4 results for month: 09/2023
Study: Thinning aids forest health
Mechanical thinning is helping to improve the health and resiliency of seasonally dry forests in Eastern Oregon, according to research by Oregon State University.
For the last decade, a team of scientists led by James Johnston, assistant professor in the College of Forestry at OSU, has trekked into a rugged area of the Malheur National Forest north of Burns to study the environmental effects of one thinning project.
What they found was that cutting down some younger trees resulted in greater biodiversity and made older, larger trees more resistant to drought and disease, Johnston said.
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Efforts to restore federal forests in Eastern Oregon are working, OSU research shows
Forest thinning is improving the robustness of older trees and enhancing native biodiversity on federal lands in Eastern Oregon, evidence that collaborative efforts to restore forests are working, research by Oregon State University shows. The study, led by James Johnston of the OSU College of Forestry, involved long-term monitoring and research partnerships between OSU, the U.S. Forest Service and local groups in Oregon’s Blue Mountains.
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Running a sawmill in Eastern Oregon in 2023
Malheur Lumber Company in John Day used to be one of many mills in Grant County. By 2012, though, it was the last one and came very close to closing its doors for good. Then, the U. S. Forest Service agreed to increase restoration logging in Malheur National Forest, and that contract kept the mill going. Now, Malheur Lumber is one of three mills in Grant County. We talk about the ups and downs of the timber industry with Rich Fulton, General Manager of Malheur Lumber Company, and Wanda Rassmussen, Chief Operating Officer for Ochoco Lumber, which owns Malheur Lumber Company.
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Logging plans for some Eastern Oregon forests may now prioritize wildlife
Some loggers headed in to cut down trees in the Blue Mountains may soon be prioritizing habitat over board feet. That’s because Blue Mountains Forest Partners, a group of stakeholders including loggers, environmentalists, ranchers, landowners, timber industry representatives, elected officials and federal land managers, has just finalized a new draft of what’s called a wildlife habitat zone of agreement. The plan takes a wildlife-centric perspective to forest management, trying to address habitat needs of species when considering which trees to cut. Mark Webb, the executive director of Blue Mountains Forest Partners, takes us on a tour of forest ...