Welcome to the Oregon Hazards Lab
Using Science, Technology, and Community Engagement to Understand, Detect, and Mitigate Multi-Hazards within the Pacific NorthwestWe Are Oregon, Rising
Learn how the mission and vision of OHAZ fit within Oregon Rising, the University of Oregon’s strategic framework to accelerate its impact on our state, our nation, and the world.
226+
PNSN Seismic Monitoring Stations Across Oregon
67+
OHAZ Wildfire Detection Cameras Across Oregon
4.2Mil
Oregonians With Access to ShakeAlert EEW Alerts
2018
Year OHAZ Was Founded
24
OHAZ Staff
5
Student Researchers
Wildfire Prevention, Research, and Policy
The University of Oregon is a national leader in wildfire prevention, research, and policy — driving innovative solutions to protect communities and restore landscapes.
The Oregon Hazards Lab is a program within the University of Oregon's Department of Earth Sciences. We currently partner in these efforts:
Mobile Deployment Units
The Oregon Hazards Lab is building out a stock of lightweight portable wildfire camera kits that public land management agencies can rapidly deploy to monitor new ignitions.
Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
Along with the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Washington, we monitor ground motion to better understand earthquake and volcano hazards and their impacts on communities in Oregon and Washington.
ShakeAlert® Earthquake Early Warning System
Since 2014, the Oregon Hazards Lab has been an instrumental partner in building and promoting the U.S. Geological Survey’s earthquake early warning system.
Wildfire Detection Cameras
With hundreds of mountaintop cameras installed throughout the western United States, this high-speed wildfire detection network provides firefighters and first responders a new way to spot and track wildfires.
Wildfire Smoke Sensors
As part of a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, we deployed 30 smoke sensors across Western Oregon in 2023 and tested their effectiveness at detecting emerging wildfires.
Sage Continuum
We are building a continent-spanning network of smart sensors to improve the flow of information between scientists and the natural world.
News from the Oregon Hazards Lab
Oregon Hazards Lab Director Recognizes 324th Anniversary of Last Cascadia Earthquake
On the anniversary of the last Big One, Doug Toomey spoke with KEZI news about how the Oregon Hazards Lab is looking to reduce the impact of future earthquakes on the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The lab is part of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network and maintains seismic monitoring stations that contribute real-time data to the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System.
Attend a ShakeAlert EPIcenter Partnership Meeting
Want to learn how your museum, park, or library could use ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning technology? Join the ShakeAlert EPIcenter Partnership! OHAZ Communication Specialist Kelly Missett will explain how to integrate ShakeAlert into free-choice learning environments at the February EPIcenter meeting.
Oregon Hazards Lab Designs Portable Wildfire Camera
This fall, the U.S. Forest Service reached out to the Oregon Hazards Lab with a request: Could the lab design and build a portable, solar-powered, wildfire detection camera that could be packed into a remote location and deployed in response to a new wildfire?