Professor Matt Betts

I am a professor and Ruth Spaniol Chair in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University with a broad interest in how to conserve biodiversity in managed forest ecosystems worldwide. I continue to work in both temperate and tropical ecosystems on tradeoffs and synergies between wood production and biodiversity, as well as optimal landscape designs to minimize tradeoffs. I am the lead investigator for a National Science Foundation Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) site – the HJ Andrews Forest LTER, and am the director for a long-term experiment in Oregon focused on biodiversity and timber production in intensively managed forests. My background is in population and community ecology, and I also have B.Sc. and PhD degrees and direct experience in forest management. Current work focuses on patterns of international wood production and consumption and their current and potential impact on climate and biodiversity.