Segundo Coloquio de Silvicultura en Bosques Nativos — Establishing OSU as a Cooperating Partner

The goal of this project was to establish Oregon State University as a cooperating partner contributing to addressing regional forestry challenges in temperate forests of South America. Led by Dr. Klaus Puettmann, a professor of forest, wildlife, and landscape ecology at the college, and Ph.D. student Daniel Soto, OSU established a close relationship with Chilean partners to develop and implement a research agenda to increase our understanding about restoration and management of native forests and to integrate native forests in a broader, more diverse, and sustainable forest sector.

A paper was recently published in the Journal of Forestry by Dr. Christian Salas et al. presenting an overview of the forest sector of Chile focused on forest resources, silviculture, economy, social and environmental aspects, and forestry education and research. Co-authors include Daniel Soto, a Ph.D Student in Forest Ecosystems and Society from Oregon State University. 

Partners:

• Klaus Puettmann, Professor, Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University
• Pablo Donoso, Professor, Forest Sciences and Natural Resources, Universidad Austral de Chile
• Alvaro Promis, Associate Professor, Silviculture and Nature Conservation, Universidad de Chile
• Daniel Soto, Ph.D Student, Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University

 

Using Acoustic Sensors and Mobile Terrestrial LiDAR for Market-Driven Harvest Planning and Forest Management

LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is well suited to quantify wood volume and wood quality at tree- and stand- levels. Led by Dr. Temesgen Hailemariam, professor in forest biometrics and measurements, the project partnered with Chilean counterparts to evaluate the use of acoustic measurements and mobile terrestrial LiDAR to provide reliable estimates of wood volume and wood quality; examine a combination of model-assisted and non-parametric methods to quantify wood volume and wood quality under varying stand density and structure; and determine how variables-derived from acoustic sensors and mobile terrestrial LiDAR could be integrated with traditional forest inventory techniques to predict wood volume and wood quality.

Partners:

• Temesgen Hailemariam, Professor in Forest Biometrics & Measurements, Forest Engineering, Resources and Management, Oregon State University
• Sean Gerber, Olympic Resource Management, Poulsbo, Washington
• Jean Pierre Lasserre, Head of Silviculture Research and Development, Forestal Mininco S.A., Concepcion, Chile
• Guillermo Trincado, Director of the Institute of Forests and Society, Forest Sciences and Natural Resources, Universidad Austral de Chile

 

Geologic and Topographic Control on Mean Transit Time of Water in the Coastal Range of Chile

Led by Dr. Catalina Segura, assistant professor of forest watershed management at OSU, this two-year project investigated the relationship between mean transit time, geology, and hydrologic connectivity in a set of catchments in Chile with contrasting rock characteristics over a wide range of drainage areas. The project enhanced our understating of the controlling factors of water movement, and its potential relation to water quality and hydrologic response to timber harvesting.

Partners:

• Catalina Segura, Assistant Professor, Forest Engineering, Resources and Management, Oregon State University
• Andres Iroumé, Dean, Department of Forest Sciences and Natural Resources, Universidad Austral de Chile
• Julia Jones, Professor and Director, Ecosystem Informatics IGERTFES, Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University
• Jeffrey McDonnell, Professor, School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, and Forest Engineering, Resources and Management, Oregon State University

 

OSU, University of Bío Bío, and National Science Foundation (OSU-UBB-NSF) Collaborative Education and Research

Led by Dr. Fred Kamke, professor of composite materials at OSU, this program focused on providing international opportunities for students, and included undergraduate internships and graduate student assistantships at OSU for Chilean students from UBB. While at OSU, students engaged with the Wood-Based Composite Center, an NSF funded project aimed at advancing the science and technology of wood-based composite materials.

This partnership resulted in eight students coming to OSU as interns, several of whom became degree-seeking graduate students. The project is continuing, now funded by Oxyquim, a Chilean industrial chemical producer that serves the forestry industry. The internship program is managed by the CoF Wood Based Composites Center.

Partners:

• Fred Kamke, Professor and JELD-WEN Chair of Wood-based Composites Science, Wood Science and Engineering, Oregon State University
• Maureen Trebilcock K., Director of Institutional Relations, Universidad del Bío Bío, Chile
• Bruno Gorrini, Panels Group Manager, Bioforests S.A., Chile
• Vincente Gambaro, R&D Manager, Oxiquim S.A., Chile

 

Ecosystems in the Sky: Dynamic Processes of Old-Growth Tree Canopies in Chile and the Pacific Northwest

The project sought to conduct parallel research investigations into the forest canopies of old-growth Chilean Alerce trees and western red cedars native to the Pacific Northwest. Led by Dr. Chris Still, associate professor of forest, wildlife, and landscape ecology, and Dr. Dave Shaw, associate professor and extension forest health specialist, the project used the similarities in Alerce and western red cedar canopies to understand the health of forest ecosystems. Results benefited timber management practices and the rural communities that live in and around native forests in the U.S. and Chile.

