Season 7 | Episode 1
Morticulture
January 1, 2026
A dead tree is not truly dead. As trees die, they become snags, downed logs, and eventually return to the soil as organic matter. Along this journey, they host a wide range of organisms and play essential roles in forest ecosystems. How foresters think about and manage dead trees can be just as important as how they manage living ones. In this episode of SilviCast, we explore the concept of morticulture—the intentional management of deadwood in forests. Join us for a conversation with Mark Harmon, professor emeritus in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University. Dr. Harmon has spent decades researching tree mortality, wood decomposition, and the management of coarse woody debris in our forests.
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Guest On This Episode
Mark Harmon, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University
Mark E. Harmon, former the Richardson Chair of Forest Science, is now professor emeritus in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University. Dr. Harmon earned his B.A. at Amherst College in 1975 in Biology, a M.S. in Ecology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1980 and a PhD in Botany, Oregon State University in 1986. Dr. Harmon has published 155 peer-reviewed journal articles on a topics ranging from tree growth and mortality, decomposition of wood in the natural environment, management of coarse woody debris, carbon dynamics of forests, disturbances, and ecosystem modeling. Course topics he has taught include ecosystem analysis and management as well as landscape ecology and carbon sequestration in forests. He has served on EPA’s Scientific Advisory Board on Biogenic Carbon, Oregon’s Greenhouse Gas Commission’s Forest Task Force, and the IPCC’s Carbon Measurements Group.
The Role of Woody Detritus in Biogeochemical Cycles: Past, Present, and Future. Harmon, M.E. Biogeochemistry 154, 349–369 (2021).
Supplemental Materials for The Role of Woody Detritus in Biogeochemical Cycles: Past, Present, and Future. Harmon, M.E. Biogeochemistry 154, 349–369 (2021).
Moving Towards a New Paradigm for Woody Detritus Management. Harmon, M.E. Ecological Bulletins, 49, 269-278 (2001).
Mortality in Forested Ecosystems: Suggested Conceptual Advances. Harmon and Bell. Forests 2020, 11(5), 572.
Release of Course Woody Detritus-related Carbon: A Synthesis Across Forest Biomes. Harmon et al. Springer Nature. 15 January 2020.
Ecology of Coarse Woody Debris in Temperate Ecosystems. Harmon et al. Advances in Ecological Research. Vol. 15. 1986. Purchased by USDA for Official use.
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