Glacier Lake, Eagle Cap Wilderness, Oregon. U.S. Forest Service

2017

Pacific Northwest Research Station 

Science Accomplishments

United States

Department 

of Agriculture

Forest

Service
Our Mission

The Pacific Northwest Research Station is a leader in the scientific study of natural 

resources. We generate and communicate impartial knowledge to help people understand 

and make informed choices about natural resource management and sustainability.

WHERE WE WORK

THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST (PNW) RESEARCH STATION IS ONE OF FIVE RESEARCH 

STATIONS IN THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOREST SERVICE.

• Headquartered in Portland, Oregon

• 11 laboratories and research centers in Alaska, Washington, and Oregon

• 12 active experimental areas (forests, ranges, and watersheds)

• Research is conducted in more than 98 research natural areas

• 317 employees

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 2
Forests Now and in the Future

Some things in life we want to be constant. We want 

our forests and grasslands to be productive now and 

sustained into the future. That said, it’s easy to take 

these resources for granted. Sometimes it’s only when 

they’ve been drastically changed—say, by fire or 

drought—that we realize how much we value them. 

The National Forest System was established to 

protect and manage forests so they are sustainably 

productive over the long term. Forest Service 

research has been a key part of that vision. Early on, 

the agency’s research branch was established as 

an independent unit dedicated to discovering new 

information that would answer pressing questions 

and take on challenges related to managing our 

nation’s forests and grasslands. 

The management questions have changed since 

the Pacific Northwest (PNW) Research Station was 

established in 1925. As questions are answered, 

new ones arise. Today’s biggest challenges are 

intertwined: fire, drought, and climate. Scientists 

with the PNW Research Station tackle these 

challenges from multiple angles. Station research 

helps land managers take action now to build 

resilience across the landscape.

Forests are valued by many people for different 

reasons; interests, questions, and opinions regarding 

priorities are as diverse as society. By working closely 

with colleagues in the National Forest System, 

other public agencies, industry, nongovernmental 

organizations, and American Indian tribes, the 

station provides objective information that can be 

applied to the many challenges encountered in the 

management of our nation’s forests.

The following pages showcase some highlights 

of our work in fiscal year 2017. This work, done 

collaboratively with nearly 80 partners, contributes 

to the stewardship of forests and grasslands. 

For more information, click here.

Hood Canal, Washington

Connie Harrington

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 3
Finances and Workforce

Two sources of funding support the Pacific Northwest Research Station workforce: federal appropriations, 

which contributed 85 percent of incoming funds in fiscal year (FY) 2017, and direct client support, which comes 

from organizations in need of scientific information.

The numbers below are for the fiscal year October 1, 2016, to September 30, 2017.

EXTERNAL FUNDING*

Base research appropriations: $39.2 million

Fire plan appropriations: $3.8 million

Client support: $3.3 million 

Total funding: $46.3 million

* Other Forest Service units asked the station to 

conduct work totaling $9.4 million.

DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS

Permanent employee cost: $30 million 

Support and operations: $14.7 million 

Distributed to cooperators: $14.2 million 

Difference between funding and distribution of 

funds can be attributed to projects initially funded 

in prior years. 

WORKFORCE STATISTICS

Total station workforce: 317

Permanent workforce: 263

Of the permanent workforce, 68 employees (21%) 

are scientists.

Temporary workforce: 54

Permanent employee cost

Support and operations

Distributed to cooperators

$30.0 million

$14.7 million

$14.2 million

Base research appropriations $32.9 million

Fire plan appropriations $3.8 million

Client support $3.3 million

Internal Forest Service Support $9.4 million

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 4
Funding Partners in FY 2017

PARTNERS WHO RECEIVED FUNDS FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION

Alaska Department of Natural Resources

Alaska Pacific University

Bayesfusion, LLC

Cascadia Conservation District

Colorado State University

Conservation Biology Institute, Inc.

DHHS Federal Occupational Health

Humboldt State University Sponsored Programs Foundation

Idaho State University

Latah Soil & Water Conservation District

Massey University

Michigan State University

Michigan Technological University

Mississippi State University

Mount St. Helens Institute

National Academy of Sciences 

Nevada System of Higher Education

North Forty Productions, LLC 

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Oregon Department of Forestry

Oregon State University

Portland State University

Pyrologix, LLC

Regents of University of California 

Regents of University of Idaho

Regents of University of Michigan

Regents of University of Minnesota

Sitka Conservation Society

Southern Illinois University

Student Conservation Association, Inc.

Tall Timbers Research, Inc.

TerrainWorks, Inc.

University of Alaska Anchorage

University of Alaska Fairbanks

University of Alaska Southeast

University of Arizona

University of California, Davis

University of Chicago

University of Guam

University of Montana

University of Oregon

University of Washington

University of Wisconsin System

Upper Snake River Tribes Foundation, Inc.

U.S. Department of Energy

USDA National Wildlife Research Center

USDI Geological Survey

Utah State University

Washington State University

West Virginia University Research Corporation

Wild Salmon Center

Willamette Partnership

PARTNERS WHO PROVIDED FUNDS TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESEARCH STATION 

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection 

Canadian Wood Fibre Centre, Natural Resources Canada

City of San Diego

Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Nation

Earth Resources Observation and Science Center

Environmental Protection Agency

Green Diamond Resource Company

NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center

National Council for Air and Stream Improvement

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Oregon Department of Forestry

Oregon Department of State Parks and Recreation

Seattle City Light

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

U.S. Department of Energy

USDA Office of the Chief Economist

USDC National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

USDI Bureau of Land Management

USDI Fish and Wildlife Service

USDI Geological Survey

USGS OAG Sacramento Acquisition

USGS DOI Northeast Climate Science Center

USGS Northwest Climate Science Center

Washington State Department of Natural Resources

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 5
Science Delivery Highlights 

A key part of the station’s mission is delivering science in accessible formats to people who need it to make 

informed decisions. In FY 2017, station scientists used a variety of formats to share information and engage 

with stakeholders. In summary, station scientists engaged in the following science delivery activities: 

• 300 presentations

• 60 consultations

• 40 educational activities

• 30 workshops

• 28 webinars

WEB VISITORS

Total number of visits: 125,083

Total number of page views: 392,473

New visitors: 72%

TWITTER 

The station’s Twitter account has 2,558 followers—

up from 2,003 in 2016. Reporters, natural resource 

professionals, and nonprofit groups comprise 

the majority of subscribers who receive instant 

electronic alerts (tweets) about the station’s news 

releases, new publications, and other information. 

PUBLICATIONS

The station produced 371 publications in FY 2017. 

This includes station series publications, journal 

articles, books or book chapters, theses and 

dissertations, and other published works.

• 88,249 hardcopies of station publications 

distributed

• 76,657 views of station publications via 

Treesearch, the Forest Service’s online library

• 11 issues of PNW Science Findings published; 

about 8,000 copies of each issue distributed or 

downloaded 

185

Journal articles

31 Books or chapters

1 Proceedings

6 Theses

23 Other

125

Station series

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Year

Number of publications

2015

2016

2017 Journal articles

Station series

Books or chapters

Proceedings

Theses

Other

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 6
Science for Fire, Smoke, and Fuels Management 

Fire and fuels management have both ecological and social components. Station science is 

providing information and tools to land managers and the public so that fire can be used 

strategically to yield ecological benefits rather than become an uncontrollable force that 

destroys homes and lives. 

Fire management personnel strip light an 

underburn unit at Shevlin Park, Bend, Oregon.

Sasha Salia

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 7
Central Oregon 

Tom Spies

LINKING VEGETATION AND STRUCTURE-IGNITION MODELING

Fire in the wildland-urban interface is a serious 

concern for the U.S. Forest Service because of the high 

risk that homes—and even lives—may be lost. Once 

a structure has ignited, it can contribute substantially 

to a fire’s spread. The National Institute of Standards 

and Technology (NIST) provides the technical basis for 

building and fire codes, and thus both agencies have 

a vested interest in minimizing fire damage to homes 

and other buildings at the interface of forested and 

developed areas.

FY 2017 was the first of a multiyear effort by scientists 

from the NIST, University of Colorado, and U.S. 

Forest Service—including William Mell, a research 

engineer with the PNW Research Station—to extend 

the capabilities of NIST’s Fire Dynamics Simulator 

computer model to include fire in vegetation. Once 

this effort is complete, NIST is planning to use the Fire 

Dynamics Simulator to support development of new 

standards and building codes to reduce the likelihood 

of structure ignition in the wildland-urban interface. 

