The OSU Research and Demonstration Forests are a network of 10 actively managed forest tracts spanning 18,000 acres across Oregon. For more than a century, these forests have served as living laboratories — places where research, education, demonstration and recreation intersect. 

Stewarded by the College of Forestry, the forests demonstrate how active, science-based forest management can advance ecological health, sustainable wood production and the social values forests provide to communities. 

A variety of forest management strategies are used across the research forest network, including:

Reforestation

Through active forest management, the Research Forests plant between 50,000-100,000 seedlings each year. Species include: Red Alder, Douglas-fir, Western Red Cedar, White Pine and Ponderosa Pine. This species types are used for a variety of reasons including addressing root rot areas, demonstrating species trials as well as planting density trials.

Restoration

Jackson Meadow Project (2021-present):

In 2021, OSU’s College of Forestry began partnering with the Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE) to develop and implement an oak-prairie restoration project for Jackson Meadow. The 67-year-old Douglas-fir stand in the upland was scheduled for harvest in 2022 to release Oregon white oak trees for wildlife and aesthetics and reduce fuel loads along the forest boundaries. This created an opportunity to conduct a full-scale restoration of the site, including the remnant meadows adjacent to the harvested upland. IAE developed a restoration proposal that also included a research component to monitor changes in site condition over the project’s duration and contribute to a regional network restoration experiment.

• Jackson Meadow Restoration Project Information
• Jackson Meadow Quick Facts and Timeline

Vegetation Management

The Research Forests utilizes a number of different techniques to help control unwanted vegetation including invasive species. Fire, manual cutting, pulling, shade mats and chemicals are all used on the forests. Most of our vegetation control is done with the use of herbicides that are applied via helicopter as well as with a backpack sprayer. In higher recreational use areas, pulling weeds, burning, shade mats and backpack applications are preferred. In low recreational use areas, aerial herbicide applications are used to help control unwanted vegetation.

Pre-Thinning

The Research Forests utilizes a technique called pre-commercial thinning (PCT) on our steep slopes to help space out conifer regeneration. By spacing out our conifer regeneration, those trees are able to continue to put on diameter growth as well as height growth making them less susceptible to damage from wind, ice and other natural disasters.

PCT is done manually with a small crew using chainsaws to cut dead, dying, diseased and unwanted future crop trees within a stand. As this is primarily done on steep slopes, it is not economically feasible to remove the cut trees from the stand. The trees that are cut are left within the stand to naturally rot and provide nutrients back to the soil.

Harvest

Sustainable timber harvest is one of several management activities across the research forests — and it supports and enables all others. The OSU Research Forests are financially self-sustaining and receive no operating funds from the university, the college, the state or taxpayers. Revenue generated through timber harvest is fully reinvested into research, education, stewardship, infrastructure, restoration and recreation.

Forestry operates on decades-long timeframes. Harvest does not occur everywhere at once. Instead, small portions of different forests are managed at different times to maintain long-term forest health, support resilience and provide a consistent supply of sustainably grown wood products while limiting short-term impacts to recreation and access.

Across the network, harvest treatments are designed to:

• Reduce overcrowding and improve tree vigor
• Increase structural and species diversity across the landscape
• Restore native habitats, including oak, madrone and meadow systems where appropriate
• Sustain reliable wood production
• Support applied research and hands-on student learning
• Maintain safe, high-quality recreational access
• Protect and maintain cultural heritage sites present on the Research Forests

In 2026, harvest activity is planned on five of the 10 research forests — McDonald, Dunn, Matteson, Blodgett and Tualatin. These operations will impact approximately 311 acres of the 18,000-acre network, or about 1.7% of total forestland. 

Know before you go! Check out harvest closures and information via the Research Forest Interactive Harvest Web Map  and by signing up for our Forest Updates E-newsletter.