Harvest Efficiency and Carbon Residue Accounting in Oregon’s Managed Forests
Faculty mentor/Supervisor
Rene Zamora Cristales
Email Address
Department Affiliation
Forest Engineering Resources & Management
Project Location
Corvallis, Oregon
Project Description
The efficiency of forest harvest operations determines not only the economic return from Oregon’s managed forests but also the fluxes of forest carbon. A significant portion of standing tree volume does not enter product streams but remains on site as logging residue (tops, limbs, breakage, bark, undersized material). Some species are not utilized and are left in the landings too as part of the residue. Despite its importance, estimates of how much harvested biomass ends as forest products versus residue vary widely across regions, harvest methods, and market conditions. Many of the estimations are based on the standing commercial volume not taking into account non-merchantable species or noncommercial parts of the tree. This project addresses a central question: How much of the total harvested volume is left in the forest after logging, and what does that mean for carbon estimation in Oregon?
Describe the type of work and tasks you anticipate the student will perform
-Literature Review on Harvest Utilization Rates: The student will systematically review peer-reviewed articles, technical reports, and other relevant sources on harvest utilization rates in Oregon.
-Data Organization and Categorization: The student will organize the literature by geographic region, harvest method, species, site conditions, and other relevant variables identified by the mentor, ensuring the information is structured for analysis.
-Support in Typology Development: The student will assist the mentor in designing a typology to classify and aggregate results, facilitating clear synthesis of trends and patterns across studies.
-Engagement with Stakeholders: The student will participate in virtual meetings with industry professionals, government agencies, and NGOs to gain insight into current practices and to contextualize literature findings.
-Summary and Reporting: The student will prepare concise summaries of the collected information, highlighting key trends, gaps, and implications for harvest efficiency and carbon residue estimation.
-Data Organization and Categorization: The student will organize the literature by geographic region, harvest method, species, site conditions, and other relevant variables identified by the mentor, ensuring the information is structured for analysis.
-Support in Typology Development: The student will assist the mentor in designing a typology to classify and aggregate results, facilitating clear synthesis of trends and patterns across studies.
-Engagement with Stakeholders: The student will participate in virtual meetings with industry professionals, government agencies, and NGOs to gain insight into current practices and to contextualize literature findings.
-Summary and Reporting: The student will prepare concise summaries of the collected information, highlighting key trends, gaps, and implications for harvest efficiency and carbon residue estimation.
Please list special or preferred skills
Preferred skills: GIS experience and management of spatial data ArcGIS Pro and FIA plots from USFS.
Hourly rate of pay
$18/hr
Certification
Yes
What is the expected timeline of this project?
We expect to end start this project on October 15, 2025, and finalize it in May 2025. We expect the student to dedicate 10 hours per week to Data collection.
Are special skills or knowledge required to work on this project?
Yes
Will training be provided?
Yes
How many hours per week do you anticipate a student to work?
I anticipate the student can work up to 10 hours per week
How many hours per week do you anticipate engaging in direct mentorship?
I anticipate engaging in direct mentorship 2-3h depending on the progress and activities.
The plan assumes students will start on November 15 and work about 5 h/week in average although this may vary depending of each activity. I expect the student to contribute 100 hours approximately:
Orientation & project overview (Week 1, Nov 15): Introduce project goals, data sources, research questions, and expected outputs.
Data collection & literature review training (Weeks 2–4): perform systematic literature extraction, database creation, and tagging (e.g., harvest method, species, terrain, residue fraction).
Data management & quality control (Ongoing) Hands-on experience cleaning, validating, and documenting datasets (ODF, FIA Plots, published studies).
Typology, aggregation and identification of gaps (Weeks 4–12): Learn basic statistical analysis, support the elaboration of a typology or framework to aggregate data, identify trends and factors affecting harvest efficiency and residue.
Results synthesis & reporting (Weeks 10–16): Assist in creating baseline tables, figures, and preliminary summaries of product vs. residue estimates.
Modeling / optimization(Weeks 12–16): Observe and assist with initial optimization scenarios linking harvest recovery to carbon retention.
Professional development & communication (Last week): Prepare poster and presentations; gain skills in research communication and collaboration.
Orientation & project overview (Week 1, Nov 15): Introduce project goals, data sources, research questions, and expected outputs.
Data collection & literature review training (Weeks 2–4): perform systematic literature extraction, database creation, and tagging (e.g., harvest method, species, terrain, residue fraction).
Data management & quality control (Ongoing) Hands-on experience cleaning, validating, and documenting datasets (ODF, FIA Plots, published studies).
Typology, aggregation and identification of gaps (Weeks 4–12): Learn basic statistical analysis, support the elaboration of a typology or framework to aggregate data, identify trends and factors affecting harvest efficiency and residue.
Results synthesis & reporting (Weeks 10–16): Assist in creating baseline tables, figures, and preliminary summaries of product vs. residue estimates.
Modeling / optimization(Weeks 12–16): Observe and assist with initial optimization scenarios linking harvest recovery to carbon retention.
Professional development & communication (Last week): Prepare poster and presentations; gain skills in research communication and collaboration.