With a new year comes a new harvest schedule for the OSU Research Forests, and we want to do our best to keep you up to date regarding upcoming harvests and associated road and trail closures.

2023 Virtual Harvest Tour!

The OSU Research Forests created a virtual tour of the upcoming 2023 McDonald-Dunn timber harvests. The purpose of these tours is to give you an opportunity to view our upcoming timber harvest units. Take a virtual tour (pdf) of our 2023 McDonald Dunn harvests! 

Staying informed

For a comprehensive look at active harvests and road closures, visit our Interactive Harvest Closures Web Map page. This map contains information about current and upcoming harvests on the McDonald and Dunn Forests. You will be able to check the status of the harvest, and which trails and roads are impacted.

You can also download and print this Harvest Schedule Table which includes a description and location of each harvest. 

Additional information about each harvest closure will be sent out via our Forest Update email list just before it starts to help you plan your visit. Signs will also be posted in relevant locations throughout the forest. 

Why we harvest timber

The revenue from timber harvests are used to manage OSU Research Forests and support College of Forestry student learning.

As the core source of funding for the OSU Research Forests, timber harvests

• provide revenue to the OSU Research Forests and the College of Forestry. This money keeps our programs running, including construction and maintenance of the trails and facilities that you enjoy. The rest funds the College of Forestry’s operations, including education, infrastructure, and student opportunities.
• provide opportunities for research; for foresters, civil engineers, wildlife specialists, ecologists, silviculturists, social scientists, and more.
• are a part of managing forest health. About half of our har-vests this year are tackling insect/drought problems in our for-ests. By coupling forest health with revenue production, we reduce costs and the number of harvests and closures on the forest.

Felling, Hauling, and Your Safety

Timber harvest hazards include falling limbs and trees and the use of heavy equipment, making it necessary to close these areas to the public. Forest closures will be actively enforced in cooperation with Benton County Sheriff’s Office. Harvest operations are extremely dangerous, so it is important that visitors respect posted forest closures for their safety and the safety of the crews.

To reduce travel time and resources, it is necessary for trucks to use some of the same popular forest roads and gates as people. Visitors should expect to encounter, and yield to, log and passenger trucks on forest roads.