News Release: Local USDA Forest Service Laboratory with International Reach to Celebrate Upgrades and Share Research
July 07, 2023
Public Invited to Ribbon Cutting and Open House
Rhinelander, WI; July 6, 2023— Many in the Rhinelander area have heard about the Forest Service laboratory in town or may have noticed it as they drove past; but what goes on in and around the building might seem mysterious! An upcoming ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate lab upgrades, followed by an open house will provide community members the opportunity to see for themselves. Dr. Cynthia West, Station Director for the Forest Service Northern Research Station (NRS), invites you to attend the ribbon cutting and open house at the USDA Forest Service, NRS, Institute for Applied Ecosystem Studies field laboratory. The ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at noon, July 14 at the lab (5985 Co. Hwy. K,). The open house will follow the ribbon cutting and continue until 2:30 p.m. The event will enable guests to connect with scientists and learn about their work at the lab. Visitors will learn about the exciting research happening from the researchers themselves!
“The lab in Rhinelander has supported decades of important research, and with the recent upgrades it received, we can utilize the facility to bring emerging technologies and research methods to forest management regionally, nationally, and even internationally,” said Dr. West.
Historically known as the Northern Institute of Forest Genetics, the site has played a very important role in advancing critical research since its original construction in the late 1950s. The original site selection for the new genetics laboratory in the late 1950s was due, in part, to the presence of the nearby Hugo Sauer Nursery established in the 1930s. View a history of the Rhinelander field lab and nursery. Current and past research range in areas such as: forestry, biotechnology, phytoremediation, landscape ecology, and wildfire research.
Crucial updates were recently completed on the molecular genetics laboratory to incorporate today’s genetic technologies such as environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis, and on the ‘wet lab’ to support a growing aquatic research program and other genetic and plant research. The important infrastructure upgrades and lab remodel were made possible through funding from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA).
If you have questions, please contact Dr. Deahn Donner, Project Leader and Research Landscape Ecologist, at 715-362-1146 or by email at deahn.donnerwright@usda.gov. Visit the Station's website to learn more about Northern Research Station.
Dr. West added, “The researchers, and I, look forward to connecting with interested visitors and with the many research partners that have made so many accomplishments possible over the years. Please join us for this ribbon cutting event and open house as we celebrate that past work and talk about how we will continue to bring cutting edge research, to aid in successful forest management, into the future!”
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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.
Rhinelander, WI; July 6, 2023— Many in the Rhinelander area have heard about the Forest Service laboratory in town or may have noticed it as they drove past; but what goes on in and around the building might seem mysterious! An upcoming ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate lab upgrades, followed by an open house will provide community members the opportunity to see for themselves. Dr. Cynthia West, Station Director for the Forest Service Northern Research Station (NRS), invites you to attend the ribbon cutting and open house at the USDA Forest Service, NRS, Institute for Applied Ecosystem Studies field laboratory. The ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at noon, July 14 at the lab (5985 Co. Hwy. K,). The open house will follow the ribbon cutting and continue until 2:30 p.m. The event will enable guests to connect with scientists and learn about their work at the lab. Visitors will learn about the exciting research happening from the researchers themselves!
“The lab in Rhinelander has supported decades of important research, and with the recent upgrades it received, we can utilize the facility to bring emerging technologies and research methods to forest management regionally, nationally, and even internationally,” said Dr. West.
Historically known as the Northern Institute of Forest Genetics, the site has played a very important role in advancing critical research since its original construction in the late 1950s. The original site selection for the new genetics laboratory in the late 1950s was due, in part, to the presence of the nearby Hugo Sauer Nursery established in the 1930s. View a history of the Rhinelander field lab and nursery. Current and past research range in areas such as: forestry, biotechnology, phytoremediation, landscape ecology, and wildfire research.
Crucial updates were recently completed on the molecular genetics laboratory to incorporate today’s genetic technologies such as environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis, and on the ‘wet lab’ to support a growing aquatic research program and other genetic and plant research. The important infrastructure upgrades and lab remodel were made possible through funding from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA).
If you have questions, please contact Dr. Deahn Donner, Project Leader and Research Landscape Ecologist, at 715-362-1146 or by email at deahn.donnerwright@usda.gov. Visit the Station's website to learn more about Northern Research Station.
Dr. West added, “The researchers, and I, look forward to connecting with interested visitors and with the many research partners that have made so many accomplishments possible over the years. Please join us for this ribbon cutting event and open house as we celebrate that past work and talk about how we will continue to bring cutting edge research, to aid in successful forest management, into the future!”
###
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.
Contact:
Sharon Hobrla, Public Affairs Specialist
sharon.hobrla@usda.gov, 517-719-4073
