In his webinar, Dr. Matthew Betts will present research on bird populations in forested landscapes. He will begin by discussing a 10-year study investigating how intensive forest management influences bird abundance in the Oregon Coast Range, then share findings from a long-term ecological research project that focuses on how old-growth forests impact microclimate and bird population trends. Dr. Betts will conclude with research on tropical hummingbird species, examining how landscape fragmentation affects their populations.

Dr. Betts completed his undergraduate degree and PhD in Environmental Management at the University of New Brunswick and conducted postdoctoral research at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where his research focused on population and molecular ecology. He is currently Professor and Ruth Spaniol Chair of Natural Resources Conservation in the Department of Forest Ecosystems & Society in the College of Forestry at Oregon State University (OSU). Here he has taught both undergraduates and graduates about forest biodiversity and management for 16 years.

Dr. Betts’s research focuses on plant and animal responses to forest management activities at local, regional, and global scales. He is lead investigator for the Oregon Intensive Forest Management project, lead scientist for the HJ Andrews Long-term Ecological Research Program, and director and founder of the OSU Forest Biodiversity Research Network. The author of more than 140 peer-reviewed publications, his work has been profiled in the New York Times, Washington Post, National Public Radio, CBC, National Geographic, and Scientific American.