Oregon Field Guide

The Kalmiopsis was once one of the most beautiful wilderness areas in Oregon...but fire ravaged the landscape, turning a half million acres of lush forest into a burnt wasteland. The Biscuit fire is Oregon’s largest wildfire on record, and today scientists are asking why this fire got so out of hand, and what should be done to restore the forest now.

Oregon stretches for 98,000 spectacular square miles. Much of Oregon's beauty lies in remote places most people never see. But Oregon Field Guide photographers travel to every corner of this state. After 25 years, Oregon continues to surprise us with new marvels that take our breath away.

Enjoy this curated selection of behind the scenes moments with Oregon Field Guide staff.

The Oregon Desert Trail (ODT) introduced by the Oregon Natural Desert Association invites hikers to experience the vast public lands and striking features of Oregon’s desert outback. It starts near Bend and winds its way southeast in a“W” shape as it links hidden jewels like Crack In The Ground, the Owyhee Canyonlands and Steens Mountain with outposts like Christmas Valley, Fields and Frenchglen.

There’s plastic in the ocean, in our rivers and even in the food we eat. How did the Pacific Northwest, a region that prides itself on environmental stewardship, come to this?

Oregon Field Guide assembles its largest, most complex expedition ever to take you on an unparalleled adventure of discovery. We travel deep into the wilderness to explore and bring back the first images of a hidden geologic wonder right here in Oregon.

Wild horses in captivity now outnumber those in the wild, trapped in a $76 million bureaucracy that captures, feeds and stockpiles more horses than any other in the nation. Fierce battles pit horse advocates, ranchers and the BLM on a collision course. Meanwhile, horse lovers step up to try to help, including teenagers who gentle and train mustangs to make them more adoptable.

Oregon Field Guide returns to the dangerous back country slopes of Mount Hood with a team of scientists to investigate why the glacier caves documented back in 2013 have all but disappeared. We team up with Portland State University Emeritus Professor of Geology, Scott Burns, for a fun exploration of the Columbia Gorge. You'll never see "The Gorge" the same way again!

Oregon Field Guide spent a year-and-a-half probing into the state of Oregon’s preparedness, and found that when it comes to bridges, schools, hospitals, building codes and energy infrastructure, Oregon lags far behind many quake-prone regions of the country.

Three stories that examine the 30-year legacy of the timber wars in the Pacific Northwest. Scientists get creative to locate the last spotted owls in Oregon, a small town celebrates its logging history, and a unique partnership between environmentalists and timber workers looks to move beyond a history of conflict.