Welcome to the Intensive Management Trail. This is a 1.2-mile trail leaving from Peavy Arboretum. It was built to allow forest visitors an opportunity to observe some of the many forest practices that have been developed by Oregon State University forest managers to improve forest health, provide sustainable harvests, and increase biodiversity. Print the trail brochure, available at the above link, and use it as your guide. You will pass through at least 13 different managed plots and encounter examples of pruning, thinning, different spacing options, and the sustainable practice of agroforestry which combines agricultural practices and forestry.

The forest stands you will encounter were planted in the 1960’s and 1970’s with seedlings of Douglas-fir from around the Pacific Northwest with the intent of watching how each different strain would grow in this area under common conditions. In 1988, OSU’s forest scientists saw the plots as an opportunity to observe the effects of different forest practices on the growth and health of the stands. After 30 to 40 years of growth, effects of some of those practices can now be seen as you hike the Intensive Management Trail. Look for numbered posts along the way that correlate to the stops noted in the brochure, so you can learn about the different areas as you go.