Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 23/08/2026Finding the Mother Bird: we used long-term data and dynamic models to show that many species interactions are positive (attraction) in a forest bird community. nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... 072
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 03/04/2026Useful synthesis effort led by Anderson Bueno focused on differences between true islands and forest “islands” in a terrestrial mosaic. Matrix matters! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...pnas.orgPNASProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans... 011
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 25/02/2026Excited about a new paper led by @gcerullo.bsky.social showing that edge effects on marbled murrelets amplify under poor ocean conditions. The management implication is to reduce edge amount by spatially concentrating logging: besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.comSpatially concentrating logging could mitigate climate‐magnified fragmentation risks to a globally endangered birdWe map key opportunities to boost populations of marbled murrelets by reducing edginess around remaining nesting habitat, and investigate these opportunities' spatial distribution across land ownersh... 163
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 15/02/2026Very grateful for a productive week in Frascati with the @ipbes.net Monitoring Assessment group. 051
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 22/10/2025Some solid Forest Landscape Lab time at our research site in the Oregon Cascades! Lucky to have all of these brilliant folks in our group. 0221
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 01/10/2025Long-term data result in more reliable species distribution models. Perhaps expected, but nice to see it quantified formally! Thanks @nico-anselmetto.bsky.social for leading this effort at the HJ Andrews LTER. @uslter.bsky.social 🧪 besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.comLeveraging long‐term data to improve biodiversity monitoring with species distribution modelsTo our knowledge, this is the first empirical study to demonstrate the benefits of long-term dynamic SDMs with spatially matched predictor variables. If predicting the future of biodiversity under la... 0104
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 23/09/2025Nice article by @jimrobbins.bsky.social in @nytimes.com on one of my favorites - marbled murrelet - and its potential fate given changes to our forests, oceans and the US Endangered Species Act. @coforegonstate.bsky.social 🧪nytimes.comA Tiny Seabird Faces Growing Threats in the Forest 0269
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 18/09/2025Thanks to @natecoevo.nature.com for publishing this short essay on our Costa Rica hummingbird/heliconia work! 1113
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 17/09/2025Old-growth Douglas-fir / western hemlock forest, Pyramids, Oregon 0415
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 03/09/2025Science is rarely a linear path from hypotheses to published papers. Here, I tell the story of our many ups and downs during the discovery of pollinator recognition. Hope you enjoy it! www.nature.com/articles/s41... 1132
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 10/08/2025Another excellent article by @lyndamapes @seattletimes-rss.bsky.social, this one focused on one of my favorite species - Swainson’s Thrush. So nice to see the HJ Andrews @uslter.bsky.social linked to wintering grounds in Costa Rica. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news... 1103
Reposted by Matt BettsLong Term Ecological Research Network (United States) @uslter.bsky.social · 10/07/2025Always a pleasure to see others recognize the value of our network. "[The LTER Network] has enabled scientists to get answers that have led to key policy decisions, from amending the Clean Air Act to prevent acid rain to preserving old-growth forests." Lynda Mapes for the @seattletimes.comseattletimes.comTrump wants to cut research centers like the one in this PNW forestCongress will take up Trump's proposed budget cuts, which target 26 long-term ecological research centers like the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest in Oregon. 0115
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 10/07/2025Great to see this @seattletimes-rss.bsky.social by Lynda Mapes on post-fire "reorganization" at the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest and LTER! @uslter.bsky.social 054
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 10/07/2025Today’s @seattletimes-rss.bsky.social features an excellent article by Lynda Mapes on how our research forest HJ Andrews Experimental Forest @uslter has changed following fire www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...seattletimes.comA fire charred this research forest. What happened next dazzledThe 2023 Lookout Fire burned most of a forest in Oregon. What's unfolding in the aftermath could inform the future of other forests burned as wildfire becomes fiercer and more frequent. 031
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 26/06/2025Collecting bioacoustics data but terrified of the time required to train auto-ID models? A solution from @mattweldy.bsky.social out today in @methodsinecoevol.bsky.social in the form of transfer learning which minimizes the need for training data. besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.... 162
