STORY BY: Steve Lundeberg, SOURCE: Chris Dunn

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Research led by Oregon State University shows that fires are more likely to burn their way into national forests than out of them.

The findings contradict the common narrative of a destructive wildfire igniting on remote public land before spreading to threaten communities, said Chris Dunn of the OSU College of Forestry.

The study, which looked at more than 22,000 fires, found that those crossing jurisdictional boundaries are primarily caused by people on private property.

It also showed that ignitions on Forest Service lands accounted for fewer than 25% of the most destructive wildfires – ones that resulted in the loss of more than 50 structures. Read more here:https://today.oregonstate.edu/news/osu-research-suggests-forest-service-lands-not-main-source-wildfires-affecting-communities

By Norma Kline and Alicia Christiansen

This is the fourth article in our digital mapping series. The first articles covered how to get the most out of your basic mapping app that comes preloaded on your smart device, the process of printing a topographic map, and how to transfer data between apps and desktop programs (links for these articles are provided at the end of this article). In this article we cover details on integrating digital maps into a management plan and follow our fictional landowner, Sitka Silver, as she creates a stand type map.

November 2021. Kym Pokorny, Public Service Communications Specialist. Story Source: Jon Souder, Watershed Management Specialist

CORVALLIS, Ore. – From source to tap, much of Oregon’s water passes through its forests. Along the way quality can be compromised.

Forests – from family outfits to multi-national operations – play a vital role in Oregon’s water system. Activities like logging make a difference in the quality and quantity of the state’s water supply, according to Jon Souder, Oregon State University Extension Service watershed management specialist and assistant professor in the College of Forestry.

By Norma Kline (OSU Extension Forester for Coos and Curry Counties) and Dan Stark (OSU Extension Forester for Clatsop, Lincoln and Tillamook Counties)

One of the great things about working in forestry and natural resources extension education is meeting community members who are passionate about growing and caring for their woodlands. Woodland owners are often motivated to learn and help out with issues that extend far beyond their own woodland or community boundaries. Recently, Dan and Norma (along with Marianne Elliott a plant pathologist at Washington State University extension) met a Port Orford community member, Quinn Allen, who is committed to helping get the word out about Sudden Oak Death. Quinn attended a live webinar about the risks of Phytophthora introductions in native ecosystems hosted by the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. Quinn engaged in a discussion at the end of the webinar that spanned an audience of experts, learners, restoration groups and practitioners all trying to strengthen networks and address risk prevention strategies across a wide geographic area.

If you are interested in staying up-to-date on the Sudden Oak Death infestation in Port Orford, bookmark this dedicate landing page in your browser: https://blogs.oregonstate.edu/suddenoakdeathworkshops/

Are you on Facebook? Follow the OSU Extension Forestry and Natural Resource page for Coos and Curry Counties (click on the Facebook logo to visit page). We will be posting topics of interest in regards to Sudden Oak Death.

• Facebook

The Oregon Forest Industry Directory (www.orforestdirectory.com) helps to connect woodland owners, service providers, wood products manufacturers, industry consultants and anyone else interested in the region’s forest industry. The directory receives over thousands of visitors each month for uses that include: 

• Woodland owners are finding:
  • Log buyers for large and small diameter logs, ‘nontraditional’ species like western hardwoods and western juniper, and buyers’ preferred diameters and lengths
  • Niche markets by locating buyers of logs for log homes, utility poles, ‘character logs’ for furniture, and buyers for non-timber forest products  

By Norma Kline, OSU Extension Forester for Coos and Curry Counties and Alicia Christiansen, OSU Extension Forester for Douglas County

Trade-name products and services are mentioned as illustrations only. This does not mean that the Oregon State University Extension Service either endorses these products and services or intends to discriminate against products and services not mentioned.

This is the third article in our written series detailing how to get the most out of readily available mapping apps. The first article covered how to get the most out of your basic mapping app that comes preloaded on your smart device (https://extension.oregonstate.edu/forests/health-managment/digital-mapping-tools-part-1-basics). In the second article, we covered the process of printing a topographic map (https://extension.oregonstate.edu/forests/health-managment/digital-mapping-tools-part-2-printing-topographic-map). Remember, it’s always a good idea to carry a paper map as a back up to your digital devices! In this article we will follow a fictional landowner as she learns how to export features (points, lines, polygons) from a smart phone or tablet to a mapping program on her computer and vice versa. We also introduce the CalTopo mapping program which has a number of useful functions, including viewing elevation profile data and exporting base maps for use in mapping apps.

By Alicia Christiansen, OSU Extension Forestry & Natural Resources, Douglas County

Nature trails are a popular feature across the Oregon landscape. People of all walks of life escape to them for solitude, wildlife viewing, exercise, and to spend time with friends and family. As a landowner, you have the opportunity to create a trail (or many!) in your very own backyard. But where do you start?

Landowners of all acreages can successfully construct a nature trail on their property, as many design and maintenance features are the same regardless of property size. With careful planning and construction, nature trails can have a minimum impact on the surrounding environment, protecting important features such as wildlife, plants, soil, and waterways. A well-designed trail can even aid in other land management needs, such as access to remote property corners and fire breaks. They are also a great opportunity to teach children, friends, and adults alike about wildlife, forestry, and natural resources.

You may have seen the press release regarding the newly discovered Sudden Oak Death (SOD) infestation along Hwy 101 in Port Orford. This detection is over 20 miles north of the last known detection in Curry County and is a very concerning development. Samples were analyzed to determine the strain of Sudden Oak Death and it was determined to be NA2. This is a strain of SOD that has never before been found in forests in North America. SOD is caused by the invasive pathogen Phytophthora ramorum and is not native to North America.

Agriculture is an occupation full of potential stressors like weather, changing economic markets, animal health and machinery breakdowns. When these start to compound, many farmers experience excessive amounts of stress, making it hard to remain positive and move forward through the hard times.

Due in part to the stresses that are faced, agricultural workers have high rates of suicide. The loss of a spouse, parent, sibling, child or friend can be avoided. If you or someone you know is experiencing excessive stress or thoughts of suicide, please reach out to a confidential crisis support line.

I believe wholeheartedly that it’s important for all of us to be able to recognize the signs of extreme stress – that’s why I jumped in to start this program in Oregon. I personally know individuals who were very thankful that someone cared enough about them to 1) notice that something wasn’t right, 2) ask them about it, and 3) help them get help. We’re offering some special trainings that are focused on giving you the tools you need to do the same thing: recognize signs that someone might be too stressed and struggling, talk to them about it, and assist them in getting the help they need.

These trainings are called Question, Persuade, and Refer, or QPR trainings. They’re kind of like CPR, but instead of being for emergency medical intervention, QPR is designed for emergency mental health intervention. These QPR trainings that we’re offering are farmer-centric; they are full of statistics and information about the agricultural community. I would highly encourage anyone who farms or ranches, or works with farmers and ranchers, to take this course. It’s only 90 minutes of your life, but it will provide you with the tools that could help you help someone else who’s considering suicide.

I should point out that none of us who are providing this training are mental health professionals; part of the toolkit is helping you find local resources that you can refer someone to.

Here’s a link to the QPR Trainings. We’re offering 4 more trainings, but each training is limited to 20 people, and spots are filling up fairly quickly. We’ll offer more if needed. The training dates are:

March 16, 9:00 – 10:30am
April 6, 12:00 – 1:30pm
April 29, 6:00 – 7:30pm
June 3, 4:00 – 5:30pm