Current research indicates that the expansion of
western juniper can inhibit soil water retention, storage
and prolonged releases from watersheds. This phenomenon
is of great importance in eastern Oregon, as western
juniper is encroaching into sagebrush/grass communities
with a correlated reduction in herbaceous ground cover,
resulting in reduced infiltration rates...
Despite many studies of large wood in streams, few landscape scale studies have been conducted. Large-scale studies can reveal how the history of forest harvest and road building has influenced wood patterns in streams of the Pacific Northwest. This study examined the relationships between wood in streams, timber harvest, and...
The effects of burial by tephra (volcanic aerial ejecta) on
forest understory plants were examined northeast of Mount St. Helens,
Washington, in the area where the 18 May 1980 eruption deposited
tephra but did not destroy canopy trees. At six sites along a tephra
depth gradient from 2-15 cm, understory...
As the western United States faces warmer and increasingly varied climate conditions, as well as predicted water insecurity, concerns over water quality and water availability are growing. While humans, fish, and wildlife are dependent on clean water for survival in the present, management of water resources needs to consider future...
With growing awareness of the negative impacts of the built environment, solutions for dramatic environmental, economic, and social improvements are sparking in all sectors, especially within the construction industry. The work of this thesis aims to quantify and compare social, economic, and environmental impacts of a three-story mass timber structure...
The Independent Multidisciplinary Science Team (IMST) was directed to evaluate the extent of predatory impacts of marine mammals and seabirds on salmonids and to recommend actions to mitigate impacts. IMST focused on the Oregon Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Action Plans because they provide the programmatic direction for the State...
Geomorphic response to watershed disturbances commonly results in
alterations of landforms. Subsequent geomorphic recovery is dependent on the ability
of flows to entrain, transport, and organize inorganic and organic material on hillslopes
and in channels. This research analyzed changes in sediment production, channel
structure, and channel organization following disturbances in...
Recent tsunami field surveys from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami have recorded numerous examples of tsunami-induced soil instability: significant scour around foundations, foundation failure of piles, and other damage caused by liquefaction. From the observations of soil instability leading to the failure of critical coastal structures, it...
This research focused on features of a genetically
isolated population of cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki)
in the Triangle Lake basin of coastal Oregon. A falls at
the outlet of Triangle Lake has blocked upstream migration
of trout and anadromous salmonids into the basin. Cutthroat
trout were found throughout the six...