United States Department of Agriculture

Forest Service

WORKING WITH THE 

PACIFIC 

NORTHWEST 

RESEARCH 

STATION:

DEPAR TMENT OF AGRICULT URE
The Pacific Northwest Research Station 

generates and communicates 

impartial knowledge to help people 

understand and make informed 

choices about natural resource 

management and sustainability.

Scientists, resource managers, and forest collaborative 

members tour the Willamette National Forest, Oregon. 

2 Emily Jane Davis
The Pacific Northwest Research Station 

(PNW) is one of seven research centers 

in the U.S. Forest Service. Since 1925, we 

have been dedicated to understanding 

and communicating knowledge about 

forests and rangelands. We are driven 

by curiosity about the natural world 

and a commitment to develop science 

that enhances management of forests, 

grasslands, and the waterways that run 

through them.

With headquarters in Portland, Oregon, 

PNW has research laboratories, 

experimental forests, and research natural 

areas throughout Alaska, Washington, 

and Oregon. PNW also inventories and 

monitors forest resources in California 

and the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands as 

part of the national Forest Inventory and 

Analysis program.

A station scientist examines a leaf during a vegetation survey at 

Glacial Heritage Preserve, Washington.

View of Mount Adams from Mount Rainier, Washington. 

Steve Wondzell 3
Research has always been integral to the Forest 

Service. Early in his career, Gifford Pinchot traveled to 

France to learn about silviculture. He returned home 

with ideas about how to manage forests to meet 

society’s needs, which he began implementing as the 

first Chief of the Forest Service. More than 100 years 

later, Forest Service research continues, striving to 

work in partnership with land managers so that our 

Nation’s forests and grasslands continue to meet the 

needs of a diverse society. 

Within the Forest Service, we work under one motto: 

caring for the land, serving the people. And for most, 

it’s more than a motto, it’s a shared passion. 

The satisfaction of learning something new becomes 

complete when it is shared and applied. This is what 

drives scientific research at the PNW Research Station. 

4

	A station scientist calibrates weather equipment along Meadow Creek. 

Mike Wisdom

A field tour of the Meadow Creek restoration project at the Starkey 

Experimental Forest and Range. The project  is examining how 

browsing by native and domestic ungulates such as cattle, elk, 

and mule deer affects riparian vegetation and subsequently 

stream water temperatures, native pollinators, small mammal 

populations, and more. The findings will be used to design best 

ungulate management practices to improve riparian systems. 

Rhonda Mazza
As policymakers and land managers consider options for addressing today’s 

challenges, science plays a part in anticipating what lies ahead, understanding 

the processes driving the change, and contributing solutions. Science-based 

actions today can be made to help avoid even more daunting challenges in 

the future. At the PNW Research Station, our goal is to answer today’s relevant 

science questions while developing foundational knowledge for the pressing 

questions of tomorrow.

PNW’s five central research areas:

•	 Climate change

•	 Socioeconomic dimensions

•	 Resource management and 

landscape resilience

•	 Natural disturbances

•	 Inventory and monitoring

Our studies generally are conducted in national and state forests and on 

tribal or privately held lands. Those who manage and make decisions 

regarding these lands see the value in this research. The information it 

yields helps them to achieve their management goals. We describe this 

as The Research Advantage (TRA). 

RESEARCH: GAINING KNOWLEDGE, CREATING TOOLS 

The Research Advantage becomes apparent when you realize that information 

already exists for an issue that is suddenly demanding attention. At the 

PNW Research Station, some of our studies address the immediate needs 

of our clients. Other studies develop foundational knowledge that provides 

a launchpad for answering pressing questions of the future. Below are a few 

examples of station research that have made a positive impact in the world.

Anticipate

Research offers a glimpse 

of what’s waiting around 

the corner.

Understand

Research contributes to 

informed decisions that 

lead to effective polices.

Solve

Research with serious 

impact contributes tools 

for effective solutions.

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Smoke from the 2015 Okanogan Complex Fire in eastern Washington. 

U.S. Forest Service
Anticipate: 

The need for smoke science

Fire and climate change models 

developed by PNW scientists projected 

the increasing frequency of severe 

wildfires. With severe fire comes heavy 

smoke—a huge health risk for people 

with asthma and other respiratory 

issues. To help protect public health, in 

2002 the station initiated research to 

study real-time smoke dispersal.

Understand: 

Smoke dispersal during wildfires and prescribed burns

To understand real-time smoke 

dispersal, PNW scientists developed 

BlueSky, a smoke modeling framework 

that links independent models for 

fire information, fuel loading, fire 

consumption, fire emissions, and 

smoke dispersion.

For example, station scientists 

have successfully modeled smoke 

dispersal from prescribed burns and 

wildfires. Over the past decade, they 

increased the usability of BlueSky 

and the accuracy of its projections. 