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 25/06/2025Fledgling black-backed woodpecker @ the HJ Andrews LTER yesterday. Fascinating to see this long-studied ecosystem reorganizing after the 2023 Lookout Fire. 0102
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 25/06/2025Clearcutting doesn't mimic fire when it comes to biodiversity conservation - in the early stages of forest development at least. Congrats to Graham Frank on the publication of his PhD chapter! esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... 1187
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 27/05/2025For what it's worth, I largely owe my career to NSF. Happy 75th! www.science.org/content/arti...science.orgIs a photo subversive? NSF staff overcome obstacles to 75th anniversary portraitManagement tried to quash outpouring of support for beleaguered agency 050
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 16/05/2025Some well articulated arguments for science funding here: theconversation.com/unprecedente...theconversation.comUnprecedented cuts to the National Science Foundation endanger research that improves economic growth, national security and your lifeThe Trump administration has terminated hundreds of federal grants that support engineering, biology, geology, computer science, STEM education and much more. 030
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 02/05/2025This article came out officially yesterday focused on supporting federal science to inform forest management: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Thanks to @gcerullo.bsky.social for his efforts on this.science.orgBenefits of onshoring forestry rely on science 0208
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 17/04/2025Here’s our attempt to emphasize the importance of maintaining strong federal research capacity in the face of new executive orders to increase timber production in the US: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...science.orgBenefits of onshoring forestry rely on scienceUS Executive Orders to reduce wood imports (1) and ramp up domestic production (2) signal a transformation in forest policy. Portrayed as addressing supply chain and national security concerns, these ... 1103
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 18/03/2025Defunding the research agency that uncovered forever chemicals, measures impacts of air particulate on human health, researches playground safety…what could go wrong? www.nytimes.com/2025/03/17/c...nytimes.comTrump Administration Aims to Eliminate E.P.A.’s Scientific Research ArmMore than 1,000 chemists, biologists and other scientists could be laid off under a plan to dismantle the Office of Research and Development. 0183
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 08/03/2025Some scenes from the Corvallis stand up for science protest today. So nice to see this much positivity out there. 0245
Reposted by Matt BettsDavid Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 03/03/2025Today, a broad coalition of scientific professional societies who represent over 92,000 scientists are speaking out against the politicization and demonization of Federally funded science and government scientist jobs. It was an honor to help the Union of Concerned Scientists with this! 🧪🌎ucsusa.org48 Scientific Societies Representing Almost 100,000 Scientists Ask Congress to Protect the Future of Science48 scientific societies representing almost 100,000 scientists signed on to a letter asking Congress to protect the future of science 6733021421
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 28/02/2025Beautiful piece given to me after my talk @uoftmississauga.bsky.social. Drawn by Mark Nadijiwan of the Anishnabek, to show the turtle as a communicator of wisdom to humans. 0140
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 23/02/2025Don't look up! www.theguardian.com/environment/...theguardian.comOutcry as Trump withdraws support for research that mentions ‘climate’US government stripping funds from domestic and overseas research amid warnings for health and public safety 0194
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 20/02/2025I've always been quite impressed with the US for its investments in science, and use of science in (some) decision making. That era seems to be coming to an end, unless we can do all that we can to stop it. So sorry for my friends and colleagues at NSF: www.politico.com/news/2025/02...politico.com‘You screwed people’: Inside the National Science Foundation’s firing of 168 workersAt an emotional meeting, foundation officials announced layoffs for about 10 percent of their workforce and warned of more firings to come. 2273
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 14/02/2025A reminder to stop doom scrolling for a bit, listen to Mozart piano concerto 20 in D minor, then call your representatives. 061
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 05/02/2025And now for something completely different: baby Malayan tapir. 0151
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 04/02/2025We’re on the edge of our seats about HJ Andrews Forest @uslter.bsky.social careers and the future of our 45 years of data. Unfortunate times: www.nature.com/articles/d41...nature.comExclusive: how NSF is scouring research grants for violations of Trump’s ordersThe US National Science Foundation has unfrozen grant funding, but it continues to scrutinize research projects, sowing turmoil. 063