The tool also will support the U.S. Forest Service’s 

effort to design fuel treatments in ways that reduce 

community exposure to fire and smoke. 

Partners: Colorado State University, National Fire 

Plan, National Institute of Standards and Technology 

For more information, click here.

THE ERA OF MEGAFIRE 

Station scientist Paul Hessburg initiated a groundbreaking effort to bring together researchers, land 

managers, and communities to discuss fire—and ways 

to coexist with this inevitable force of nature. Hessburg 

has taken his message on the road, working with local 

experts to present it in more than 80 communities 

to more than 20,000 people since June 2016. In 

November 2017, he presented the information as a 

TEDx talk, which was viewed more than 300,000 times 

within the first week of being posted online.

For more information, click here.

A collaborative effort is linking Forest Service 

modeling of fire in vegetation with the structureignition model used by the National Institute of 

Standard and Technology. The goal: reduce fire 

damage to structures in the wildland-urban interface 

through effective fuel treatments and updated 

building and fire codes. 

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 8
PROTECTING COMMUNITIES AND PUBLIC HEALTH

Smoke modeling by station scientists is now 

an integral part of the nation’s wildfire fighting 

effort. The station’s AirFire team supports incident 

command teams deployed across the country. 

The AirFire Research Team provides technical 

consultations and science-based tools that are 

helping fire professionals, public health agencies, 

and communities protect lives, structures, and 

natural resources from wildfire and smoke impacts.

In 2107, the AirFire Research Team directly supported 

more than 90 air resource advisors assigned to 

fire incidents with daily interactions and custom 

modeling to help local air quality agencies respond 

to smoke impacts. This included the following: 

• Deploying more than 110 temporary air 

quality monitors.

• Conducting more than 3,000 smoke dispersion 

model runs and calculating nearly 1 million 

smoke trajectories.

• Producing about 1,100 “smoke outlook” forecasts.

• Providing after-action reviews and preseason 

training opportunities.

Smoke from wildfires in eastern Washington in 2017 

affected air quality hundreds of miles away in the 

Seattle metro area. Station science is helping to 

address this public health issue on multiple fronts—

from experiments on the timing of fuel reduction 

treatments to producing smoke forecasts that are 

used by local public health agencies. 

U.S. Forest Service

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 9
NEW TOOLS FOR WILDFIRE INCIDENT OPERATIONS

The Experimental Hot-Dry-Windy Index improves 

forecasting by pulling from three different 

weather forecasts. 

• Now used by National Weather Service 

meteorologists in the Pacific Northwest.

Outlook Editor Workflow Tool

• Automates segments of the process used by 

air resource advisors to produce a daily “smoke 

outlook” that estimates what smoke will do in 

specific areas over the next few days. 

• The tool automatically gathers data from various 

systems, provides easy Web posting and social 

media links, and results in more consistent 

products from the Wildland Fire Air Quality 

Response Program.

Contact: Brian Potter, bpotter@fs.fed.us

Air resource advisor Wendy Wagner 

sets up air monitoring equipment. 

U.S. Forest Service

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 10
FUEL TREATMENTS TO MITIGATE FIRE RISK

CHALLENGE: MAXIMIZING BURN DAYS 

Prescribed fire and mechanical thinning are two 

common methods for reducing hazardous woody 

fuels and stand densities to limit the severity of 

future wildfire. Both have their own challenges 

when it comes to implementation. Prescribed 

burns are weather dependent, and the window of 

opportunity for conducting them safely is often 

quite small. Various efforts by station scientists 

are helping states and national forests to more 

accurately identify potential burn days.

Station scientists worked with Washington state 

to test a 24-hour, advance-notice burn approval 

system as compared to the standard day-of 

approval. This facilitates multiday burns. These pilot 

burns during fall 2016 and winter 2017 resulted in 

minimal impacts to air quality or impacts that were 

on par with non-pilot burns. 

Station scientists used 31 years of fire weather data to 

reconstruct the available and unavailable burn days 

for the southeastern United States, a region where 

more than 70 percent of the nation’s prescribed fire 

is burned annually. The results highlight the region’s 

potential underused burn days that can be leveraged 

to achieve management objectives.

Partners: Joint Institute for the Study of the 

Atmosphere and Ocean, NOAA Pacific Marine 

Environmental Laboratory, University of Washington

TIMING PRESCRIBED BURNS FOR 

MAXIMUM BENEFITS

Working with managers on the Malheur National 

Forest, station scientists Doug Westlind and 

Becky Kerns conducted a prescribed burn/reburn 

experiment to learn how the timing of a burn 

affected subsequent fuel loads. The study sites were 

first burned in fall 1997 and spring 1998. Follow-up 

burns were conducted 5 and 15 years later during 

the same seasons as the initial burns. 

KEY FINDINGS: • The season of the prescribed burns affected 

subsequent fuels. 

• Fall burning, regardless of frequency, generated 

larger pieces of fuel (1,000-hour fuel) primarily 

from overstory mortality resulting from the initial 

entry burns and subsequent snag and branch fall. 

• Five-year fall reburning was most effective in 

reducing excessive conifer regeneration. 

• Some burning near summer conditions may 

be needed to achieve and maintain the most 

desired fuel loads and regeneration densities in 

the long term.

This research provides forest managers and fire 

ecologists with new information on the limitations 

expected in managing fuels in dry fire-prone conifer 

forests using recurring burn cycles only in the 

spring or fall. 

Partners: Joint Fire Sciences Program, Malheur 

National Forest, National Fire Plan, USDA Forest 

Health Protection

For more information, click here.

One hour after ignition on a fall reburn in 2002 at a 

study site in the Malheur National Forest, Oregon. Douglas Westlind

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 11
HOW HOT IS TOO HOT FOR TREES DURING A PRESCRIBED BURN? 

A prescribed burn is generally intended to clear out 

accumulated ground fuels and reduce crowding 

by killing some of the smaller trees in a stand. 

Conventional wisdom is that larger trees with 

thicker bark will be able to survive the burn. 

The lethal temperature limit for trees, and other 

plant tissue, is well established at 140 °F (60 

°C). However, cells and tissues may die at lower 

temperatures if exposed long enough. During wild 

or prescribed fires, woody tissues in tree roots, 

stems, or crowns are exposed for variable times 

to temperatures below 140 °F (60 °C) that cause 

heat stress, but the physiological mechanisms 

are poorly understood. Heat stress from sublethal 

temperatures is important to understand because it 

can kill trees directly or make them more vulnerable 

to bark beetles and other stressors.

SUBLETHAL TEMPERATURE MAY TRIGGER ETHANOL 

PRODUCTION, WHICH ATTRACTS BARK BEETLES

To learn more, station scientists Rick Kelsey and 

Doug Westlind formulated a mechanistic model, 

proposing that when woody tree tissues reach 86 to 

140 °F (30 to 60 °C) during a fire, three physiological 

mechanisms may be triggered that, individually 

or combined, impair aerobic respiration energy 

production and usually induce ethanol synthesis—a 

bark beetle attractant. 

This new insight provides valuable information to 

land managers considering the use of prescribed 

fire to reduce fuel loads. 

For more information, click here.

Brady Smith A prescribed burn on the Coconino 

National Forest, Arizona

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 12
QUANTIFYING FIRE EFFECTS ON SOIL 

When large down wood burns, the soil beneath the 

log is exposed to prolonged intense heat. This alters 

soil properties and kills soil microbes. In areas with 

lots of large down wood from previous wildfires, the 

extent of severe soil burn can be a concern. 

EXPERIMENT INDUCES INTENSE HEAT TO MEASURE 

RESPONSE OF KEY SOIL FUNGI

To better quantify the effects of soil heating, 

scientists conducted an experiment in the Pringle 

Falls Experimental Forest in central Oregon. The 

study team led by Jane E. Smith, a botanist with the 

PNW Research Station, found that the composition of 

soil microbial communities varied with burn severity. 

• The greatest differences were apparent in 

the early time points following the fire and 

decreased over 4 years. 

• Severely burned soils had a fewer nutrients, 

which slowed the recovery of vegetation for at 

least 4 years. 

• These findings provide a foundation for ongoing 

studies investigating the effects of soil burn 

severity on tree seedling growth, soil fungi, and 

nutrients. Continuing this work, the scientists are 

investigating soil fungal community recovery 

and succession using next-generation DNA 

sequencing. 

The Deschutes National Forest used these findings to 

address public comments on proposed forest plans. 

Partners: Deschutes National Forest, Kansas State 

University, Oregon State University 

For more information, click here.

