FOR 445: Ecological Restoration

Course Instructor
Course content description: FOR 445 focuses on the fundamentals of restoring reclaiming disturbed landscapes and ecosystems. Topics to be covered include assessment of site conditions; determining restoration goals and feasibility; hydrologic, biotic, and soil functions and their importance in restoration; and measures of successful restoration.
Natural Resources Librarian
OSU Libraries on the Web

Be sure you can locate the the OSU Libraries Home Page and from there find these three links:

Course Assignment
Planning Ahead

Use the paced due dates for drafts to your advantage and start your research early. Here is one approach you might take.

Know the resources available to you. If you have not used the resources available via the OSU Libraries recently, be sure to read this page during the first week of classes and if appropriate, review Library Services for OSU Extended Campus Students.  Remember, even if you are not in Corvallis, you can take full advantage of the library's resources including:

  1. Use of the OSU Libraries catalog to see what books and reports are available on your selected site and request these electronically.
  2. Use of the "Summit" catalog to see what books and reports are available on your selected site in other libraries in Oregon/Washington and request them electronically as well.
  3. Use of the research oriented databases to locate scholarly writings and/or research reports on your selected site topic and,
    • if available electronically, access these articles directly as pdf files or,
    • if available in only in paper at OSU, request a copy of the article be sent to you, or
    • if unavailable at OSU, request an "interlibrary loan" so that you will receive the article from another library.

By the second week, try to find at least two or three articles in research journals or relevant government agency reports related to the site you propose to select.

  1. In the process of looking for even two good references, you will:
    • acquire terminology to use in your subsequent searches as well as a feel for which databases will be of most help to you.
    • learn a lot about the process and pitfalls of locating material while the stakes are relatively low.
    • have a better idea of who is writing or has done research on your site and which articles they have cited. This will take you back in time.
  2. If you find a really great article, you can use the unique cited search feature of the Web of Science database to find out if anyone has cited that article since it was written. This will bring you forward in time.
  3. You will have begun acquiring a good deal of information you can use in preparing a draft statement of background.

As you continue to investigate the background information needed use multiple resources. Google is useful but it is only one tool. Library databases may take more effort, but they will also result in a better final product.    That said, try to complete most of this literature review at least 2 weeks before writing your draft so that

  1. if you are not in Corvallis, items from the library can be sent to you, and
  2. regardless of your location, if you need to request items via Summit or via interlibrary loan you must allowed time for the request to be processed and the item retrieved and sent to you via the mail if it cannot be sent electronically.

Your questions are always welcome but in general, the sooner, the better. See contact information is at the top of this page.

Finding articles in the ecological restoration literature

The Valley Library subscribes to several databases which index peer-reviewed scientific journal articles relevant to natural resource issues and topics.   The process of "peer-review" (sometimes called "refereeing") is discipline and journal specific.   It is intended to assure that the articles in that journal represent good scientific methodology and are regarded as a contribution to the literature of that field of study.  If in doubt about whether a journal contains peer reviewed articles, ask.

Most databases noted in this guide will index a high percentage of "refereed" journals and therefore contain very high percentage of peer reviewed articles. They may also include first hand reporting of research findings or state-of-the-art reviews from other reporting sources such as federal agency reports, dissertations, conference proceedings, professional journals, etc.   All of these may prove useful resources for framing and addressing your research question.

Accessing library databases

To locate references to articles in the scientific literature using these "indexing" databases, begin at the OSU Libraries home page: http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu. Click on "Databases," and then on the first letter of the name of the database you want to use.  Because they are not all provided on the same web "platform" you cannot (with a few exceptions) search across several databases as once.

Most databases are not freely available to the public.   They are licensed to the library for OSU use.  If you are not on campus, you will encounter our "proxy server" asking you to "authenticate" yourself as a qualified OSU user by entering your name and (new) OSU ID number.  Apart from this, you should never be asked for an username and password while attempting to use a database.   If you are asked for one, this is usually an indication that the ports are busy.  Just try again later.

Not sure which database(s) to use? Read on!

Tips about databases before your first search

If you have not done much searching or have not been satisfied with the results of your searches, follow the "more" link below for some search tips.

Selecting databases to search

When considering a database, it is important to be aware of its content including:

Follow the link below to some suggestions for databases to search relevant to ecological restoration.

Obtaining journal articles from OSU Libraries
  1. Get This Item: Many of the databases listed above contain a button called "Get This Item" or "Webbridge."   Using this link will open a window with links to the library catalog and to the e-journal list so you can investigate the availability of the source journal.  In the ideal case, it will result in a direct link to the full-text of the article.
  2. E-Journal list: If you have a reference and want to see if OSU Libraries subscribes to the electronic version of that journal (or some service that provides the full-text from that journal), click the E-Journals link on the Library's home page and type in the name of the journal that you need. If the article you need is not available from the E-Journals list, then try the catalog.
  3. Online Catalog: Search the online catalog (limit to "journals") to see if the library has a paper copy of the journal. You can then photocopy the article. Most bound journals circulate for three days. Unbound journals do not circulate outside the library.
  4. ** If you choose, you can try a Google Advanced Search.   It is best to search the title of the article as an exact phrase). This is a long shot so if it doesn't work immediately, a better use of you time is checking to see if the library has the journal in some format and if not, filling out the interlibrary loan request form. If you decide to post your own articles to the web, be sure that you know what copyright restrictions apply by contacting the publisher. When this is allowed, it is more often the case that you are allowed post the pre-formated version (of your own articles only) but not the final journal formated version.
  5. The indexing databases are independent of the holdings of any one library so you should expect that OSU Libraries will not subscribe to or own every journals you need. You will need to use Interlibrary loan to obtain the articles.
Interlibrary Loans (ILL)

You can get a copy of any journal article not available at OSU Libraries by using Interlibrary Loan (ILL).  This service is free to you.

You must have an ONID account to register for ILL.  From the OSU Libraries catalog, look for the link to Interlibrary Loan  and select "Log on for ILL Service."  Consider registering now, before you actually need to request an article.

We are able to obtain the majority of requested articles within 5-7 days depending on the number of libraries owning the journal.   Some requests take more time some take less.  On the rare occasion that the Library is unable to identify a lending library, we will try to get the information you will need to contact the author directly. 

Articles usually come as PDF files that are sent you a secure website for your use.  You can also use ILL to request books (or chapters of books) if you are unable to locate then in the Summit catalog.

Useful websites for ecological restoration

Listed below are websites that you may find useful in providing some references for your paper and for acquiring background information. Consider them one of many tools. If you use information from these or other websites in your paper, be sure to cite the source using the appropriate format. Refer to the CBE Style Guide format.

  1. For more information on maps resources use the library Maps research guide.
    http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/research/guides/maps/maproom.htm
  2. For access to Forest Geodata use the Forest Service Geodata Clearinghouse.
    http://fsgeodata.fs.fed.us/
  3. For a link to people consider use the Society for Ecological Restoration International website.
    http://www.ser.org/
  4. For a link to a digital document collection of interest at Northern Arizona University use the Ecological Restoration Institute Library.
    https://library.eri.nau.edu:8443/index.jsp
  5. For Natural Heritage data and information use the NatureServe website.
    http://www.natureserve.org/