Ecosystem Workforce Program

Ecosystem Workforce Program

The Ecosystem Workforce Program (EWP) is an applied social and ecological science research program at the University of Oregon.

We partner with natural resource managers, policymakers, and other practitioners to provide original research, monitoring, and communication products that promote landscape and community resilience.

Project Themes

Stand of trees after thinning operation.
Monitoring and Assessment
Evaluates forest restoration or community resilience efforts over time through systematic long-term data collection
Monitoring and Assessment Projects
A group of firefighters wearing yellow shirts and green pants carry backpacks and drip torches at a prescribed burn in a ponderosa pine forest.
Wildland Fire Policy and Management
Analyzes how policy, governance structure, and organizational capacity shape wildland fire decision-making across jurisdictions and landscapes
Wildland Fire Policy and Management Projects
Staff and volunteers at Oakridge Air distribute air purifiers to the community.
Smoke and Air Quality
Evaluates policies, practices, and cross-boundary coordination and communication for wildland fire smoke management with land managers and public health
Learn About the Smoke Center
Forestry worker smiling and holding a chainsaw after cutting down a tree in the woods.
Wildfire and Restoration Workforce
Assesses challenges and opportunities in the ecological restoration and wildfire resiliency workforces
Wildfire and Restoration Workforce Projects
James Johnston explains how trees record fires in the annual growth rings James Johnston explains how trees record fires in the annual growth rings during a field trip to the Willamette National Forest.
Historical Forest Stewardship
Investigates how people historically managed landscapes to develop models for adapting forests to future change
Historical Forest Stewardship Projects
Logging truck driving down the road past a welcome sign for Myrtle Point, Oregon.
Social and Ecological Systems
Investigates how people and ecosystems interact across forested landscapes
Social and Ecological Systems Projects

News and Publications

Read more EWP News and Publications

Western Cascades forests historically saw more fire than previously thought
New research led by a University of Oregon ecologist James Johnston, suggests that fire was historically more frequent in the Douglas fir forests of the western Oregon Cascade Range than previously believed.
UO study finds Oregon Cascade forests burned more often than assumed, even in wet zones
A study out of the University of Oregon led by IROCE assistant research professor James Johnston, is challenging a common belief about wildfires in Oregon.
New research challenges the idea that Northwest wildfires are a modern problem
New research led by IROCE assistant research professor James Johnston, shows wildfires burned through Oregon forests far more often than previously believed. Tree-ring analysis suggests today’s wildfire seasons may reflect a long-term fire deficit rather than a new trend.

Sign Up for the EWP Newsletter

mountain and lake landscape

Student Experience

Students across UO work with EWP faculty to assist with EWP research, collaborative project coordination, document design and layout, and general office support.

We provide UO graduate and undergraduate students with experiential education through work study employment, paid and unpaid internships, independent study, and graduate employment (GE positions). These opportunities advance students' understanding and technical skills through participation in real projects. 

Students interested in working with EWP on research projects should first visit our current projects page to better understand our research topic areas.  

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Meet The Team

Heidi Huber-Stearns

Associate Research Professor
Director, EWP
she/her

Michael Coughlan

Associate Research Professor
Co-Director, EWP
he/him

James Johnston

Assistant Research Professor

he/him

Jess Downey

Faculty Researcher
they/them

Annabelle Law

Research Assistant
she/her

Kyle Trefny

Research Assistant
he/him

Stephanie Schneider

Research Assistant
she/her

Visit Us

130 Hendricks Hall
5247 University of Oregon
Eugene OR 97403

541-346-3481

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