Ariel Cowan

Scientists designed an experiment involving a 

controlled burn in Pringle Falls Experimental Forest, 

Oregon, to learn more about the effects of intense 

heat on soil and subsequent tree regeneration.

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 13
FIRE IN THE WAKE OF SUDDEN OAK DEATH

Sudden oak death, caused by the fungal pathogen 

Phytophthora ramorum, has killed many native oaks 

in California and southern Oregon. Forest managers 

are very interested about the interplay between fire 

and sudden oak death. 

To learn more, station scientist J. Morgan Varner and 

colleagues used leaf litter from a variety of species 

in northern California to predict future flammability 

of the remaining vegetative community, once 

sudden oak death had basically eradicated native 

tanoak. They found that flammability was diverse 

across the native co-occurring species. 

• Tanoak leaf litter is highly flammable, but 

Douglas-fir litter is less so. 

• Leaf litter flammability may be reduced in forests 

where tanoak dies and is replaced by Douglas-fir. 

Partners: Humboldt State University; National Fire 

Plan; University of California, Davis; University of 

California Cooperative Extension Service; USDA 

Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station 

For more information, click here.

Sudden oak death has killed many native oaks 

in California and southern Oregon. Scientists are 

studying how the flammability of these stands may 

change as other species replace tanoak.

Steve Swain

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 14
MANAGING FIRE-PRONE FORESTS IN MULTI-OWNERSHIP LANDSCAPES 

Some challenges are so big they really do require 

an all-hands-on-deck approach. Interest is growing 

among public and private land managers in using 

landscape-scale approaches across fire-prone 

forests to reduce the risk of uncontrollable wildfire 

near communities, commercial timberland, and 

other valued resources. Management actions—

or nonaction—on one parcel of land can affect 

conditions on other lands in a watershed or region. 

UNDERSTANDING MOTIVATIONS AND CONSTRAINTS

Identifying the need for collaboration is one thing; 

actually working together is another. An intermediary 

step is understanding the motivations and constraints 

faced by different landowners. To learn more, a team of 

scientists from the Pacific Northwest Research Station 

and Oregon State University co-led an interdisciplinary 

study to investigate how national forests, state forests, 

and private corporate forests were managed to reduce 

wildfire losses. They also looked at the underlying 

social and ecological drivers influencing management 

decisions, and modeled the outcomes of current 

management on different ownerships for increasing 

forest resilience to wildfire 50 years into the future. 

Landowners in Oregon’s eastern Cascade Range 

engage in diverse forest and fire management 

practices. Key drivers of forest and fire management 

decisionmaking, the scientists learned, are: (1) current 

forest conditions resulting from past management 

and fire, (2) market conditions for wood products and 

desired revenue streams, and (3) attitudes toward fire. 

ADDRESSING PRACTICALITIES OF FOREST 

MANAGEMENT

Even with mutual goals in mind—more resilient 

forests and community safety—practicalities may 

inhibit implementation. The study team identified 

possible interventions that could help landowners 

lessen current constraints to managing for fireresilient forests. These interventions include:

• Retaining and developing market infrastructure 

for wood products of all types.

• Incentivizing growth of big trees on private 

corporate lands that currently lack them.

• Making financial assistance available to private 

corporate owners for reducing fire hazard and 

recovery following wildfire.

• Developing policies and programs that support 

the use of prescribed fire on state and private 

corporate lands.

• Strengthening social networks for addressing 

wildfire.

The Deschutes National Forest and the Deschutes 

Collaborative Forest Project along with the 

Fremont-Winema National Forest and the Lakeview 

Stewardship group are using this information to 

explore possible futures that could result from 

collaboratively developed restoration strategies. 

Partners: Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project, 

Deschutes National Forest, Fremont-Winema National 

Forest, Lakeview Forest Landscape Collaborative, 

Oregon State University, University of New England

Tom Spies

A public field trip in the Deschutes National Forest.

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 15
BURN A LITTLE, SAVE A LOT: USING CONTROLLED FIRES TO MITIGATE WILDFIRES

Large wildfires can be devastating for communities 

and forests. Beyond the immediate dangers to life 

and property, wildfire smoke can have far-reaching 

adverse effects on air quality and human health. 

Setting small, controlled fires is an effective way 

to mitigate large, destructive wildfires. Not only 

do prescribed burns reduce forest fuel loads, 

thus reducing the risk of uncontrolled wildfires; 

they also offer unique opportunities to research 

fire and smoke 

patterns. Prescribed 

fires can act as test 

beds for existing 

models of smoke 

and tree mortality 

so researchers can 

continue to improve 

upon current predictive abilities related to forest 

fires and smoke impacts. 

SUPPORTING WASHINGTON’S FOREST RESILIENCY 

BURNING PILOT STUDY

In Washington state, a large, interagency effort 

funded by the state legislature conducted 80 

prescribed burns from fall 2016 to spring 2017, 15 

of which were on state and national forest lands. 

Fire managers and teams were given 24-hour 

advance notice of burn approval instead of the 

standard day-of approval process, allowing them to 

complete more planned multiday burns. 

Multiple researchers from the PNW Research Station 

were tasked with tracking and studying the fires. 

Roger Ottmar, a research forester, investigated the 

fuel load pre- and postfire to assess tree mortality. 

These results will contribute to future planning for a 

resilient burn program in Washington with the goal 

of promoting healthy forests. 

The station’s AirFire Research Team tracked air 

quality and smoke during the prescribed burns 

by deploying additional 

smoke measurement 

monitors to augment 

the permanent network. 

The scientists found no 

difference in the smoke 

impacts or air quality 

between prescribed 

burns approved the same day compared to those 

approved 24 hours in advance. This is useful 

information because burns approved 24 hours 

in advance are more likely to be completed than 

those approved the same day. The smoke and 

air quality data gathered by the AirFire team 

will be used to improve the predictive power of 

the current model being used to predict smoke 

impacts in Washington.

The data gathered during these prescribed 

burns will be presented to the Washington State 

Legislature in 2018 and used to develop a forest 

resiliency burning program.

For more information, click here.

Up to 28.5 tons per acre: 

the amount of potentially hazardous fuel 

loads eliminated in each prescribed burn 

during this pilot study.

A researcher collects fuel samples during a prescribed 

burn conducted as part of the Washington State 

Forest Resiliency Burning Pilot project. 

Jim Cronan

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 16
LEGACIES OF PAST FIRES 

In fire-prone ecosystems, the return of wildfire 

is inevitable. Legacies of past fires, or their 

absence, will often dictate the characteristics of 

subsequent fires. With the area of burns increasing 

across western U.S. forests, it will be essential 

to incorporate previously burned areas into 

fuel and fire management plans and real-time 

understanding of potential wildfire behavior.

For more information, click here.

EXAMINING PAST BURN MOSAICS TO LEARN HOW 

MANAGED WILDFIRE CAN BE USED FOR LARGESCALE FUEL TREATMENTS

Researchers, including station scientist Paul 

Hessburg, conducted a global synthesis of research 

on how pre-existing burns—originating as wildfires 

or prescribed burns—can modify the patterns 

and severity of subsequent fires. The lessons 

gleaned from this synthesis represent a significant 

advance in knowledge with important implications 

for landscape management planning. A clear 

understanding of how prior burn mosaics influence 

future fire spread and burn severity will also inform 

landscape-scale planning, and be useful when 

managing for fire-dependent wildlife habitat.

Partners: University of Idaho, University of 

Washington 

An aerial view of the 2012 Pole Creek Fire in the Three 

Sisters Wilderness, Deschutes National Forest, Oregon. 

Past burns can influence the dynamics of future burns. 

U.S. Forest Service

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 17
Human Dimensions

The reasons we care about forests are as diverse as society. National forests are valued for the 

jobs they sustain, as places to recreate, for their beauty, and for the many other ecosystem 

services they provide.

Human values and perspectives influence decisions about forest management. Social science 

and economic research by station scientists provides insights into how these values, and social 

systems in general, intersect with ecological systems. This is vital information because the health 

of many communities is linked to the health of the forests. 

A field trip with members of the Lakeview Stewardship 

Group in the Fremont-Winema National Forest. 

Tom Spies

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 18
ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF STEWARDSHIP CONTRACTING

Stewardship contracting has been embraced by 

some federal managers to achieve restoration 

goals while providing economic benefits to local 

communities. Little is known, however, about 

economic contributions from stewardship contracts, 

including how they compare against Secure Rural 

Schools program funding or the century-old 

payments to counties revenue-sharing systems.

