In the Media...

Slowly, for the rest of this summer and maybe into next spring, a crew is circulating through Seattle, assessing city trees one plot at a time trying to answer a fundamental question: What is Seattle's urban forest worth? The study is being undertaken by U.S. Forest Service, University of Washington, Cascade Land Conservancy, King County and City of Seattle researchers. See "Study's goal: Finding out how much Seattle's trees are worth," featuring Research Scientist Kathy Wolf and alumni Lisa Ciecko,’09, and Ara Erickson ,’04.

Biofuels are increasingly popular, but also controversial. For the past two and a half years researchers at the UW have been working with local Native American tribes to develop locally produced bioenergy that makes sense for the Pacific Northwest. See University Week article, "UW, tribal partnership to develop Pacific Northwest bioenergy," which quotes or references SFR faculty Tom Hinckley, L. Monika Moskal and John Perez-Garcia; graduate students Laurel James and Steve Rigdon, 02; and Don Motanic, ’78 and Phil Rigdon, ‘96. Also see the "UW Discovery" video on the project.

May 18, 2010 marked the 30th anniversary of the eruption of Mount St. Helens and SFR scientists to this day use what's being learned there to challenge established thinking about how landscapes evolve and rebound. See coverage of the anniversary and current research by SFR faculty and alumni at “Lessons from Mount St. Helens being applied today, "Visitors gather to remember May 18,"  "Mount St. Helens still recovering 30 years later," "Eruption shaped modern ecological, forestry practices" and "Species by species, a habitat takes shape." The articles quote or reference the work of Professors Jerry Franklin and Tom Hinckley and alumni Peter Frenzen, ’80, and Mark Swanson, ’96, ’07.

Although reducing the amount of food waste you create in the first place is even better than composting, there are ways to make composting efficient. See "Ways that urbanites can turn their waste into compost," a Washington Post article referencing Research Associate ProfessorSally Brown.

A lifelong student of cottonwood, Emeritus Professor Reinhard Stetter has gotten to know its ways in every season. See Seattle Times article "Fluff is survival tactic for a tough species: cottonwood,” featuring Stettler’s research observations.  

The type of soils beneath yards all over the Puget Sound region are as tough as the glaciers that created them. See "UW researchers look for greener way to grow grass" for a Seattle Times article featuring soils research by Professor Rob Harrison.

Wildlife Science graduate student Jorge Tomasevic is featured in an exchange about Seattle woodpeckers in Ohio writer Robin Mullet's blog.  

A Crosscut article "UW's new Environment College: Just for the believers?" quotes alumna and newly appointed UW College of the Environment Dean Lisa Graumlich, ’85.

Urban dwellers: Watch where you step from May through late June, fledge season for crows when they help their babies learn to fly. They are in uber-protective mode and will strike if they see you as a threat. See "That crow attacking you isn't crazy—it's an anxious parent" featuring research by Professor John Marzluff.