8
In Other Words
July 21
2022
Diggin’ in the Dirt: Meet Our New County Extension Forester
By Chip Bubl
Oregon State University
Extension Service – Columbia County
The OSU Extension Office is fully reopened. The best way
to reach me directly is with the email below but calls are
always welcome.
Master Gardener™ class signups
being taken for 2022-23 class in St. Helens
The OSU Extension office in Columbia County will be
offering the Master Gardener™ training starting this fall at
the OSU Extension office in St. Helens. This year, we are
trying a new schedule that allows people that work to attend.
The classes will be held on alternate Saturdays from 9:00
am-noon starting on September 10 through Thanksgiving.
Then there will be a winter break. The classes will start
again in early February and go through the end of April.
Cost of the program is $100 which includes a large resource
book. Some scholarships are available. OSU Master Gar-
deners™ are responsible for providing volunteer gardening
education to the community as partial payback for the train-
ing. If you might be interested in the program, call the Ex-
tension office at 503-397-3462 for more details.
Meet Alex Gorman,
our new OSU/Columbia County Extension Forester
Alex Gorman started work in the Columbia County
office on June 30, 2022. His educational and research as-
signment covers three counties, Columbia, Washington, and
Yamhill counties but he is housed in our Extension office in
St. Helens. Those of you that have woodlands will find him
very knowledgeable. Here is a brief Alex Bio.
I grew up in Northern California, where I spent my
childhood among the wildland urban interface and the for-
ests of the Sierra Nevada. I received my Bachelor of Science
in Forestry from California State Polytechnic University,
Humboldt, where I focused on the interface between for-
est health and active forest management in Douglas-fir and
redwood forests.
After Cal Poly Humboldt, I worked for Green Diamond
Resource Company (GDRC), where my main role was to
manage crews as they carried out active forest management
practices in the form of vegetation management, burning,
and planting. Afterwards, I went to work for Foothill Ho-
rizons Outdoor School in the Central
Sierra Nevada.
I recently earned my Master of
Science degree from the University of
Minnesota – Twin Cities, in the Natural
Resources Science and Management
Program. My thesis research focused
on the role that eastern spruce dwarf
mistletoe plays in forest regeneration
and management of black spruce, as
well as the influence fungal root patho-
gens have on aboveground disturbance
agents. My thesis was part of a collab-
orative and multidisciplinary research
group looking at the intersection of for-
est biology, management, health, and socioeconomic out-
comes related to forest health phenomena.
I look forward to serving Columbia, Washington, and
Yamhill counties as the new Extension Forester. Please feel
free to contact me with any questions by email at alexander.
gorman@oregonstate.edu, or by phone at 209-565-9543 or
the office phone at 503-397-3462.
“Weediness” and forest, riparian, and home landscapes
What is a weed? A glib response is that it is a plant out
of place. But that doesn’t get close to what really makes
a weed, a weed. One person described weeds as having
an “innate disposition to GET into the wrong place” and,
I might add, multiply. Most of our weeds are not native.
Good examples in Columbia County include Scotch broom,
English Ivy, and Armenian (formerly Himalayan) blackber-
ry. Most of these plants aren’t seen as weeds in their native
landscape.
What unites them is that they are from landscapes and
climates similar to ours. In their place of origin, there are
living organisms including herbivores (mammals that eat
plants), diseases, insects, and competitive plants that keep
them in check where they came from. But those competi-
tors are largely absent here. We often look in their botani-
cal home to find insects and sometimes diseases that could
control the challenging weeds if they were to be introduced.
That is a good approach but not without some risk. A lot of
research has to be done before the introduction.
Our non-industrial forests are facing several serious
plants. The worst seems to be English
ivy which is spreading on a remorse-
less march to cover much of western
Oregon forests if not controlled. Other
species of concern include Herb Rob-
ert (it is a fungal disrupter) and English
holly.
One positive note is that persis-
tent control efforts targeted to weedy
shrubs and vines can bring back the na-
tive understory. I have seen it on north-
west Oregon English ivy “monocul-
ture” sites and read positive outcomes
in research reports from East coast ivy
management in deciduous forests. One conclusion is a bit
daunting, though. It took seven years of continuous ivy re-
moval to engender an understory that recovered enough and
then was resilient enough to hold its own against the invad-
ers. But there is hope.
Unfortunately, climate change may turn some native
plants into thugs of the first order. That may now be what
is going on in England with, surprise, surprise, English
ivy. There are roaring battles over the role that English ivy
should play there and when it needs to be controlled to save
other valuable native plant communities. Ironically, English
deer eat English ivy (our deer abhor it) but maybe they are
getting overwhelmed.
I welcome all weed questions from home, woodland,
and farm clientele. It is a significant part of my Extension
work in Columbia County.
Take excess produce to the food bank, senior centers, or
community meals programs. Cash donations to buy food
are also greatly appreciated.
The Extension Service offers its programs and materials
equally to all people.
Contact information for the Extension office
Oregon State University
Extension Service – Columbia County
505 N. Columbia River Highway
St. Helens, OR 97051
Phone: 503-397-3462
Email: chip.bubl@oregonstate.edu
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