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OSU details statewide extension, forest research and virtual‑fencing work that aided wildfire response and ranch recovery
Summary
OSU described its statewide ‘statewides’ programs — extension, agricultural experiment stations and a Forest Research Laboratory — as critical to wildfire recovery, precision ranching research and community outreach. Testimony included a rancher’s account of using OSU extension expertise after the 2024 Cow Valley Fire.
Oregon State University’s statewide public‑service programs told the Ways and Means education subcommittee on May 1 that continuing state support is critical for wildfire response, applied research and community assistance across Oregon.
Tom DeLuca, dean of the College of Forestry and director of the Forest Research Laboratory (FRL), described three statewide program areas — extension service, agricultural experiment stations and FRL — and said OSU has presence in all 36 Oregon counties. He said FRL, established by the state legislature in 1941 and supported by state and federal appropriations, guides research on forest health, post‑wildfire assessment and water‑quality impacts tied to fire.
David (last name not specified in the transcript), director of the Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, described a multi‑state project testing virtual fencing technology for livestock management. He said GPS‑enabled collars communicate with reception towers to create virtual boundaries; animals receive auditory cues and a benign electrical stimulus if they cross the boundary. The technology has been used in projects in Wallowa County and at the Starkey Experimental Forest and Range to help create grazing‑based wildfire fuel breaks and to improve ranchers’ ability to locate livestock during evacuations.
Bill Moore, a Baker County landowner who said about 93% of his deeded land burned in the 2024 Cow Valley Fire (the larger fire burned about 50,000 acres), testified that OSU extension fire specialists, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and federal partners used satellite imagery and on‑the‑ground assessment to create a targeted rehabilitation plan. Moore said targeted seeding and weed control reduced the acreage needing active rehabilitation from thousands of acres to a few hundred, saving “huge” costs for his operation.
DeLuca also said the FNR Extension Fire Program maintains a team of six wildfire specialists who work with partner agencies including the Oregon Department of Forestry and the State Fire Marshal to promote preparedness, safe prescribed burning and community resilience.
The subcommittee did not take an appropriation vote at the hearing; OSU’s request for ongoing statewide funding will be considered within the HECC budget and SB 5525 deliberations.
