Active management underpins all aspects of the McDonaldDunn Forest, supporting learning through research, student investigation and real-world demonstrations for landowners and managers. Timber revenue, in turn, funds research and management staff, infrastructure, restoration and recreational access. 11 FOCUS - SPRING 2026 extensive outreach, including mailings, electronic newsletters and door-to-door conversations with nearby residents. “We did our best to be very diligent about notification because trust is so important. We informed neighbors of the process, safety procedures, why we burn and when, and offered a copy of the burn plan,” said Punches. “We even invited neighbors to watch.” The final burn was designed to produce just enough heat to reduce shrubs, weeds and small trees without damaging overstory species. The goal was to have a “Goldilocks fire” — carefully managed to improve wildlife habitat and increase forest diversity. While satisfied with the ultimate results, particularly in the oak habitat, Punches characterized the results as “dirty burns.” “When you return fire to areas that haven’t experienced fire for a while, or under damp conditions, the results can be patchy and scattered because of wet fuels and hard-to-ignite larger fuels,” Punches said. “Just like a fireplace, prescribed burns need ample fine, dry fuels to get larger fuels going.” For students, the burn provided lessons difficult to replicate in the classroom — from writing actionable burn plans and working as a coordinated fire team to navigating state and local approvals and communicating with neighbors about the ecological benefits of prescribed fire. The burn also serves as a strong example of how active management supports the research, teaching and outreach mission of the forest. The Woodpecker Harvest produced marketable timber while providing students with hands-on experience in harvest planning and execution. The treatment benefited the stands by releasing trees for continued health and resilience, and it created the conditions necessary to restore historical ecological communities, such as oak and madrone, which are now sparse across the forest. In addition, the prescribed burn expanded opportunities for education and future research by demonstrating how the reintroduction of fire can support landscape restoration, particularly in south-facing Douglas-fir stands that are increasingly vulnerable to drought and heat stress under a changing climate. “We have to change how we think about fire, and it starts with understanding that our region is shaped by it,” Punches said. “Instead of imagining Smokey Bear preventing all fire, I like to think that after a prescribed burn, he would happily point out the roasted acorns, new regeneration and productive huckleberry patches.” And on a fall morning last October in the McDonald-Dunn Research Forest, College of Forestry students put that perspective into practice — restoring a process long tied to land stewardship in the Willamette Valley and gaining experience that will shape how they manage forests in the decades ahead.
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