Jeff Hatten

Jeff Hatten serves as Department Head of Forest Engineering, Resources & Management (FERM) within Oregon State University's College of Forestry. His leadership role oversees academic programs and research initiatives focused on sustainable forest resource management in the Pacific Northwest.

His educational background includes a PhD in Forest Resources from the University of Washington (2007) and a BS in Environmental Science from Western Washington University (1999). This foundation supports his expertise in forest ecosystem dynamics and soil processes.

Hatten's research centers on forest soil biogeochemistry and watershed processes, with specific emphasis on soil productivity, fire impacts on soil systems, and silvicultural effects on sediment transport and water quality. His work integrates field measurements with continental-scale analyses to address carbon cycling and ecosystem resilience under disturbance regimes.

Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals consistent focus on soil carbon dynamics across diverse forest ecosystems. Key trends include investigating deep soil carbon profiles, fire-affected carbon transformations, and mineral-organic interactions controlling carbon persistence. His research spans from molecular-scale processes (e.g., pyrogenic organic matter photochemistry) to landscape-level patterns (e.g., continental soil carbon storage predictors).

As a Graduate Major Advisor, Hatten mentors students in forest science and soil ecology. His research program addresses critical questions in sustainable forest management through long-term experimental studies like the Long-Term Soil Productivity project, which examines timber harvesting impacts on soil health over decades.