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 Hazard Lab at the University of Oregon Monitoring Wildfires
University of Oregon’s Oregon Hazard Lab remains a resource for firefighters when it comes to detecting fast-spreading fires in remote areas, offering dozens of cameras around the state to help officials monitor emergency situations. The lab originally started off as a seismic monitoring lab. Across the state they have seismic monitoring stations and then added wildfire detection cameras in 2018.
Oregon Hazards Lab Uses Ground-Breaking Seismic Sensors for Early Earthquake Detection
Spend a day at Huckleberry Mountain Lookout with the Oregon Hazards Lab! Follow along as our student field technicians upgrade the location’s seismic monitoring station. Each station collects real-time ground motion data for seismic hazards research and the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System.
Resources for Oregon Firefighters Have Restrained Early-Season Wildfires But May Not Last Long
The Bureau of Land Management has kept about 98% of fires under 10 acres so far this year. They credit quick response times, ample respources, and new technology, particularly Oregon Hazards Lab wildfire detection cameras. Positioned across Oregon, the cameras can detect new ignitions and alert authorities to fires in remote terrain, potentially catching blazes that otherwise would have gone unnoticed.