Interviewer: Gary Blanchard
Interview Date: June 5, 2008
Location: Newton property near Eddyville, Oregon
Duration: 0:39:24
This interview features Mike Newton discussing various aspects of forestry management, reforestation, and vegetation control. At the start of the interview, Newton introduces himself as a retired professor from Oregon State University with a background in forestry. He reflects on his upbringing in Vermont and his early connection to forests, which he says eventually led him to OSU. He notes that his first summer job in 1958 was with Bruce Starker, a significant mentor in his forestry journey.
Newton then discusses his family’s background in forestry, and explains a mechanism he adopted to preserve his family forest's value over time without overburdening the next generation with taxes. Next, Newton and Blanchard discuss the importance of managing vegetation to facilitate tree growth and reforestation. They share experiences of combating invasive species like Scotch broom and controlling vegetation to support tree development. The conversation also touches on the challenges and benefits of managing wildlife within forested areas. In this, Newton and Blanchard emphasize the importance of balancing forest growth with the needs of wildlife populations, along with seedling size.
From there, the conversation shifts to Berquist Bench, an area where reforestation and rehabilitation techniques were implemented. Newton discusses aerial spraying, clear-cutting, and species selection in the context of transforming a brush-covered area into a productive Douglas fir stand. The interview concludes with Newton underscoring the importance of forest management for future generations, and arguing that forest management has important economic, environmental, and scenic benefits.
Mike Newton (1932-2022) was an Oregon State alum - having completed a master's degree in Forestry in 1959 and a Ph.D. in Botany in 1964 - and also an emeritus member of the OSU Forestry faculty. Over a forty-year career at Oregon State, Newton conducted influential research on weed control in forested settings, work that took him to Vietnam in the early 1970s to investigate the biological impact of Agent Orange. A highly productive scholar, Newton also led long-term studies focusing on competition between tree and plant species in areas of differing rainfall and soil type; tree growth in cold weather climates; and the cultivation of mature forests through managed thinning and harvesting.
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Newton then discusses his family’s background in forestry, and explains a mechanism he adopted to preserve his family forest's value over time without overburdening the next generation with taxes. Next, Newton and Blanchard discuss the importance of managing vegetation to facilitate tree growth and reforestation. They share experiences of combating invasive species like Scotch broom and controlling vegetation to support tree development. The conversation also touches on the challenges and benefits of managing wildlife within forested areas. In this, Newton and Blanchard emphasize the importance of balancing forest growth with the needs of wildlife populations, along with seedling size.
From there, the conversation shifts to Berquist Bench, an area where reforestation and rehabilitation techniques were implemented. Newton discusses aerial spraying, clear-cutting, and species selection in the context of transforming a brush-covered area into a productive Douglas fir stand. The interview concludes with Newton underscoring the importance of forest management for future generations, and arguing that forest management has important economic, environmental, and scenic benefits.
Mike Newton (1932-2022) was an Oregon State alum - having completed a master's degree in Forestry in 1959 and a Ph.D. in Botany in 1964 - and also an emeritus member of the OSU Forestry faculty. Over a forty-year career at Oregon State, Newton conducted influential research on weed control in forested settings, work that took him to Vietnam in the early 1970s to investigate the biological impact of Agent Orange. A highly productive scholar, Newton also led long-term studies focusing on competition between tree and plant species in areas of differing rainfall and soil type; tree growth in cold weather climates; and the cultivation of mature forests through managed thinning and harvesting.