Fire and Environmental Research Applications Team

BRAZILIAN FOREST RESEARCHER STATIONED IN SEATTLE

Dr. Marcus Vinicio Neves d Oliveira will spend the next two years as a visiting scientist at the Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Laboratory. Dr. de Oliveira works at the Brazilian Agriculture Research Agency (EMBRAPA) in the Amazonian state of Acre. His visit is sponsored by an exchange program agreement between the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service/Forest Service, and EMBRAPA. This program supports senior scientists coming from Brazil to observe and participate in the latest scientific developments in their field, and to then develop joint programs to enhance future collaboration and to strengthen institutional relationships between Brazil and the United States. Dr. de Oliveira is the first Brazilian forest researcher working at a U.S. Forest Service research laboratory under this exchange program.

CLIMATE CHNAGE PLANNING CADRE VISITS MONTANA AND IDAHO NATIONAL FORESTS

Workshops on incorporating climate change into forest planning were given by a cadre of speakers were offered October 15-16 at the Kootenai and Idaho Panhandle national forests’ “Science Days.” FERAs David L. Peterson joined the caravan and presented information on fire, and also on adaptation and resource management. Participants included about 140 employees and stakeholders, including county commissioners at both locations.

BUTTE FALLS BLOWDOWN SITE SCOPED FOR POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD RESEARCH

The southern Oregon Butte Falls Blowdown site, on the Medford District of the Oregon Bureau of Land Management, was visited recently by Morris Johnson and Jessica Halofsky. It is being considered as a possible location for research that would evaluate change in fire hazard between leaving blowdown, salvage logging with lop and scatter, and salvage logging with pile and burn. Morris and Jessica met with BLM representatives Charley Martin, John Bergin, and Aaron Worman to discuss research possibilities, and and visited several field sites in the area.

In January 2008, a series of winter storms brought strong winds and heavy rain and snow to southern Oregon and northern California. Wind gusts up to 90 miles per hour downed power lines and uprooted trees throughout the Rogue Valley. This past September fire burned through a small section of this blowdown.

COLVILLE, OKANOGAN, AND WENATCHEE NATIONAL FORESTS ALSO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE

FERAs Jessica Halofsky presented two talks in at the Wenatchee Convention Center in Wenatchee, Washington October 24 and 25. Employees at all levels in the organization met with scientists from the Pacific Northwest Research Station to discuss the vulnerability of their forest and rangeland to climate change, and how they might develop adaptation strategies.

ELLEN EBERHARDT RECEIVED SCIENCE SUPPORT AWARD

The 2008 Pacific Northwest Research Station’s 2008 Excellence in Science Support Award will be presented to FERA’s Ellen Eberhardt during the annual award ceremony at the Station Leadership Team meeting in Hood River, Oregon on October 29. Ellen is a technical information specialist and has been with the team since 1994.