| Criterion 6 Indicator 39 |
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| Rationale |
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Level of expenditure on forest-related research and development, and education.
Oregon’s forests are a major contributor to the state’s economy. They hold a reservoir of biodiversity and provide diverse recreational and spiritual opportunities for people. A better understanding of forest ecosystems, human-forest interactions, and development of environmentally and economically sustainable forest practices are essential to meet the increasing demands of a growing population and manage forests sustainably at the same time. This indicator evaluates the level of spending on forest-related research and education, as one measure of the level of interest in maintaining sustainable forests.
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| Can This Indicator Be Quantified |
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The following table shows recent expenditures on forest-related research and forestry education in Oregon.
Table 39-1. Recent expenditures on forest-related research and forestry education in Oregon
| Year |
OSU-FRL State Appropriation |
OSU-FRL Harvest Tax |
OSU-FRL Federal Appropriation |
OSU-CoF Instruction |
USFS Region 6 Oregon Research Labs |
| 1994 |
$1,841,000 |
$1,830,000 |
$699,000 |
$1,556,000 |
$16,233,000 |
| 1995 |
$1,859,000 |
$1,525,000 |
$697,000 |
$1,558,000 |
$15,865,000 |
| 1996 |
$1,787,000 |
$1,858,000 |
$684,000 |
$1,521,000 |
$16,082,000 |
| 1997 |
$1,870,000 |
$1,886,000 |
$680,000 |
$1,699.00 |
$16,111,000 |
| 1998 |
$1,950,000 |
$1,780,000 |
$681,000 |
$2,045,000 |
$16,421,325 |
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Sources: State and federal appropriations for Oregon State University Forestry Research Lab (OSU-FRL) and instruction at the College of Forestry (OSU-CoF) were obtained directly from the College of Forestry at OSU. Research lab expenditures at U.S. Forest Service research facilities in Oregon were obtained from the U.S. Forest Service Pacific
Northwest Region office.
It is difficult to categorize research and instruction dollars into meaningful categories (e.g., production-oriented and environmentally oriented) without having very detailed data on each and every project. The next table shows approximately how the Oregon State University College of Forestry has divided its expenditures among its various departments in the past. It is not possible to identify how much was spent in the two categories, production-oriented and environmentally oriented, since each department has widely varying projects.
Table 39-2. Division of expenditures among departments in OSU College of Forestry
| Forest Resource/Management |
40% |
22% |
| Forest Products |
21% |
25% |
| Forest Engineering |
21% |
12% |
| Forest Science |
18% |
41% |
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The U.S. Forest Service was able to provide a detailed characterization of its research expenditures, as shown in the next table. However, even this level of detail does not indicate the amount spent on learning more about forest ecosystems, and the amount spent on improving the production of timber and other wood products.
Table 39-3. U.S. Forest Service research expenditures in Oregon, by thousands of dollars
| Research Project Category |
1994 |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
| Resource Mgmt and Productivity |
$1,359 |
$3,334 |
$2,528 |
$1,211 |
$1,805 |
$1,719 |
$1,981 |
| Ecological Framework for Mgmt |
$862 |
$1,238 |
$1,256 |
$ - |
$ - |
$ - |
$ - |
| Aquatic/Land Interactions |
$735 |
$899 |
$1,734 |
$933 |
$1,337 |
$1,574 |
$1,833 |
| Ecosystem Processes |
$3,632 |
$2,805 |
$3,084 |
$2,327 |
$3,341 |
$3,533 |
$4,228 |
| Global Environmental Protection |
$1,045 |
$629 |
$603 |
$ - |
$ - |
$ - |
$ - |
| Protection of Forest Health and Productivity |
$2,061 |
$2,006 |
$1,938 |
$ - |
$ - |
$ - |
$ - |
| Managing Natural Disturbance Regimes |
$ - |
$ - |
$ - |
$3,576 |
$3,568 |
$3,568 |
$3,668 |
| Production of Goods and Services |
$2,393 |
$ - |
$ - |
$ - |
$ - |
$ - |
$ - |
| Social and Economic Values |
$1,255 |
$1,892 |
$2,022 |
$1,783 |
$1,848 |
$2,304 |
$2,247 |
| Pacific Resource Inventory, Monitoring, etc |
$2,081 |
$2,847 |
$2,721 |
$1,982 |
$2,102 |
$2,602 |
$2,952 |
| People and Natural Resources |
$10 |
$126 |
$ - |
$247 |
$543 |
$637 |
$623 |
| Miscellaneous/ Not categorized |
$800 |
$89 |
$196 |
$4,052 |
$1,877 |
$1,388 |
$850 |
| TOTAL |
$16,233 |
$15,865 |
$16,082 |
$16,111 |
$16,421 |
$17,325 |
$18,382 |
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Table 39-4. U.S. Forest Service research expenditures in Oregon, by general project categories, in thousands of dollars
| General Categories within Projects |
1994 |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
| Vegetation Mgmt and Protection |
$9,097 |
$8,654 |
$8,841 |
$9,037 |
$9,424 |
$9,055 |
$8,713 |
| Wildlife, Fish, Water, and Air Sciences |
$3,704 |
$3,292 |
$3,246 |
$3,209 |
$2,479 |
$2,521 |
$3,409 |
| Resource Valuation and Use |
$1,351 |
$1,984 |
$1,924 |
$1,842 |
$2,093 |
$2,824 |
$2,755 |
| Inventory and Monitoring |
$2,081 |
$1,935 |
$2,071 |
$2,023 |
$2,425 |
$2,925 |
$3,505 |
| TOTAL |
$16,233 |
$15,865 |
$16,082 |
$16,111 |
$16,421 |
$17,325 |
$18,382 |
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| Trends |
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There has been a steady increase in funding for research and instruction at the Oregon State University Forestry Research Laboratory and the College of Forestry until the 1990s, as shown in Figure 39-1. At the College of Forestry, funding increased for instruction in 1996-97 and again in 1997-98 due to money appropriated by the state to match endowments established during those years. Except for instruction, funding has leveled off since 1990.
Figure 39-1. OSU forestry research and education expenditures, in thousands of dollars
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As the figure below shows, the U.S. Forest Service has received a relatively constant amount of funding for research in Oregon during the 1990s, until very recently. Research funding increased significantly in 1999, and is forecast to increase again in the year 2000.
Figure 39-2. U.S. Forest Service research expenditures in Oregon, in thousands of dollars
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| Data Source and Availability |
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Data was available directly from Oregon State University and the U.S. Forest Service, on funding for research and instruction. For the U.S. Forest Service, there is some historical data on funding before the 1990s, but this information may be more difficult to access.
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| Reliability of Data |
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The available data is reliable but may not have enough detail to categorize research spending into consistent categories. The best use of the data may be as an indicator of general trends in research spending as a whole.
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| Scale |
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Data is available by institution and is not specifically tied to geographical areas.
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| Recommended Action for Data Collection |
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None.
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| Definitions |
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None.
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| Selected References |
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None.
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