A CASE STUDY ON THE MOUNT HOOD 

NATIONAL FOREST

To learn more, Jean Daniels, a research forester with 

the station, and colleagues conducted an economic 

analysis of two case study stewardship contracts 

located on the Mount Hood National Forest in 

western Oregon. 

They found the following:

• The stewardship contracts all contributed to 

local economic activity. 

• Expenditures for the two contracts generated 

$4 million of output and 36 jobs.

• Effects largely accrued to the private sector 

rather than county governments. 

Partners: Clackamas Stewardship Partners, Portland 

State University, Mount Hood National Forest 

For more information, click here.

Bureau of Land Management

Forest thinning conducted under 

a stewardship contract in Oregon.

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 19
Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska. Some Alaska 

shorelines are rising as glaciers recede. This can 

change the distribution of shoreline resources such 

as shellfish or eelgrass, which provides habitat for 

juvenile salmon. 

Connie Harrington

AS CLIMATE CHANGES, SO DO SHORELINES IN SOUTHEAST ALASKA 

When landlocked glaciers melt, an immense 

weight is removed from the land previously under 

the glacier. The land “bounces” back and local 

sea levels drop in relation to the newly elevated 

shore. This geological process is known as isostatic 

rebound. Shoreline and estuaries provide habitat 

for many subsistence resources valued by nearby 

communities in southeast Alaska. Shoreline change 

means a change in the distribution of shorelineassociated food resources.

CHANGING SHORELINES HAVE BIOPHYSICAL, 

SOCIAL, AND CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS

The PNW Research Station’s Adelaide Johnson, a 

hydrologist, and Linda Kruger, a research social 

scientist, are partnering with Alaska Native groups 

and others to assess the biophysical, social, and 

cultural effects of shoreline change in southeast 

Alaska. This research highlights the importance of 

using initial geomorphology-based assessments to 

improve biophysical, chemical, and social research 

along coastlines. This analysis provides information 

that can be used to design management strategies 

that are more attuned to social and cultural values.

• In the next 100 years, they predict up to a 30 

percent reduction in total estuary length near 

some communities in southeast Alaska as the 

land rebounds in response to retreating glaciers. 

• Where the rate of sea-level rise is faster 

than the isostatic rebound rate, resulting in 

submerged shorelines, estuaries may lengthen 

by up to 3 percent. 

• Changes in estuaries are compounded by 

community concerns around cruise ship- and 

mine-related pollution, paralytic shellfish 

poisoning, overharvesting, and ocean acidification. 

Partners: USDA Forest Service Alaska Region, 

Tongass and Chugach National Forests, University 

of Alaska Southeast, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 

Alaska Department of Fish and Game, National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Central 

Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, 

Yakutat Tlingit Tribe, Hoonah Indian Association, 

Forest Service ANM/Angoon Liaison, Organized 

Village of Kake, Sitka Tribe of Alaska, Klawock 

Cooperative Association, Ketchikan Indian 

Community, Organized Village of Kasaan, Native 

Village of Eyak, Tatitlek Village IRA, Chenega IRA

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 20
PROJECTING THE EFFECTS OF GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE ON FORESTS AND MARKETS

Economic models that account for dynamic 

ecological and economic features can help us 

understand how climate change will likely affect 

forests and timber markets. But to measure the 

climate effects in particular regions, they must 

consider global impacts. A study led by station 

scientist John B. Kim modeled the global timber 

output under different climate scenarios. The results 

of their modeling suggest the following:

• Global timber output is projected to increase, 

driving prices down.

• Pulpwood prices will fall the most in relation to 

climate change, although prices for sawtimber 

also will fall.

• Output will increase throughout the century, 

with the strongest gains at the end of the 

century. 

• Climate mitigation policies slow forest changes 

and reduce market impacts. The impact of 

climate mitigation on global timber outputs, 

however, are projected to be modest.

Partners: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 

Ohio State University, U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency

Researchers linked computer models with dynamic 

ecological and economic features to project the effects 

of climate change on the global forestry sector.

Eric Simmons Logs are loaded onto a ship for export. 

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 21
STAYING CURRENT: UNDERSTANDING RECENT TRENDS IN THE FOREST PRODUCTS INDUSTRY

A log truck in Douglas County, Oregon. Eric Simmons

Maximizing efficiency and minimizing waste 

are key to any successful business or industry, 

and the forest products industry in Oregon is no 

different. But to improve efficiency and ensure 

long-term sustainability in this important industry, 

managers and producers first need to know current

production levels.

To gather this information, researchers conduct a 

census of forest products facilities every 5 years. This 

includes facilities that receive timber for processing 

into lumber, veneer, or export, and plants that use 

wood fiber residues for power and particleboard 

production. After analyzing data from 2008 to 

2013, station scientist Glenn Christensen and his 

colleagues found that despite the number of forest 

products processing facilities decreasing from 251 

to 188, timber harvest increased by 17 percent. 

USE OF SMALL-DIAMETER LOGS INCREASES

Researchers found an increased use of smalldiameter logs due to improved lumber markets, 

shorter harvest rotations, and more competition 

for large-log exports in 2013. Timber processing 

capacity at sawmills also increased because of mill 

upgrades and the construction of two high-capacity 

sawmills. These findings mirror broader trends in 

the forest products industry, which appears to be 

moving toward fewer, higher capacity sawmills.

CALCULATING LOGGING RESIDUES TO ESTIMATE 

FEEDSTOCK AVAILABLE FOR WOOD-BASED ENERGY

In a separate study, Christensen and colleagues 

also calculated the 2011–2015 logging utilization 

efficiencies in Oregon and Washington, numbers 

that had not been updated since the 1980s. 

Comparing the amount of tree biomass removed 

from forests to the amount of timber and residues 

produced from that biomass, they found that 

statewide numbers were relatively constant 

despite differences in efficiencies across mills and 

processing facilities. This information will be used 

to associate logging residues with harvest volumes 

to meet national Forest Inventory and Analysis 

(FIA) parameters, develop estimates of available 

feedstock for wood-based bioenergy, and provide 

data on woody biomass lifecycles.

The knowledge gained from this research will help 

resource managers develop appropriate industry 

regulations to maintain the long-term health of the 

stocks on which the forest products industry relies. 

For more information, click here.

RECENT INDUSTRY TRENDS

58,815: Oregon forest sector jobs in 2013

$3.18 billion: Total labor income from Oregon 

forest sector jobs in 2013

Despite 63 fewer forest products processing 

facilities, timber harvest increased 17 percent 

from 2008 to 2013 in Oregon. 

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 22
UNDERSTANDING NON-RECREATIONAL CAMPING ON NATIONAL FORESTS

Long-term occupancy by homeless visitors and 

other non-recreational campers in national forests 

and grasslands has become a persistent challenge 

for district rangers and law enforcement officers. 

Management challenges include maintaining 

sanitary conditions, public safety, vandalism, and 

conflict with other forest visitors. Biophysical 

challenges include soil compaction, damage to 

vegetation, trash, erosion, creation of fire rings, and 

dumping of household chemicals or pollutants. 

SURVEY OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS 

REVEALS SCOPE OF PROBLEM

Lee Cerveny, a research social scientist with 

the station, surveyed law enforcement officers 

throughout the Forest Service to gauge the 

scope of problem. Nearly half of the surveyed law 

enforcement officers reported that interactions with 

homeless campers had increased during their tenure; 

weekly encounters with homeless campers were 

common for 38 percent of the officers. The most 

common type of homeless campers were “transient 

retirees.” Homeless visitors were most often found in 

undeveloped areas close to major roads, and at rates 

that were higher in forests near urban areas. 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARTNERSHIP WITH SOCIAL 

SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS

This research can help law enforcement officers and 

resource managers understand the implications of 

homelessness and non-recreational camping on the 

social environment. It can also help highlight areas 

for potential partnerships with other organizations 

to address the needs of homeless visitors to 

national forests and grasslands.

Partners: San Jose State University, USDA Forest 

Service Law Enforcement and Investigations 

Lee Cerveny Non-recreational camping in the Mount BakerSnoqualmie National Forest, Washington.

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 23
DATA: LEVERAGING SOCIAL MEDIA TO MANAGE RECREATION IN NATIONAL FORESTS

In today’s online world, scientists are exploring a 

new source of abundant data that will inform forest 

management: social media.

Outdoor recreation is a key use of our national forests. 

It is highly valued by the public, supports substantial 

public health benefits, and generates more economic 

activity nationally than all other uses of National 

Forest System land. In total across the United States, 

recreation on national forests generates about $9.3 

billion in spending in local communities and supports 

146,000 jobs. 

