Think Out Loud

Oregon Christmas tree specialist helps protect state’s status as nation’s top producer

Oregon is the leading producer of Christmas trees in the nation, accounting for about a third of all real Christmas trees sold in the U.S. Christmas tree farmers in Oregon grew more than 3 million Noble fir, Douglas fir and other Christmas tree varieties in 2023, the most recent year for which statistics are available.    Priya Rajarapu is an assistant professor in the college of forestry at OSU and the Christmas tree specialist [https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/new-chapter-begins-osu-extension-christmas-tree-program] at OSU Extension Service. In the past year, she has visited 20 Christmas tree farms in Oregon where she has offered advice, diagnosed diseased trees and confirmed infestations of bark beetles and other pests.    But the biggest threat Oregon’s roughly $120 million Christmas tree industry faces is climate change [https://news.oregonstate.edu/news/oregon-maintains-top-christmas-tree-producer-title-adapting], according to Rajarapu. Extreme heat and drought can imperil the survival of Christmas trees, especially seedlings. Rajarapu has been studying mulch alternatives like compost that has been shown to boost the survival of seedlings during their first year.   Rajarapu joins us for more details about her work and why non-native varieties such as Nordmann and Turkish firs are gaining in popularity among both farmers and consumers.

New investigation shows how wealthy ranchers and corporations profit off public lands

A new investigation by ProPublica and High Country News reveals how wealthy ranchers and corporations are profiting from federal subsidies for fees they pay to graze cattle on public land. The three-part investigation used data from the Bureau of Land Management to analyze grazing fees and identify the largest ranchers on public lands. Joining us for more details is Mark Olalde, an investigative reporter at ProPublica.

Expansion of Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria proceeds despite loss of federal grant

Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria is currently undergoing a $300 million expansion. [https://www.columbiamemorial.org/buildcmh/] The new facility will include a more secure foundation, a vertical tsunami evacuation staircase and other features meant to make it more resilient during a potential earthquake.   That work was supposed to be covered by a $20 million grant from the federal Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program. But the Trump administration cancelled the program [https://web.archive.org/web/20250529101204/https:/www.fema.gov/press-release/20250404/fema-ends-wasteful-politicized-grant-program-returning-agency-core-mission] this spring, leaving projects across the country and state [http://opb.org/article/2025/04/28/loss-federal-grant/] stranded.  Work on the hospital is proceeding despite the loss [https://www.npr.org/2025/11/05/nx-s1-5596414/hospital-fema-tsunami-earthquake-bric-cascadia-shutdown] of federal funding. Columbia Memorial CEO Erik Thorsen joins us to talk about where the project stands.

Beaverton mother and daughter share their experience with family caregiving

According to the AARP [https://www.aarp.org/pri/topics/ltss/family-caregiving/caregiving-in-the-us-2025/], one in four adults in the U.S. provides care to a spouse, relative or friend with a serious health concern. Roughly 18% of those caregivers are between the ages of 18 and 34.    That group includes Emily Quandt, a 23-year-old Beaverton resident who put her post-college plans on hold when her mother, Angie, was diagnosed with ALS in 2022. Emily and Angie Quandt both join us to talk about the dynamics of family caregiving.

Rep. Marie Glusenkamp Perez on bill passed to again fund Secure Rural Schools program

The Secure Rural Schools act has provided crucial federal funding for rural schools and counties for 25 years. But for the past two years, funding has lapsed as efforts to renew the act failed and House Republicans omitted the program’s funding from federal spending in July. Now, that funding could be reinstated. On Tuesday [https://www.opb.org/article/2025/12/09/secure-rural-schools-funding-approved-congress-oregon-washington-counties/], the U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act, which was approved by the Senate earlier this year. The bill now heads to the president to be signed and made into law. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a democrat representing southwest Washington, co-lead the push [https://gluesenkampperez.house.gov/posts/gluesenkamp-perezs-bipartisan-bill-to-reauthorize-secure-rural-schools-program-passes-house] for this bill. She joins us to share more.