Cheryl Friesen of the US Forest Service is recipient of the 2022 Oregon Wildlife Society Conservation Award. Friesen has served as the Science Liaison for the Willamette National Forest for 15 years. In her role, Friesen has helped researchers and students design and implement research projects and translate the results into digestible information that land managers can utilize to plan forest restoration projects. As part of her coordination efforts, she has facilitated more than 20 different workshops on a wide variety of topics including young stand thinning and diversity, spotted owl prey, managing forests in Northern Spotted Owl critical habitat, recreationist impacts on wildlife, prescribed and wildfire management, and integrating social science into forest management planning and implementation. Cheryl leaves a legacy of translating science into management relevant conservation actions to inform restoration and recovery planning in forested ecosystems in Oregon.
Researchers with the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest have worked closely with the Science Liaison since the late 1990s and the partnership with the with the Willamette National Forest dates to the inception of the Experimental Forest. The relationship furthers the science-management partnership, creating opportunities for collaboration and communication between scientists and forest managers. Topics of collaboration include wood in streams, uneven-aged stand management, and work on early seral forests.