In 2015, for example, they partnered 

with the Deschutes National Forest 

to conduct smoke monitoring 

during a prescribed burn near the 

city of Bend, a community that has 

come to recognize the importance 

of prescribed burning for forest 

restoration, fuel reduction, and 

protection from wildfire. This study 

produced a better understanding 

of the local meteorological and fuel 

conditions that may or may not 

transport smoke into town. This will 

help determine, for example, when 

to start and stop ignitions so that 

air quality in nearby communities is 

protected while fire is reintroduced to 

the ecosystem in a controlled way.

Solve: 

Real-time use of BlueSky during wildfires

PNW scientists work closely with the 

user community to keep it informed 

about the latest wildland fire air quality 

tools. The scientists teach smoke 

management training courses around 

the country as part of National Wildland 

Fire Training. PNW scientists also 

provide annual training to air resource 

advisors—liaisons who work closely 

with fire incident management teams, 

regional forest and air quality offices, 

and public health agencies to predict 

and communicate smoke effects that 

could negatively affect transportation 

safety for firefighters and public health.

In 2015, the BlueSky Smoke Modeling 

Framework was used across the 

country, including Alaska, during one 

of the worst fire seasons on record. 

The BlueSky model viewer was 

accessed more than 20,000 times a 

day during particularly bad smoke 

events in Washington and Oregon. 

This effort helped mitigate the harmful 

effects of smoke for thousands of 

people across the Nation.

7

	Scientists set up a meteorological monitor prior to 

prescribed fire on the Deschutes National Forest, Oregon. 

U.S. Forest Service

	BlueSky modeling output showing the day’s projected 

smoke dispersal from the Okanogan Complex Fire. 
8
Anticipate: 

A connection between human health and trees

PNW scientists have found that the 

presence of trees positively affects 

human health. With most U.S. citizens 

living in urban areas, PNW scientists 

thought creatively to develop studies 

that reveal which aspects of urban life 

can be improved through proximity to 

urban trees.

This line of inquiry led to an innovative 

study that tested the ability of moss 

from trees to serve as a bioindicator of 

air pollution. 

Understand: 

Moss analyses lead to fine-scale maps of pollutants 

Air pollution in urban areas is very 

localized and thus may not be 

detected by traditional monitoring. 

Traditional air quality monitors 

are expensive, and municipalities 

generally do not have very many. 

Moss, on the other hand is plentiful. 

In Portland, Oregon, it grows on 

trees, roofs, sidewalks, and even cars. 

Moss collected from 346 sample sites 

around Portland was tested for heavy 

metals. Based on the lab results, 

and corroborated by subsequent 

data from an air quality monitor, 

PNW scientists developed finescale maps revealing previously 

unknown hotspots of cadmium 

and arsenic—elements that are 

both linked to health problems, 

including cancer. 

Solve: 

Protecting the public’s health

The impact of this study was 

immediate: the Oregon Department 

of Environmental Quality and Oregon 

Health Authority held public meetings 

to alert residents and businesses of 

the situation; businesses immediately 

stopped emitting cadmium and 

arsenic; and new air quality regulations 

are being crafted—all within weeks of 

release of the initial findings. 

Moss bioindicators have the potential 

to pivotally improve air quality 

monitoring by serving as a screening 

tool to help cities strategically place 

their air quality monitors.

	PNW scientists collect moss 

samples for the Portland study. 

Julie Johnson

	A fine-scale map of relative cadmium 

levels in moss in Portland, Oregon.

	The moss Orthotrichum lyellii 

is an effective bioindicator of 

cadmium in the air. 

Sarah Jovan 9
10
Anticipate: 

Managing for yellow-cedar in a changing climate

Yellow-cedar is a culturally, 

ecologically, and economically 

important tree in Alaska and British 

Columbia. A mysterious die-off 

beginning in the 1880s and peaking 

in the 1970s and 1980s has left more 

than 500,000 acres of dead yellowcedar along coastal Alaska alone. In 

the 1980s, PNW scientists took the 

lead to find the cause of the die-off. 

Understand: 

What is causing yellow-cedar decline?

Led by PNW scientists, a 

multidisciplinary team of researchers—

pathologists, hydrologists, soil 

scientists, ecologists, silviculturists, and 

climatologists—made a groundbreaking 

discovery: yellow-cedar decline is 

linked to climate change.

PNW scientists learned that yellowcedar have shallow roots that are 

particularly susceptible to freezing 

if they are not sufficiently insulated 

by snow. Warmer winters with less 

snow, followed by spring freezes, have 

proved to be a deadly combination 

for many yellow-cedar trees. Greatest 

mortality is found at lower elevation in 

areas that receive less snow and have 

poor drainage.

Solve: 

What are the considerations for conservation and management of yellow-cedar in Alaska?

Working with land managers, 

PNW scientists divided the range 

of yellow-cedar in Alaska into 33 

management zones. Based on the 

two risk factors—snow level and 

soil drainage—risk assessments 

were conducted for each zone. 

With the cause of the die-off 

finally deciphered, land managers, 

policymakers, and the public can use 

these risk assessments to determine 

where healthy yellow-cedar can 

prosper over the coming decades 

and what management actions can 

make a difference in the survival of 

yellow-cedar. 

Yellow-cedar growing on a welldrained site in southeast Alaska. 

Paul Hennon

	A yellow-cedar seedling. 