RECREATION SPENDING

Working with the Forest Service Ecosystem Management and Coordination staff, station scientists 

determined that visitors recreating on Forest Service 

lands in Oregon spend about $448 million annually 

in communities located within 50 miles of national 

forest boundaries. This economic boost is also felt in 

Washington ($290 million in visitor spending annually) 

and Alaska ($197 million in visitor spending annually). 

These numbers help policymakers and national forest 

managers understand the economic and social outcomes 

from investing in recreation planning, programs, and 

infrastructure. However, gathering on-site data on how 

many people are recreating and what they are doing 

requires significant time, staffing, and money. That’s 

where social media comes in.

ONLINE POSTINGS PROVIDE METRICS ON 

RECREATION USE

Station social scientists Eric White, Dale Blahna, 

and colleagues at the University of Washington 

and Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest are 

leveraging data available from social media posts 

to generate much needed information about 

recreational use across the entire network of 

individual sites and trails in national forests. 

Skiers in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie 

National Forest, Washington. U.S. Forest Service

White and his colleagues have found strong 

correspondence between counts of recreation 

determined via social media platforms, such as Flickr 

photos and online trail reports, with traditional 

on-site counting methods, such as traffic counters 

and observations. This method has the potential to 

complement the current Forest Service recreation 

monitoring program by providing timely estimates 

of recreation use and visitor behavior in response to 

emerging management needs. 

For more information, click here.

FOREST RECREATION AND SOCIAL MEDIA

15.3 million: Number of annual visits to national 

forests in Oregon and Washington 

3,900: Year-round jobs supported in Oregon, 

many in rural communities, by revenue from 

visitors on trips to Forest Service lands

8,000: Average number of photographs taken 

from sites at Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National 

Forest and shared publicly on Flickr each year

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 24
Habitat 

Moose in the Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. Erin Julianus

Understanding the habitat needs of fish and wildlife is vital to managing the land for multiple uses. 

Experiments and tools developed by station scientists are helping state and federal land managers do 

just this. In Alaska, scientists are experimenting with silvicultural techniques to better manage younggrowth stands for deer, an important subsistence resource in many communities, as well as timber.

In Washington and Oregon, station scientists continue studying the northern spotted owl, red 

tree vole—prey of the owl—marten, and fisher. Our research on habitat needs, status, and trends 

informs the scientific study of these species of conservation interest.

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 25
MOOSE AND FIRE 

Wildfire is a prominent landscape-level disturbance 

in interior Alaska. After a fire, change in the 

availability and quality of vegetation affects wildlife 

habitat. Land managers responsible for managing 

habitat and wildlife managers responsible for 

ensuring sustained yield of game species, such as 

moose, are very interested in better understanding 

the postfire changes. 

A team of researchers, including Teresa 

Hollingsworth with the PNW Research Station, 

explored the dynamics of vegetation succession 

following fire and actual use by moose. Working 

in the Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge in interior 

Alaska, the researchers tracked moose movements 

throughout the refuge to learn how and when 

moose browse in certain burned areas. 

Partners: University of Alaska Fairbanks; USDI 

Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife 

Service, Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge; USDI 

Geological Survey 

For more information, click here.

Erin Julianus

Managers of Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge 

are using findings to balance conflicting 

objectives of conserving vegetation while 

increasing the moose population. 

A researcher surveys vegetation as part of a study that 

tracked moose movements in postfire revegetated 

areas of the Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. 

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 26
An artificial canopy gap created in a 74-year-old 

stand at a study site in the Tongass National Forest, 

Alaska; untreated forest is in the background. 

Mike McClellan

ALASKA YOUNG GROWTH 

The Tongass National Forest has more than 400,000 

acres of young, even-aged stands that have 

regenerated after harvest in the 1900s. Without 

management, these stands can develop dense 

canopies in 15 to 20 years, and these dense canopies 

can persist for 100 years or more. With little light 

reaching the forest floor, understory plants are greatly 

reduced, and wildlife habitat—particularly deer 

forage, can be severely limited. Deer are an important 

subsistence resource in many communities in southeast 

Alaska, so there is interest in management that will 

enhance deer habitat while helping develop stands 

that are viable for commercial harvest to support the 

region’s timber industry.

The station and Tongass National Forest have several 

ongoing experiments related to the management 

of these young-growth stands. A study published by 

the station in 2017 compared treatment options and 

documented the habitat benefits from gaps created in 

stands of Alaska young growth on Chichagof Island. The 

study team found that 23 years following treatment, 

the areas where gaps had been created still had more 

understory plants, and thus were providing more 

foraging opportunities for deer than untreated areas. 

Studies like this provide important insights as to 

how managed stands in southeast Alaska may affect 

wildlife habitat, particularly as forest management 

shifts from harvesting of old-growth stands to using 

managed second-growth stands as a source of timber 

and fiber. 

For more information, click here.

Two decades after treatment, deer 

continue to benefit from increased forage 

in artificial gaps in 81-year-old stands of 

southeast Alaska young growth.

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 27
WATER, FISH, AND RIPARIAN AREAS

The temperature of water within a river network 

fluctuates in time and place, creating diverse 

thermal regimes. This variability has important 

biological and ecological consequences. Water 

temperature and changes in temperature trigger 

changes in the life stages of aquatic organisms. 

Spatial diversity in thermal landscapes provides 

river life with options—thermal niches—to 

maximize growth and survival. However, human 

activities and changes in air temperature and 

precipitation threaten to alter the dynamics of 

riverine thermal regimes. Station scientists are 

providing information and tools that can be 

used to manage aquatic and riparian habitats 

as environmental conditions change. 

Aimee Fullerton Ashley Steel downloads water temperature data 

in the Snoqualmie watershed, Washington. 

New techniques for modeling variability in temperature 

over time and place along a river network are setting 

the foundation for tools that could help pinpoint where 

restoration efforts to lower water temperature would 

be of most benefit to species of concern.

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 28
Rick Edwards

UNDER WAY: PAIRED STREAM AND AIR MONITORING IN SOUTHEAST ALASKA 

In summer 2017, researchers began installing a 

water and air temperature monitoring network 

in Héen Latinee Experimental Forest. Data and 

resulting model simulations will be used by fisheries 

managers to better adapt to changing patterns of 

fish production.

These data will be used to estimate the effects of 

temperature change on the productivity of the food 

web supported by the stream. 

Warming trends in southeast Alaska will have a 

potentially significant impact on salmon habitat 

by altering thermal regimes in streams. In addition 

to general warming resulting from increased air 

temperatures, loss of glacial water inputs will have 

profound effects on the range and seasonality of 

water temperatures. These changes will likely affect 

river food webs with ripple effects to commercial 

fisheries. The station is providing foundational 

information on projecting changes in water 

temperature and flows across stream networks.

For more information, click here.

A researcher installs a water temperature gauge 

in Canyon Creek in the Héen Latinee Experimental 

Forest, Alaska. 

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 29
Predicted increase in the magnitude of mean annual floods for the (A) 2040s and (B) 2080s in southeast Alaska relative to 

contemporary (1979–2000) flood magnitudes.

SITE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS CAN BE TAKEN TO ADDRESS CHANGES IN WATER TEMPERATURE AND FLOW

Natural resource managers and regulators have 

expressed their need for downscaled climate 

projections and tools for identifying the potential 

effects of changing environmental conditions 

before they can develop mitigation and adaptation 

practices and policies for climate change.

Gordon Reeves, a research fish biologist with the 

PNW Research Station, and colleagues developed 

a process to display the effects of projected 

changes in water temperature and flows across 

a stream network in a watershed and to identify 

the variability in effects and potential mitigation 

actions across the stream network. Their work in 

three national forests in western Oregon and the 

Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska shows 

that climate change effects will vary spatially within 

and among watersheds, and that site-specific 

actions can be taken to address these effects.

With this information, managers can develop 

more effective and targeted mitigation and 

adaptation actions. 

Partners: TerrainWorks; USDA Forest Service Alaska 

Region, Pacific Northwest Region, Washington Office

The Tongass National Forest is using this 

analysis in its vulnerability assessment and 

road management program. In Oregon, 

the Rogue-Siskiyou, Umpqua, and Siuslaw 

National Forests will be using this work for 

their climate change vulnerability analyses 

and development of forest plans. 

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 30
EVALUATING CONTEMPORARY FOREST ROAD PRACTICES

Early forest roads and their ditches delivered water and 

sediment directly into streams, degrading the aquatic 

ecosystem. Excess suspended sediment can clog fish 

gills and reduce visibility, making it harder to find food. 

