Pacific Northwest Research Station

Construction begins at federal forestry sciences laboratory

LEED-certified facility will house multi-agency research, management employees

USDA Forest Service
Pacific Northwest Research Station

Portland, OR: September 9, 2010

Media assistance:

Sherri Richardson Dodge, srichardsondodge@fs.fed.us, (503) 808-2137

Joni Quarnstrom, jquarnstrom@fs.fed.us, (541) 750-7075,

CORVALLIS, Ore., September 9, 2010. Construction begins this week at the USDA Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest (PNW) Research Station Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory. The lab, located on the campus of Oregon State University, will be remodeled to create a shared laboratory and office building for employees of the PNW Research Station, the Siuslaw National Forest (NF) Supervisor’s Office, the Natural Resource Information System (NRIS), and the interagency Aquatic and Riparian Effectiveness Monitoring Plan group.

“ This remodel and co-location provides the opportunity to strengthen relationships among research, forest management, and education while accomplishing the overall Forest Service mission,” said John Laurence, Corvallis Forestry Sciences Lab Line Officer. “It also establishes a new model for science-based management and will provide unparalleled opportunities for students to become immersed in natural resource research and management.”

For years, Forest Service scientists at the Corvallis Forestry Sciences Lab, resource specialists and land managers at the Siuslaw National Forest, and the NRIS group worked collaboratively to develop innovative approaches to forest management. In addition, the U.S. Geological Survey leased space inside the lab, along with researchers from the Oregon State University College of Forestry.

When the U.S. Geological Survey announced a plan to relocate their Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center to a new building, an opportunity arose to provide even greater collaboration, reduce lease and energy costs, and honor the U.S. Department of Agriculture goal of co-locating units when feasible. Discussions about a co-location have been underway since 2007, according to Forest Service officials.
As part of the project, the approximately 110,000-square-foot building will be partially demolished (17,000 square feet), and 9,500 square feet of new space will be added, creating a 102,500-square-foot building.

Following a successful competition for funding approval in the Forest Service, the project was included in the agency’s fiscal year 2010 budget. The current east wing of the lab, built in the 1960s and unsuitable for improvements to increase energy efficiency, will be razed and replaced with a new wing that will reduce the footprint or size of the structure by half, and will meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver standard. The current main building will be renovated to update some laboratories and provide new office space.
The project will save taxpayer resources—the expected payback time for the project is about 5 years—and will greatly improve the energy efficiency of the Corvallis facility.

The building design was completed in July 2010 by Rolluda Architects of Seattle. The construction contract was awarded in August 2010 to Portland-based O’Neill Electric, Inc., who proposed up to $250,000 of savings through value engineering measures.

Examples of LEED-certified efforts in the new construction include the repurposing of existing clear, rare paneling; new daylight windows; and a vegetated green roof. It will be an energy-efficient building according the latest LEED standards.

Construction cost is estimated at $3.7 million. The lab, which is owned by the Forest Service’s PNW Research Station, holds a 25-year renewable land lease from Oregon State University and the state of Oregon.

“ This co-location is a great opportunity for our agency,” said Jerry Ingersoll, Forest Supervisor for the Siuslaw NF. “Nowhere else in the country is research and forest management located on a major university campus.”

Remodel and construction is scheduled to be completed by December 2011.

About 100 employees will make the move from the old Siuslaw NF Supervisor’s Office building to the lab. The move is expected to be completed by March 2012.

Media Tours—We will be offering pre-construction media tours of the Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory on Tuesday, September 14 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. There will be photo and interview opportunities with key contacts. Please RSVP to Joni Quarnstrom at (541) 750-7075 or jquarnstrom@fs.fed.us to schedule your visit.

_____________________________________________________________________
The PNW Research Station is headquartered in Portland, Oregon. It has 11 laboratories and centers located in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington and about 425 employees.