Pacific Northwest Research Station

The Pacific Northwest Research Station sponsors scientific and technical events each year, often in partnership with other agencies, organizations, and universities. Following are descriptions of some of these events.

2011 National FIA User Group Meeting: Twenty-six clients attended this workshop in Sacramento, California. They learned how field measurements are made and used to produce the Forest Inventory and Analysis data used throughout the Nation.

Amphibian Disease Workshop: About 60 people attended this workshop in Gig Harbor, Washington, as part of the annual meeting of the northern regional working group of partners in amphibian and reptile conservation.

American Fisheries Society Symposia: A station scientist played a key role organizing this 4-day annual meeting for more than 5,000 participants. It was held in Seattle, Washington.

BlueSky Training: Station scientists led four training sessions and a webinar for National Forest System staff on using the BlueSky framework to model fire information, fuel loading, smoke dispersal, and more. About 190 people attended the sessions held at different locations throughout the country.

Classrooms for Climate: This symposium, jointly held by the Forest Service and University of Alaska, highlighted research associated with climate change. About 200 people attended the event held at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Ecological Effects of Invasive Plants: This 1-day meeting of the Western Society of Weed Science included presentations on impacts of invasive, nonnative plants on forest, range, grassland, and estuary ecosystems of the western United States, as well as recent advances in research to restore invaded ecosystems. There were 93 attendees.

Elk Habitat Selection in Western Oregon and Washington—Final Models and Management Applications: About 120 people attended this workshop in Portland, Oregon, featuring innovative models of elk nutrition and habitat selection in western Oregon and Washington. The models will benefit current land management plan revisions and habitat management and restoration for elk.

Experimental Forest and Range Network (EFRN) Science Delivery Webinar: The station and the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc., organized this webinar to learn what would make the nationwide EFRN long-term databases more useful to state and federal water quality regulatory agencies. There were 24 participants.

First International Ranavirus Symposium: Twenty-three scientists from nine countries gave presentations that synthesized world knowledge of the pathology, immunology, genetics, and ecology of Ranavirus, a virus that is killing amphibians around the world. About 100 participants attended the event held in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Client Meetings and Data Workshops: FIA held a symposium in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss current research activities in the Pacific Northwest. The following day FIA hosted a data workshop where clients were guided through methods for analyzing FIA data and using them to answer challenging questions about natural resources. About 40 people attended the event. A similar event was held at Magness Tree Farm, Oregon, for 15 members of the Society of American Foresters. A third meeting and workshop was held at Portland State University, Oregon, for about 10 faculty and staff.

Green Peak Study Site Tour: Eight journalism students from the University of Oregon toured the study site as part of a science media project funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Genetics of Host-Parasite Interactions in Forestry:
At this 4th international workshop, held in Eugene,
Oregon, 87 participants provided overviews of the
most current scientific information available on
forest insect and disease resistance for a range of
forests pests.

Scientists discuss an ongoing study on the Wenatchee National Forest in Washington. Photo by Bruce Marcot.

H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest: This research site near Blue River, Oregon, hosts many events throughout the year. The annual HJA Day attracted more than 140 visitors. The scientists, students, federal and state land managers, utility managers, and interested public who attended learned about ongoing research in the forest. The Oregon Board of Forestry tour brought together state and federal foresters, private timber managers, and the public to discuss forestry practices. As part of its humanities program, the site hosted seven writers, the Blue River Writers Gathering, and a 2-day long-term ecological research humanities workshop. In total, more than 1,500 people attended events at H.J. Andrews.

Human Influence on Connectivity and Population Structure for River Fishes: A station scientist was the co-coordinator and sponsor for this session of the annual meeting of the 2011 American Fisheries Society. About 50 people attended.

International Association for Landscape Ecology Annual Symposium: The station cosponsored this event with the U.S. chapter of the association, and a station scientist was the program chair. Held in Portland, Oregon, the meeting brought together more than 500 landscape ecologists from the United States and abroad.

Scientists examine maps of study plots on Oregon’s Deschutes National Forest. Photo by Bruce Marcot.

Introduction to Wildland Fire Decision Support System—Air Quality Tools: A station scientist introduced these tools to about 20 attendees of the Southwest Interagency Fuels Workshop held in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Juneau Icefield Research Program Briefing: Twenty students and faculty from the Juneau Icefield Research Program learned about rain forest ecology, the impact of global warming on glaciers, and the hydrology of glacial streams in southeast Alaska.

Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Artist and Science Field Trip: Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest, LTER site near Fairbanks, Alaska, collaborated with 16 local artists to describe the effects of a changing climate on Alaskan boreal forests.

Model Uncertainty: Two half-day workshops engaged extension specialists in discussion of ways to frame the inherent uncertainty and assumptions in the output of most models, and how to discuss that uncertainty in the context of global climate models. Fourteen people attended the workshop in Wenatchee, Washington; 25 attended the workshop in Corvallis, Oregon.

Molalla Forest Productivity Study Field Visits: Six district silviculturists with USDI Bureau of Land Management toured the study site in Molalla, Oregon, to learn about effects of forest harvesting, logging debris manipulation, and vegetation control on Douglas-fir productivity.

