what does it mean? Basically, it’s the capacity of a forest to withstand (absorb) a disturbance or external pressure and return, over time, to its pre-disturbance state1. We all would like our forests to be resilient in the face of natural disturbances such as fire, insects, disease and wind so they can keep providing us with clean water, wildlife habitat, beautiful vistas, grass for livestock and timber production.  Continue reading →

Risk management: a way of framing woodland management decisions

Posted on by

By Amy Grotta, OSU Forestry & Natural Resources Extension – Columbia, Washington, & Yamhill Counties

Risk management – it sounds like a bureaucratic job title. Nonetheless, risk management factors into countless decisions that woodland owners make. Whether you call it hedging your bets, keeping your options open, or not putting all your eggs in one basket, these are all ways of saying that you are managing risk. Continue reading →

A brief look at Oregon’s climate as we know it…and what’s in store

Posted on by | 2 Replies

By Amy Grotta, OSU Forestry & Natural Resources Extension Agent – Columbia, Washington & Yamhill Counties

In this series, our goal is to discuss how woodland owners and managers might want to think about the management decisions we make in light of anticipated climate change. To do that, we need to understand what’s potentially in store. What are the future climate projections for our region, and how do they differ from what we are accustomed to? What is the relationship between climate and weather? That’s what this article aims to address. Future articles will dive into how these changes might affect our forests, and how we can respond. Continue reading →

A forest manager’s dilemma

Posted on by

By Janean Creighton, Oregon State University, Forestry & Natural Resources Extension

Climate change is predicted to accelerate through the 21st century, leading to changes in forest species distribution, productivity, and disturbance regimes¹. These changes may have profound impacts on the public and private benefits from forests; as well as managers’ strategies to sustain these benefits into the future. As our understanding about potential climate change impacts on western U.S. forests improves, land managers are developing adaptation strategies to meet these challenges.

Sara Lipow at Roseburg Forest Products' seed orchard. Photo: Brad Withrow-Robinson
Sara Lipow at Roseburg Forest Products’ seed orchard. Photo: Brad Withrow-Robinson

How do forest managers perceive climate change impacts, and how is this reflected in their forest management strategies?  To get a land manager’s perspective, I interviewed Sara Lipow, Forest Geneticist for Roseburg Forest Products. Continue reading →