Robin Mulvey

	Standing dead yellow-cedar. 

Robin Mulvey

11
12
Anticipate: 

Managing forest to provide habitat for northern spotted owls into the future 

The Northwest Forest Plan has 

provided the framework for forest 

management on federal lands within 

the range of the northern spotted 

owl since 1994. PNW scientists led 

the science that formed the basis 

of the plan, which remains a unique 

endeavor in its approach and scope. 

The station has fully supported the 

plan by leading much of the 5-, 10-, 

15-, and 20-year follow-up monitoring. 

Understand: 

Why are northern spotted owls still declining?

The Northwest Forest Plan predicted 

it would take 50 to 100 years for 

habitats used by the owl to fully 

recover in the federally reserved 

network. Twenty years in, those 

projections are proving accurate, 

but monitoring has revealed two 

unexpected factors behind the 

continued decline of the spotted owl 

on federal land: competition from 

the more aggressive barred owl and 

unprecedented wildfire. In some 

regions, more habitat has been lost 

to wildfire than the amount gained 

through forest succession. 

Solve: 

What now?

Managing habitat for a threatened 

species is a challenging task, 

especially when there is much 

uncertainty about how other factors 

such as climate change and wildfire 

will affect habitats in the future. 

These challenges drive the need for 

new information. PNW scientists 

continue to provide new science and 

tools that land managers can use to 

address issues related to management 

and restoration of habitats used by 

northern spotted owls. 

At the request of the Forest Service’s 

Pacific Northwest and Pacific 

Southwest Regions, Scientists from 

the Pacific Northwest and Pacific 

Southwest Research Stations are 

synthesizing the latest science related 

to the northern spotted owl and other 

key topics within the plan area. This 

synthesis will be a resource for the 

next round of forest plans, influencing 

how land managers, policymakers, 

and the public will understand 

and address current and future 

challenges affecting survival of the 

northern spotted owl.

	A northern spotted owl. 

Janice Reid

	Habitat loss from wildfire (above left) and competition 

from the barred owl (above) are contributing to the 

decline of the northern spotted owl.

postfire photo, Janelle Cossey

barred owl, Peter Singleton 13
Effective partnerships between science and natural 

resource management help people anticipate issues 

and information needs. In turn, research can provide 

tools and information to help with decisionmaking and 

solve the problem at hand.

Our partnerships enable us to do more. We are 

able to increase our capacity and tackle the big 

questions—like those related to climate change—

where the answers may affect us all. 

Our partners include:

•	 Industry 

•	 National Forest System

•	 Nonprofit organizations 

•	 Other federal agencies 

•	 State agencies

•	 Tribes

•	 Universities 

14
Executive Team

Station Director

Robert D. Mangold

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2100

E-mail: rmangold@fs.fed.us

Assistant Director 

for Administration

Lesley A. Kelly

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2102 

E-mail: lakelly@fs.fed.us

Assistant Director for 

Communications and Applications

Cynthia L. Miner

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2135

E-mail: clminer@fs.fed.us

Assistant Director for 

Program Development

Katherine L. Smith

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2104

E-mail: klsmith@fs.fed.us

Assistant Director for Research

Borys Tkacz

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Phone: 503-808-2115

E-mail: btkacz@fs.fed.us

Program Managers

Ecological Process and Function

Paul D. Anderson

Forestry Sciences Laboratory

3200 SW Jefferson Way

Corvallis, OR 97331

Phone: 541-758-7786

E-mail: pdanderson@fs.fed.us

Goods, Services, and Values

Simon M. Kihia

Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences 

Laboratory

400 N. 34th St. Suite 201 

Seattle, WA 98103

Phone: 206-732-7846

E-mail: smkihia@fs.fed.us

Land and Watershed Management 

Susan J. Alexander

Forestry Sciences Laboratory 

11175 Auke Lake Way 

Juneau, AK 99801

Phone: 907-586-7801

E-mail: salexander@fs.fed.us

Resource Monitoring 

and Assessment

Gretchen Nicholas 

Forestry Sciences Laboratory

620 SW Main St., Suite 400

Portland, OR 97205

Phone: 503-808-2034

E-mail: gnicholas@fs.fed.us

Threat Characterization 

and Management

Tim Harrington (acting)

Forestry Sciences Laboratory

3625 93rd Ave., SW

Olympia, WA 98512

Phone: 360-753-7674

E-mail: tharrington@fs.fed.us

Western Wildland Environmental 

Threat Assessment Center

Nancy Grulke

3160 NE 3rd St.

Prineville, OR 97754

Phone: 541-416-6583

E-mail: ngrulke@fs.fed.us

A field tour with partners to share findings from a 

long-term soil productivity study, Matlock, Washington. 

Tim Harrington 

Front cover photo: Forest Inventory and Analysis in 

southeast Alaska. 

D.R. Irvine

Back cover photo: Malheur National Forest. 

Agnes Przeszlowska

15
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To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA 

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letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of 

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email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

May 2016

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Pacific Northwest Research Station

1220 SW 3rd Ave.

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208–3890