This research collaboration gave rise to the CoF Faculty Led Program Mountains to the Sea: Ecosystems of Chile, now in its fifth iteration. A paper was published utilizing the data gathered by the team: Sibley, A., Schulze, M., Jones, J., Kennedy, A., & Still, C. (2022). Canopy wetting patterns and the determinants of dry season dewfall in an old growth Douglas-fir canopy. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 323, 109069.

Partners:

• Christopher Still, Assistant Professor, Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University
• Dave Shaw, Associate Professor and Extension Forest Health Specialist, Forest Engineering, Resources and Management, Oregon State University
• Steve Perakis, Assistant Professor, USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University
• Camila Tejo, Postdoctoral Scholar, Universidad Austral de Chile
• Juan J. Armesto, Professor, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
• Cecilia A. Pérez Barrientos, Research Associate, Universidad de Chile

 

Vulnerabilities to Climate Change of Forest Plantation Species and Their Bi-Continental Competing Vegetation: Research Planning Phase

Led by Dr. Carlos Gonzalez-Benecke, assistant professor and the director of the Vegetation Management Research Cooperative at OSU, and Dr. Barbara Lachenbruch, professor of ecophysiology at OSU, this research project aimed to contribute to the development of a process-based forest modeling system that accounted for the effects of climate change. Such a modeling system could be used to increase the efficiency of early growth silviculture by determining which weedy competitors require more and less intensive management. The results should aid silviculture management decisions in years to come as Pacific Northwest and Chilean climates are expected to see drier weather with more sporadic rainfall.

Project Outcomes:

WORKSHOP - Training Course in 3-PG Forest Growth Model. July 18-19, 2017; Santiago, Chile.

PAPER - C.A. Gonzalez-Benecke, M.P. Fernandez, T.J. Albaugh, R. Ahumada, H.E. Bown, J. Gayoso, V. Gerding, O.B. Mardones, A.R. Rodriguez, and R. Rubilar. 2021. Local and general above-stump volume and biomass functions for Pinus radiata, Eucalyptus globulus and Eucalyptus nitens. Biomass and Bioenergy. 155. doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2021.106280.

PRESENTATIONS

• H. E. Bown and C.A. Gonzalez-Benecke. 2017. Agua y Plantaciones Forestales: Reflexiones a Nivel de Hojas, Rodales y Cuenca. Seminario de Plantaciones Forestales en el Nuevo Ciclo de Desarrollo Forestal, August 30-31, Concepción, Chile. Invited.
  C.A. Gonzalez-Benecke, M.P. Fernandez, H.E. Bown and O. Mardones. 2018. Leaf area index threshold for obtaining an expected water yield from plantations: a new silvicultural decision variable? IUFRO Conference, New Frontiers in Forecasting Forest, September 25-29, Stellenbosch, South Africa. Volunteered.
• C.A. Gonzalez-Benecke, H.E. Bown, M.P. Fernandez and O. Mardones. 2018. Using leaf area index as a decision variable for optimizing water yield on Pinus radiata plantations in Chile. Joint Conference on Forests and Water, November 5-9, Valdivia, Chile. Volunteered.
• C.A. Gonzalez-Benecke. 2018. Conectando ecofisiología y monitoreo para evaluar la productividad de bosques. Center for Ecosystem Modelling and Monitoring (CEM) at the Universidad Mayor, November 9, Santiago, Chile. Invited.
• H.E. Bown, M.P. Fernandez and C.A. Gonzalez-Benecke. 2019. Water exchange at the leaf, stand and landscape level: Should water-yield be explicitly considered in forest management planning? 18th Symposium on Systems Analysis in Forest Resources (SSAFR), March 3 - 7, 2019, Puerto Varas, Chile. Volunteered.
• C.A. Gonzalez-Benecke, M.P. Fernandez, H.E. Bown and O. Mardones. 2019. Determining Leaf Area Index threshold for obtaining an expected water yield for Pinus radiata plantations. 25th IUFRO World Congress, September 29 - October 5, Curitiba, Brazil. Volunteered.