OSU Research Forests

04/11/2025

Our spring newsletter is here! Click the link below to learn about our planned harvests for 2025, upcoming spring events, expanding pollinator research, and more! https://mailchi.mp/oregonstate.edu/2025_harvest_schedule

03/01/2025

We are proud to once again support and spread the word about the College of Forestry's 5th annual virtual 5K/10K Race to the Top Banana. Your entry fee of $25 will go to the Linn Benton Food Share to help feed those in need in our community.

Anyone can participate! For more information click here! https://mailchi.mp/oregonstate.edu/5k10k2025

02/27/2025

Heads up! A tree on the Lower Play Time trail fell during the recent storm which wiped out a section of trail. Please use this trail with extreme caution (walk around) while our partners at Team Dirt and Research Forest staff assess and scope the restoration effort. We posted signs along the trail to alert visitors.

02/13/2025

The National Weather Service has issued an Ice Storm Warning beginning Wednesday, February 12th and continuing through the evening of Thursday, February 13th. Travel to, and in, the McDonald-Dunn Research Forests may be hazardous. Additional hazards may include falling trees and portions of trees. Extreme caution is advised, and we recommend postponing your visit to the McDonald-Dunn until safer conditions return.

01/03/2025

Applications now open for our Dunn Forest spring turkey hunt. You have until January 31st to apply! Visit our hunt webpage for more info and to apply: https://cf.forestry.oregonstate.edu/recreation/hunt-information

12/18/2024

12/06/2024

Happy ! 🌱🌍

Today, we're spotlighting Jessica Blunn, a dedicated grad student whose research is digging deep into the fascinating connection between fire history and soil health in the McDonald-Dunn OSU Research Forests.

Jessica’s work focuses on pyrogenic carbon stocks, a type of fire-produced carbon. In the field, she treks through the forest, digging pits and collecting soil & macro fossil char samples. In the lab, Jessica analyzes her samples and processes soil for radiocarbon dating, unearthing how anthropogenic burning has impacted soil in the landscape.

“About 6 or 7 years ago I had a beautiful dream where I died, decomposed, and felt what it was like to become part of the Earth as soil. Since then, I have felt a deep emotional connection to what is under our feet, and long to understand how humans have changed soils over time to shape the world we live in today and guide us into the world we would like to inhabit in the future,” Jessica shares. “To quote William Bryant Logan – 'How can I stand on the ground every day and not feel its power? How can I live my life stepping on this stuff and not wonder at it?'”

11/12/2024

Mark your calendars for our third annual Winter Solstice Celebration! Join us as we learn more about forests in winter, and celebrate the return of longer days

• Saturday, December 14th
• 2-5pm
• Free family event!
• Guided walks, activities, and crafts

Volunteers appreciated! Sign up to help make a little ☆forest magic☆

Visit our webpage for more info and to sign up to volunteer!: https://cf.forestry.oregonstate.edu/outreach-education/forest-discovery-trail

10/30/2024

With the cooler, rainier days, OSU Research Forests will be beginning slash pile burning on the McDonald and Dunn Forests.

Select slash, tree branches, tops, and unmerchantable portions of tree stems have been gathered into piles for burning. Some slash and coarse woody debris are also scattered throughout the harvest area for retention.

Piles are ignited during the fall and winter rainy seasons – typically October, November, and December. Piles are ignited during specific weather windows and under the approval of local fire and smoke managers.

Piles typically burn down to the ground in one day but will smolder for several weeks. Progress of this prescribed burning will be monitored by Research Forests staff.

Slash pile burning is a cost-effective way to perform wildfire hazard mitigation, reduce fuel-loading, and to prepare sites for restoration and tree planting.

10/23/2024

Heads up! Peavy Arboretum will be closed starting Friday morning (10/25) for parking lot grading. The closure should only last a few hours and we'll update you when it is re-opened. Thank you for your patience!

10/16/2024

The College of Forestry invites you to attend the second Community Input Session to provide input on how forest management strategies will be applied to the 11,500-acre McDonald-Dunn Research Forest. Join us on Monday, October 28, in PFSC 117 or via Zoom. We’ll provide an overview of decisions made to date in the forest management planning process and request feedback on how land is allocated within the forest among the five different management strategies developed by the planning committees.

Learn more about the planning process and add the event to your calendar: https://beav.es/GZs

10/15/2024

Follow the yellow leaf road. Who else loves being outside this time of year?? Let's see your favorite forest fall photos in the comments! Bonus if it's in the Mac 😉🌲