If the sediment settles on the stream bottom, it can 

suffocate fish eggs. Even relatively small, sustained 

increases in suspended sediment concentrations can 

adversely affect aquatic biodiversity. 

Over the decades, guidelines for building forest 

roads were developed to reduce their negative 

effects. But questions remained about the efficacy 

of the current standards. 

WORKING IN THE OREGON COAST RANGE 

As part of the Trask River Watershed Study, a 

multi-partner, long-term endeavor to evaluate Oregon’s contemporary forest practices, station scientist 

Sherri Johnson and colleagues examined whether 

road building and road upgrades associated with 

forest harvest contributed to increased suspended 

sediment in streams. They also compared the suspended sediment and turbidity responses to multiple sediment thresholds that are used for regulatory purposes.

They observed very minor changes in downstream 

suspended sediment after road construction 

and road upgrades. A natural disturbance within 

the reference watershed, where a bankside tree 

tipped up and disturbed riparian soils, led to the 

largest increase in suspended sediment. This study 

indicates that, under current forest road guidelines 

for western Oregon, road upgrades and construction 

can occur with limited sediment inputs to streams. 

Partners: National Council for Air and Stream 

Improvement, Oregon Department of Environmental 

Quality, Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon 

Forest Industries Council, Oregon State University, 

USDI Geological Survey, Weyerhaeuser Company

For more information, click here.

Kelly J. James

Current practices effectively reduce delivery of fine 

sediment to streams within active timber sale sites in 

the Oregon Coast Range.

Timberland in the Oregon Coast Range.

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 31
Exclosures protect riparian plantings from browsing 

by deer and elk at the Starkey Experimental Forest and 

Range, Oregon. 

Rhonda Mazza

QUANTIFYING THE EFFECTS OF DEER AND ELK ON RIPARIAN PLANTINGS INSTALLED TO IMPROVE SALMON HABITAT

Riparian restoration for threatened and endangered 

salmon is a billion-dollar endeavor in the Pacific 

Northwest. Restoration efforts often include 

planting streamside vegetation to shade and cool 

the streams and stabilize streambanks. However, 

these new plantings are often eaten by cattle, 

elk, and deer, and little is known about how 

this herbivory by wild ungulates affects riparian 

restoration in the absence of cattle.

ALONG MEADOW CREEK 

The station’s Starkey science team evaluated elk 

and mule deer impacts on deciduous woody 

riparian plantings along 7 miles of Meadow Creek, 

a steelhead- and Chinook salmon-bearing stream 

in the Starkey Experimental Forest and Range in 

northeastern Oregon. They found that herbivory 

by elk and deer can impede riparian restoration. 

Herbivory resulted in survival rates below regional 

agency criteria (50 percent) for restoration success 

after two growing seasons. This means that strategic 

management of wild ungulates to minimize impacts 

in riparian areas, and protection of riparian plantings 

from herbivory, are important considerations in 

riparian restoration for steelhead and salmon.

Partners: Oregon State University, WallowaWhitman National Forest

For more information, click here.

Protecting restoration plantings from 

herbivory may help fisheries biologists 

and land managers meet population 

recovery goals for threatened and 

endangered salmon. 

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 32
INNOVATION: NEW TOOL FOR ENHANCING HABITAT FOR ENDANGERED SALMON

RESERVOIRS AND CHINOOK SALMON

Juvenile Chinook salmon normally rear in streams, 

but reservoirs now create novel habitats along 

stream networks. By spending just one summer 

in a reservoir, juvenile Chinook grow three to five 

times larger than they would if rearing in a stream 

or river. However, reservoirs create other challenges 

for juvenile Chinook salmon. Finding the outlet for 

continued downstream migration is a major problem. 

Reservoirs also contain introduced warm-water fish 

species that can compete with or prey on juvenile 

Chinook salmon. Managers are exploring new 

techniques to manage reservoirs, including draining 

reservoirs annually to help flush fish downstream. 

GrowChinook is a Web-based model that can help 

managers evaluate the effects of water drawdown, 

water temperature, changes in food resources, 

and drought on salmon growth and survival, and 

the carrying capacity of reservoirs. Developed by 

researchers with the station and Oregon State 

University, GrowChinook helps managers manage 

reservoir water levels to create as optimal as 

possible habitat for this endangered fish.

Contact: Sherri Johnson, sherrijohnson@fs.fed.us

How to get it: http://cas-web0.biossys.

oregonstate.edu/ 

For more information, click here.

Rick Swart, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

GrowChinook estimates growth of juvenile 

Chinook salmon in reservoirs under 

differing water management and 

climate change scenarios

Applegate Reservoir, Oregon

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 33
Graphical displays of data help illuminate key trends 

in streamflow and stream temperature related to the 

timing of fish passage at Winchester Dam on the North 

Umpqua River, Oregon. This information can directly 

inform restoration and water management activities. 

“SEEING” THE FISH AND THEIR HABITAT THROUGH VISUALIZATION OF BIG DATA

Rebecca Flitcroft, a research fish biologist with the 

PNW Research Station, and her colleagues used 

long-term daily temperature and discharge data 

to learn more about the relationship between 

hydroclimate and individual species, as well as 

communities of fish, near the Winchester Dam 

on Oregon’s North Umpqua River. Fish behavior, 

streamflow, and water temperature can directly 

inform restoration and water management activities. 

The researchers explored graphically creative 

ways to display the complex dataset, spanning 

21 years, so that patterns would become visually 

apparent. Their techniques are being adopted by 

other agencies and scientists. The Environmental 

Protection Agency, for example, is using this 

technique to map hydroclimate and fish phenology 

in the Columbia River basin. 

Partners: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, 

Oregon State University

Umpqua River, Oregon U.S. Forest Service

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 34
It is difficult to measure movement patterns of small, 

elusive carnivores, such as the Pacific marten and 

fisher. Much of our understanding of how these 

species use the landscape is derived from radio 

telemetry, which requires large field crews or aircraft. 

MARTEN

A study led by Katie Moriarty, a research wildlife 

biologist with the station, was the first to evaluate 

fine-scaled movements of martens in both summer 

and winter by using collars outfitted with miniature 

global positioning system (GPS) trackers. The ability 

to estimate annual home ranges within days could 

greatly improve the efficiency of addressing other 

research questions such as how home ranges vary 

with density, resource availability, and demography. 

FISHER

Moriarty and her study team also amassed the largest 

movement dataset for the fisher and pioneered novel 

techniques to identify resting and denning structures. 

The fisher is a small carnivore listed as a sensitive 

species by the state of Oregon. The team is testing the 

first use of iridium collars to track fisher movements 

through a highly managed landscape. Location data 

will be sent via satellite, allowing teams, for the first 

time, to describe juvenile movement, which is a 

perceived limitation to population growth. 

Partners: USDI Fish and Wildlife Service, USDI Bureau 

of Land Management, USDA Forest Service Pacific 

Northwest Region, Siuslaw National Forest, Rogue 

River–Siskiyou National Forest, Green Diamond 

Resource Company, Hancock Timber, Roseburg Timber, 

National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, 

Oregon Forestry Industries Council, Oregon Forest 

Resources Institute

For more information, click here.

Researchers are tracking fisher to learn how the 

small carnivores use highly managed landscapes.

TRACKING ELUSIVE WILDLIFE

Miniature radio collars enable researchers to track 

the movements of marten. 

 Caylen Cummings

Mark Linnell

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 35
DIFFERENCES IN FORAGING BEHAVIOR MINIMIZE COMPETITION BETWEEN BETWEEN ELK AND CATTLE 

Cattle and elk co-occur throughout western North 

America, but research findings on competition 

between these species are often contradictory. 

Working at the Starkey Experimental Forest and 

Range, researchers used global positioning system 

tracking data to classify elk and cattle behavior, 

activity, and movement strategies to evaluate the 

potential for competition between the ungulates.

They found the following: 

• Differences in foraging behavior between elk 

and cattle minimize competition between the 

two. Elk traveled farther per day and tended to 

select forbs.

• Cattle foraged more intensively within a smaller 

area and tended to select grasses. 

• These observed differences in movement and 

energetic strategies suggest that when elk and 

cattle occupy the same general area during 

summer and fall, their different behaviors may 

moderate the potential for direct interspecific 

competition. 

Demonstration of reduced dietary competition 

between cattle and elk should minimize debate and 

efforts to discourage elk use of private rangelands, 

and clarify support for coexistence of the two 

ungulates on public rangelands. Public and private 

land managers of forested rangelands can use these 

results to better allocate forage for cattle on grazing 

allotments under the assumption of minimal 

dietary competition with elk during most seasons. 