North Cascadia Adaptation Partnership Climate Change Fish Workshop: This partnership, organized by station scientists and the University of Washington’s Climate Impacts Group, hosted four resource-specific workshops on climate change vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning for the North Cascadia region. About 45 participants from national parks and forests in the region attended.

North Cascadia Adaptation Partnership Project: The station facilitated four climate change education workshops where scientists and resource management representatives presented the basics of climate change science and expected effects on natural resources in the Pacific Northwest. About 340 staff from national parks and forests in the region attended.

Smoke and Air Quality Management Tools Training: Station scientists provided training for about 30 attendees at the third Fire Behavior and Fuels Conference of the International Association of Wildland Fire held in Spokane, Washington.

Starkey Experimental Forest and Range Tour: Several tours were held at the experimental forest and range throughout the year highlighting the relevance of past and ongoing research to forest management. About 70 visitors from the Wallowa-Whitman, Umatilla, and Malheur National Forests; Eastern Oregon University; World Forestry Center International Students; and University of Wyoming Cooperating Faculty participated.

Pacific Northwest Research Station scientists make time to share their expert knowledge with children, teenagers, and their teachers in a variety of programs ranging from hands-on classroom activities to summer camps.

2011—Year of the Turtle: Station researchers helped organize this worldwide event to raise awareness for turtle conservation, research, and education. For example, activities by fifth graders at Copper Mill Elementary School in Zachary, Louisiana, and by eighth graders at Jane Goodall Environmental Middle School in Salem, Oregon, were featured in a monthly newsletter.

Asa Mercer Middle School Afterschool Program: The station statistician led an afterschool workshop teaching 10 students about scientific inquiry and how to present their project at the Washington state science fair.

BioBlitz: About 30 students from Jane Goodall Elementary and Middle School in Salem, Oregon, learned from station researchers how to conduct a fauna census in and around ponds at the Luckiamute State Natural Area.

Douglas Indian Association Elders and Students
Summer Program: Nine participants toured the Forestry Sciences Laboratory in Juneau, Alaska, and learned about job opportunities and research programs. Participants also went on a field trip to the Héen Latinee Experimental Forest, where they learned about natural resource management, hydrology, and the role of the experimental forest in regional studies. They discussed opportunities for Native American students in natural resource management and education.

Ferry Interpreter Training Workshop: Station researchers taught 12 summer interns about rain forest ecology and geology and the natural history of southeast Alaska to prepare them as interpreters.

Forest Camp 2011: Station staff taught 200 sixthgraders about the Web of Life and the importance of fungi in the forest ecosystem. The camp, hosted by the Siuslaw National Forest, was held at Camp Tadmor in Lebanon, Oregon.

Forestry Days: About 300 sixth graders from the Clatsop County school district learned about forest ecology from station staff. The event was done in collaboration with Oregon Department of Forestry.

Forests Inside Out! Through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, the station partnered with the nonprofit World Forestry Center in Portland, Oregon, to support a series of 2-day indoor and outdoor experiences for 400 children ages 6 to 10 and family members from diverse and underserved communities in the greater Portland metropolitan area. Eight high school students from the Portland area were hired to act as mentors for the program.

H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest: This research site near Blue Lake, Oregon, hosted field trips and tours for 228 students from elementary, middle, and high schools in the mid-Willamette Valley. The students and their teachers learned about environmental processes and how to conduct research.

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I’m Going to College, 2011: A station scientist talked with 60 fifth-grade students about research and opportunities working with the Forest Service. The event was held at the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau.

Importance of Yellow-Cedar and Its Regeneration to Native People in Alaska: Seven students and elders of the Douglas Indian Association visited the yellow-cedar planting area on Goldbelt Corporation land in Echo Cove, Alaska, to discuss use of yellow-cedar by Native people and learn about forest management efforts to ensure the sustainability of this tree into the future

Inner City Youth Institute: The station supported the Inner City Youth Institute (ICYI), which encourages underprivileged youth to pursue higher education and careers in natural resource and environmental fields. The ICYI sponsored forest ecology programs in Portland inner city middle and high schools and a summer camp program for high school students from Portland and southwest Washington. This summer’s camp was based at Oregon State University, but students explored nearby forests and rivers and visited the Hatfield Marine Science Center on the Oregon coast. The ICYI is a partnership between the USDA Forest Service, Oregon State University’s 4-H program, and the USDI Bureau of Land Management. About 200 students participated in ICYI programs.

It All Starts With Plankton: the Marine Food Chain: A station scientist led Earth Day activities for 10 kindergarteners at the Corvallis Montessori School.

Kids in the Creek: This 1-day event provided 200 high school students from Wenatchee School District in Chelan County, Washington, a handson opportunity to learn about basic aquatic ecology and conservation.

Knotweed Management Efficacy: Twenty elementary and middle school students in Aberdeen, Washington, learned from a station scientist about controlling an invasive weed during a trip organized by the Chehalis Basin Education Consortium.

Northwest Science Expo: The station sponsored “Outstanding Forest Science” awards to a high school and middle school student at the Northwest Science Expo—a science fair for young scientists, engineers, and mathematicians—at Portland State University.

Oregon Science Teachers’ Association: A station scientist gave two lectures on climate change and water to 15 teachers responsible for about 800 students.