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 03/02/2025I'm summarizing some of our lab group's forest bird research at the Seven Scapes Bird Alliance meeting tomorrow (Wednesday @ 6 pm). Old growth & climate, hummingbirds, and intensive forest management. If interested, you can register here: zoom.us/webinar/regi... @oregonstate.edu 061
Reposted by Matt BettsMichael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 02/02/2025A good one for today! 051
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 31/01/2025This is causing major issues for us at the HJ Andrews LTER. Possible disruptions to >40 years of data on water, tree growth and survival, ecosystem response to fire. As well as three long-term employees whose livelihoods are now uncertain. 0117
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 29/01/2025Increased demand for wood, in combination with climate change and fires, pose serious challenges for biodiversity and carbon storage. Which landscape planning strategies minimize negative impacts? New paper by @colinmast.bsky.social! 🧪https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10980-024-02041-5 0396
Reposted by Matt BettsCarl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 28/01/2025The National Science Foundation canceled all of its grant review panels this week. www.npr.org/sections/sho... 8/12npr.orgNational Science Foundation freezes grant review in response to Trump executive ordersThe National Science Foundation has canceled all grant review panels this week. It's unclear how long the pause could last. 125176
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 23/01/2025Job opportunity for field techs in the Forest Landscape Lab (flel.forestry.oregonstate.edu) at OSU. These positions focus on long-term songbird responses to intensive forest management and involve bioacoustics. If you have skills in PNW bird ID, please apply: jobs.oregonstate.edu/postings/163... 0179
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 16/01/2025My favorite paper this week, not just because it seems to solve language differences, but mostly because it cites Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. 040
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 08/01/2025Super article by Marina Ritchie about grad students at the HJ Andrews NSF-LTER and their resilience to our recent wildfires: www.nwf.org/Home/Magazin... @uslter.bsky.socialnwf.orgUndaunted, Grad Students Return to the Field After WildfiresYoung researchers see the wildfires that paused their field work in Oregon’s H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest as lessons for the future 092
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 06/01/2025Exciting opportunity this spring/summer for bird and microclimate-oriented field biologists at the HJ Andrews LTER, Oregon, USA. If you have western bird ID skills and like rugged fieldwork, please apply! jobs.oregonstate.edu/postings/163... 042
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 28/12/2024Counter to our hopes and dreams, marbled murrelet surveys yield little information about nest locations…(led by Jonathan Valente). journals.plos.org/plosone/arti... 0121
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 27/12/2024Very nice article by Marina Ritchie about the resilience of three grad students in the face of wildfire @ the HJ Andrews NSF @uslter.bsky.social www.nwf.org/Home/Magazin...nwf.orgUndaunted, Grad Students Return to the Field After WildfiresYoung researchers see the wildfires that paused their field work in Oregon’s H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest as lessons for the future 292
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 17/12/2024Importance of data spread. Please let me know if you find a moderately tasty 800 m diameter sphere. 2253
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 13/12/2024Correlation (hopefully) not causation. Has anyone else noticed this pattern with their conservation-oriented work? 0160
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 12/12/2024Two life-long ambitions achieved: (1) my "McCune number" (like a mossy Erdös number) now +1 (publishing with one of my ecology heroes Bruce McCune), (2) publishing a moss paper. Not expected: a high elevation species thriving at low elevations - even when in competition. Coming in Northwest Science. 061
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 10/12/2024My daughter sent me this and I think it’s kind of funny/true 2466
Reposted by Matt BettsJonathan Lenoir 🌳🌲🌴 @jonlen.bsky.social · 07/12/2024Species #response #curves to 🌡 to derive #thermal #performances are usually fitted against T°C data from #weather #stations, right? Yet, how many #forest species live next to a weather station? None! Lets derive affinity to forests' microclimates ⬇️ @journalofecology.bsky.social shorturl.at/rEMVUshorturl.atThe affinity of vascular plants and bryophytes to forest microclimate bufferingUnderstorey plants have a species-specific affinity to the forest microclimate, which we quantify for the first time. The investigation of species response curves to microclimate processes—buffering ... 49125
Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 05/12/2024Yesterday I explored again the forest near where I grew up in New Brunswick, Canada and realized what an outsized impact this place has had on me. Where is your childhood forest? 7311