Partners: National Council for Air and Stream 

Improvement, Oregon State University, USDA 

Agricultural Research Service 

For more information, click here.

A researcher records the browsing habits of a tame, 

radio-collared elk in the Starkey Experimental 

Forest and Range, Oregon. 

Mike Wisdom

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 36
CHALLENGE: MANAGING A HIGHLY FLAMMABLE INVASIVE GRASS

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is an invasive 

annual grass now found in most western states. It 

outcompetes native perennial grasses and plants that 

provide important biodiversity, wildlife habitat, and 

forage for cattle later in the season. Cheatgrass is also 

highly flammable; once it has completed its short 

growing season, the dry grass is ready fuel.

Multiple factors can lead to the colonization and 

persistence of invasive plants. The importance of 

disturbance by fire and other abiotic and biotic factors, 

such as competition, in driving cheatgrass invasion 

varies based on invasion stage. Understanding 

these dynamics may inform future restoration and 

conservation efforts in burned ponderosa pine forests.

WORKING IN THE MALHEUR NATIONAL FOREST

Becky Kerns, a station scientist, and her colleague at 

Oregon State University investigated how cheatgrass 

responded to both the frequency and season of 

prescribed burning over a 10-year period in stands of 

ponderosa pine in the Malheur National Forest. 

They found the following:

• Influence of fire, native plant cover, and other 

factors related to cheatgrass spread vary based on 

invasion stage.

• Cheatgrass cover increased with fall burning 

regardless of burn frequency (one burn vs. three 

burns) between 2002 and 2012. 

• At fine scales, initial burn coverage facilitated 

cheatgrass establishment, while native annual forb 

cover (biotic resistance) constrained spread.

• Initial cheatgrass abundance in 2002 was key in 

explaining the extent of cheatgrass by 2012. 

These findings will be helpful to resource managers 

planning restoration and conservation efforts in 

ponderosa pine forests.

Partners: Malheur National Forest, Oregon State 

University

For more information, click here.

A cheatgrass invasion after burning in a ponderosa 

pine–bunchgrass plant community in the Malheur 

National Forest, Oregon. Scientists are monitoring this 

plot and others to determine the long-term response 

of invasive cheatgrass to prescribed burns conducted 

in different seasons and intervals. 

Becky Kerns

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 37
TOOL PRE-LOADS MAPS OF TREES IN POOR HEALTH TO iPADS FOR FIELD VERIFICATION AND USE

Fuels reduction treatments are an opportune time 

to remove trees in poor health and significantly 

increase the proportion of high-vigor trees 

remaining in the stand after treatment. Having a 

tool that helps identify clusters of trees in poor 

health could help prioritize restoration activities 

the following year and reduce the probability of a 

landscape-level insect outbreak. 

WORKING ON THE FREMONT-WINEMA 

NATIONAL FOREST

The Western Wildland Environmental Threat 

Assessment Center collaborated with The Nature 

Conservancy and the Fremont-Winema National 

Forest to develop just such a tool for identifying and 

prioritizing removal of ponderosa and Jeffrey pine 

in poor health. 

This approach also can be used to assess the 

effect of different fuels treatments on stand health 

through time.

Contact: Nancy Grulke, ngrulke@fs.fed.us

Partners: Fremont-Winema National Forest, 

The Nature Conservancy 

The Fremont-Winema National Forest, Oregon. Tom Iraci

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 38
Forward Thinking 

Changes in precipitation, average temperature, fire regimes, and growing seasons: we know that 

climate in the future is going to be different than in the past. To get a sense of how different, and 

to begin planning for change, it’s essential to know the current status of the environment and past 

trends. Station science, particularly the Forest Inventory and Analysis program, provides data and 

analysis that inform many efforts to model likely future scenarios.

Different forest types will respond differently, which means that information must be tailored to be 

relevant to the management project at hand—whether it is a forest plan or project, or national policy. 

Jeffrey Sprovkin 

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 39
THE RIGHT SEED IN THE RIGHT PLACE FOR THE FUTURE

Seeing the need for a tool that could help 

managers, scientists, and policymakers plan for 

the effects of changing climates, Brad St. Clair, 

a research geneticist with the station, and his 

colleagues developed the Web-based Seedlot 

Selection Tool. Users can explore options for 

matching seedlots to planting sites based on 

current and predicted climatic information. The 

tool allows managers to explore alternative 

scenarios with alternative scenarios, including 

those that respond to concerns about climate 

change using assisted migration.

APPLICATION

The U.S. Forest Service and 

other agencies have begun 

using the Seedlot Selection 

Tool to explore options 

for appropriate seedlots 

for reforestation. For example, in Oregon, the tool 

was used to determine that available plant material 

on the Ochoco National Forest was appropriate 

to plant at a site following a burn on the Malheur 

National Forest. 

The tool has also been used by researchers 

and managers to explore adaptation of native 

populations and options for assisted migration at 

sites in the Pacific Northwest; the Northeast; Alaska; 

and Ontario, Canada. 

Partners: Canadian Forest Service, Conservation 

Biology Institute, Northern Forests Climate Hub, 

Northwest Climate Hub, Oregon State University, 

USDA Forest Service International Programs

How to get it: https://seedlotselectiontool.org/sst/

Connie Harrington Horning Seed Orchard, Oregon.

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 40
DOUGLAS-FIR IN THE FUTURE

How will changes in air temperature and precipitation affect the growth of Douglas-fir, a dominant 

species throughout much of the Pacific Northwest? 

Research forester David Bell and research ecologist 

Andrew Gray examined how the proportion of 

biomass accumulation differed in Douglas-fir across 

vegetation zones representing broad gradients in 

precipitation and temperature. 

Their findings suggest that wetter, warmer 

conditions will likely favor biomass accumulation 

in Douglas-fir. However, continued accumulation 

of forest biomass in drier regions may be 

more limited. A shifting climate that alters the 

geographic distribution of warm vs. cool and wet 

vs. dry landscapes could dramatically change 

Douglas-fir biomass dynamics and alter regional 

species dominance. 

Douglas-fir in western Oregon. Warmer, wetter 

conditions will likely favor Douglas-fir growth, 

while accumulation of Douglas-fir biomass in 

warmer, drier conditions may be more limited.

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 41
HOW DO DOUGLAS-FIR AND PONDEROSA PINE SEEDLINGS HANDLE HEAT STRESS? 

Temperature and the frequency and intensity of 

heat waves are predicted to increase throughout 

the 21st century. Germinant seedlings are expected 

to be particularly vulnerable to heat stress because 

they grow close to the soil surface where intense 

heating occurs in open habitats. 

DOUGLAS-FIR SEEDLINGS TOLERATE HEAT STRESS 

BETTER THAN PONDEROSA PINE

Fundamental research by a study team including 

station scientists Rick Meinzer and David Woodruff 

quantified how different populations of ponderosa 

pine and Douglas-fir seedlings respond to heat 

stress. They found that Douglas-fir was more heat 

tolerant than ponderosa pine, and heat tolerance 

did not differ among populations within species. 

They did find apparent genetic differences in wateruse efficiency within the species. These findings 

contribute to an essential knowledge base for seed 

orchard managers and others who are selecting 

seed sources for reforestation that will be adapted 

to future climates. 

Partners: Oregon State University, University of 

Wisconsin

For more information, click here.

Ponderosa pine seedlings. This study evaluated the 

response of different populations of ponderosa pine 

and Douglas-fir seedlings to heat stress. Seedlings can 

be particularly vulnerable to heat waves because they 

grow close to the soil surface where intense heating 

occurs in open habitats. 

Kelly Kerr

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 42
ASSESSING HOW FIRE, INSECTS, DISEASE, AND TIMBER HARVEST AFFECT ABOVEGROUND CARBON STORAGE 

Carbon sequestration is a vital ecosystem service. 

The ability of vegetation to absorb carbon dioxide 

from the atmosphere during photosynthesis 

and store the carbon in its tissue could be a key 

component of climate change mitigation efforts. 

But variation in climate, disturbance regimes, 

and forest management can affect the amount 

of carbon that is stored on the landscape. Fire, for 

example, releases the carbon stored in wood. 

DESPITE DISTURBANCES, PACIFIC NORTHWEST 

FORESTS WERE A NET CARBON SINK FROM 2006 

TO 2010

A team of scientists, including station scientist 

Andrew Gray, examined carbon sequestration, as 

measured by net ecosystem production, from 1986 

to 2010 on forest land across Oregon, Washington, 

Idaho, and western Montana. Overall disturbance 

rate on forest land across the four-state region was 

0.8 percent per year. 

• 49 percent was from timber harvests 

• 28 percent was from fire 

• 23 percent was from pests or pathogens

The team found that the four-state region was a 

net carbon sink from 2006 to 2010. Annual variation 

in climate, however, influences net ecosystem 

production and fire emissions; in relatively 

warm years, the region can become a carbon 

source. Within the study area, the Coast Range 

accumulated the most carbon. Areas with localized 

negative net ecosystem production were mostly 

associated with recent disturbances. Regional net 

ecosystem production varied from year to year, with 

notably low values across the region in 2003, which 

was also the warmest year in the interval. 

Partners: Oregon State University, USDA Forest 

Service Rocky Mountain Research Station

The distribution of net ecosystem production (mean for 2006–2010). Areas in red denote highest productivity and therefore 

sequestered the greatest amounts of atmospheric carbon.

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 43
ASSESSING CHANGE IN INTERIOR ALASKA’S SPRUCE FORESTS 

Boreal forests are critical carbon sinks in the global 

carbon cycle. However, recent studies have revealed 

increasing frequency and extent of wildfires, 

decreasing landscape greenness, increasing tree 

mortality, and declining growth of black and white 

spruce in boreal North America. To learn more 

about this, station scientists analyzed tree growth 

rings of black and white spruce in interior Alaska. 

After accounting for the effects of stand density and 

standard changes in ring width as trees become 

larger, their analysis revealed these findings: 

• A pronounced growth peak for black and white 

spruce centered near 1940. 

• Recent growth of black and white spruce in 

interior Alaska is near the historical mean. 

• Growth declined with increases in temperatures 

during the growing season but increased in 

years when August precipitation was higher. 

• Growth of both species might decline with 

future warming, if not mitigated by increasing 

precipitation. 

• Widespread drought-induced mortality is 

probably not imminent, given that recent 

growth was near the long-term mean.

Partners: University of Alaska Anchorage, USDA 

Forest Service Boreal Cooperative Research Unit

For more information, click here.

Eric Straley and Chad Ocrop collect forest 

inventory data from a black spruce stand 

in interior Alaska.

Ken Winterberger

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 44
MAPPING CURRENT SOIL MOISTURE NECESSARY TO PROJECT FUTURE CHANGES

Reduced snowfall and snowpack, earlier spring 

runoff, increased winter streamflow and flooding, 

and decreased summer streamflow are potential 

effects of climate change. These factors are closely 

linked to the water balance in Alaska’s coastal 

temperate rainforest. 

WORKING COASTAL FORESTS OF 

SOUTHEAST ALASKA

Improved measurement and modeling of water is 

required to develop predictive estimates for plant 

distributions, soil moisture, and snowpack, which 

all play important roles in ecosystem planning in 

the face of climate change. Station scientist Dave 

D’Amore and Scott Rupp, with the University of 

Alaska Fairbanks, used geographic information 

systems, field measurements, and spatial analysis 

techniques and tools to develop four products: 

seamless, spatially explicit datasets of elevation, 

flow accumulation, and topographic wetness index, 

and water table models for the watersheds in the 

southeast Alaska drainage basin and the Alaska 

coastal temperate rainforest. These tools advance 

the ability of researchers and land managers to 

apply spatially explicit values for soil moisture in 

research projects and land management planning.

Partner: University of Alaska Fairbanks

This information can be applied to a variety 

of land-use planning needs, watershed 

assessments, and terrestrial ecosystem 

mapping assessments.

Connie Harrington Southeast Alaska.

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 45
INNOVATION

USING LICHEN AS BIOINDICATORS OF 

CLIMATE CHANGE 

Lichens may respond more quickly to changing 

environmental conditions than trees. Monitoring 

changes in lichen communities is one way to 

anticipate how climate change will affect forests. 

Sarah Jovan, a lichenologist with the PNW 

Research Station, and colleagues explored several 

key questions that will facilitate use of lichens as 

indicators of changes in climate and how these 

changes might affect forest ecosystems in the 

western United States. 

• The researchers identified lichen indicator 

species and developed an index for associations 

between the lichen species and climate. 

• These lichen-based climate scores 

demonstrated clear relationships to 

temperature, moisture, and other factors over 

large areas and within specific regions. 

• The indicator species revealed affinities to 

high-latitude/coastal, continental/montane, 

and low-latitude/hot/dry habitats across Alaska, 

Washington, Oregon, and California.

These findings demonstrate that lichen indicator 

species and community climate scores are 

promising tools for meeting regional forest 

management objectives. 

Partners: Oregon State University, USDI National 

Park Service

For more information, click here.

The Bryoria lichen growing on tree the in foreground 

tends to be an indicator of cool montane climate 

zones; in the background, Mount Rainier, Washington. Robert J. Smith

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 46
TREE FORENSICS: COMBATTING ILLEGAL LOGGING WITH TECHNOLOGY

The link between crime forensics and the timber 

industry might not be obvious, but it’s crucial for 

detecting and stopping illegal logging.

Illegal logging is a significant concern within the 

United States and around the world. Globally, 

$10 billion to $15 billion is lost by businesses and 

governments to illegal logging activity. Illegal timber 

imports to the United States, one of the largest 

importers of timber and wood products in the world, 

is estimated to be $3 billion to $4 billion annually from 

2009 to 2013 according to Chatham House: the Royal 

Institute of International Affairs. This negatively affects 

the economies of timber-producing countries and the 

global timber industry as a whole. 

ILLEGAL LOGGING HAS ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND 

ECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES

But the costs of illegal logging go beyond economics. 

From forest destruction and decreased biodiversity 

to the loss of sustainable employment opportunities 

and conflicts over resource rights, illegal logging has 

far-reaching implications. 

Despite legislation that prohibits the import and sale 

of illegally logged timber in the United States, the 

practical implementation and enforcement of such 

laws is challenging. Currently, establishing a chain of 

custody from the production of raw timber materials 

to commercial sale is the main method of tracking 

legal logging activity. However, this is a difficult, 

time-consuming process that runs the risk of records 

falsification. Reliable tools are needed to rapidly test 

and identify illegally logged timber.

CHEMICAL FINGERPRINTS

Richard Cronn of the PNW Research Station, his 

colleagues at Oregon State University, and the U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service have developed such a tool 

through chemical testing of timber. Trees have unique 

chemical compositions, or chemical “fingerprints,” 

based on their provenance. Testing a tree’s chemical 

fingerprint can validate claims of geographic origin and 

inform officials on the legality of certain timber. Plus, 

the chemical screening takes only seconds to perform. 

Cronn and colleagues found their test to be accurate 

at determining the geographic origin of 75 percent of 

tested Douglas-firs, a commonly poached tree species 

in national forests and parks. Moving forward, they 

plan to combine the chemical fingerprinting method 

with specific genetic testing to identify illegally logged 

timber. Such tools are critical to enforcing prohibitions 

on illegal logging that protect the health of domestic 

and foreign forests.

For more information, click here.

THE COST OF ILLEGAL LOGGING

$10–15 billion: Global revenue lost to illegal 

logging 

$3–4 billion: Value of illegally logged timber 

imports to the United States

These illegal logs were seized, while in transit, and 

were impounded at district police offices, Riau, 

Sumatra, Indonesia.

Sofi Mardiah/CIFOR

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 47
Executive Team

P.O. Box 3890

Portland, OR 97208-3890

Station Director

Vacant

Phone: 503-808-2100

Assistant Director for Administration

Lesley A. Kelly

Phone: 503-808-2102 

E-mail: lakelly@fs.fed.us

Assistant Director for Communications and 

Applications

Cynthia L. Miner

Phone: 503-808-2135

E-mail: clminer@fs.fed.us

Assistant Director for Program Development

Katherine L. Smith

Phone: 503-808-2104

E-mail: klsmith@fs.fed.us

Assistant Director for Research

Vacant

Key Contacts at the Pacific Northwest Research Station

Programs and centers 

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 Street, 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

Sharon Stanton

Forestry Sciences Laboratory

620 SW Main St., Suite 400

Portland, OR 97205

Phone: 503-808-2019

email: sharonmstanton@fs.fed.us

Threat Characterization and Management

Matthew G. Rollins

Forestry Sciences Laboratory

1133 N Western Ave.

Wenatchee, WA 98801

Phone: 509-664-1726

E-mail: matthewgrollins@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

Northwest Climate Hub

Vacant

3200 SW Jefferson Way

Corvallis, OR 97331

Pacific Northwest Research Station 2017 Accomplishments Report 48
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Glacier Lake, Eagle Cap Wilderness, Oregon. U.S. Forest Service