Professor David Craig helps students advocate for Oregon's white oaks

On a campus dense with history, Professor David Craig has uncovered a living archive standing right in plain sight: ancient white oaks that predate the university itself, and even European settlement in Salem. By turning this discovery into advocacy and education, Craig is helping rewrite the story of Oregon’s most iconic tree.

Craig, a behavioral ecologist often seen with his signature green glasses, co-directs Willamette’s Science Collaborative Research Program and advises student groups like the popular Growing Oaks initiative. The program’s ambitious goal is to plant 11,000 new oak trees annually across the Willamette Valley. Over the last five years, the students have collected and germinated thousands of acorns, logged over 500 volunteer hours at the Grand Ronde Native Plant Nursery, and helped influence Salem’s tree code to better preserve existing oaks.

A 250-Year-Old History Lesson in a Parking Lot

Craig’s journey with the white oak began a decade ago with a simple observation: some of the most extraordinary old-growth oak groves in Salem were in the university’s own parking lots. “I brought this discovery to Professor Emerita Karen Arabas,” he says, “who validated through dendrochronology that those trees have been here since before 1833. Before European settlement, before the university was founded. Some took root over 250 years ago.”

Growing Oaks – A LIVE & Willamette University Collaboration

These ancient trees, which Craig calls “witness or legacy trees,” are more than just old; they are historical records. Their rings capture centuries of environmental and human history. “When a tree is lost, I bring a sample of recorded history into the classroom or a local pub to trace this history with students and the public,” Craig explains. Through these rings, the trees tell a story of Indigenous Kalapuya stewardship, the arrival of settlers, and the transformation of the land. “The names of the Indigenous people who tended these trees are lost, but their descendants remain,” Craig notes, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging this history and its living legacy.

From Land Acknowledgment to Land Action

The historical context Craig provides has inspired his students to move beyond theoretical understanding and take tangible action. The student-led Growing Oaks club, which Craig advises, puts this philosophy into practice. The group nurtures saplings from acorns and distributes them for planting, effectively turning local interest into a widespread reforestation effort. Their work extends beyond campus, including significant contributions to the Grand Ronde Native Plant Nursery, where they’ve dedicated hundreds of hours to supporting native ecosystems.

The group’s impact was celebrated at its OakFest event in October, a public gathering designed to educate the community and facilitate new tree plantings. The event drew such positive attention that it was formally recognized by Congresswoman Andrea Salinas, who represents Salem in Washington, D.C. In a letter to the student organizers, Salinas wrote, “OakFest has strengthened community ties and renewed interest in native ecology and Indigenous stewardship practices. Events like this demonstrate the lasting impact Willamette University and its community have on Salem.”

“Professor Craig’s experiential approach showcasing human-environmental connections and the complexities of our shared histories and positionality as students in our work to combat climate and social injustice has been invaluable,” says Rose Grimson BS’27, an Environmental Science major and president of Growing Oaks. “The successes and strengths of Growing Oaks would not be possible without the ambitious and unwavering support from Professor Craig, who continues to challenge us to push our bounds and reach across Oregon in our work to conserve Oregon white oak.”

An Unlikely Partnership in Oregon’s Wine Country

Craig’s influence extends beyond campus and city limits, reaching into one of Oregon’s most iconic industries: winegrowing. The Willamette Valley’s temperate climate and rolling hills make it a world-class region for both vineyards and white oaks. Craig recognized a critical point of intersection and an opportunity for partnership. He engaged with the industry to help winegrowers understand the importance of preserving the oak ecosystem that thrives in the same area.

This outreach fostered a productive relationship between private industry and academic research, giving students direct experience in helping businesses understand their environmental impact. Today, the Growing Oaks club partners with LIVE, a nonprofit that certifies sustainable and socially responsible winegrowing in the Pacific Northwest. This collaboration ensures that the economic drive of the wine industry is aligned with the ecological imperative of preserving the valley’s native trees.

The work isn’t limited to environmental science; Craig’s interdisciplinary approach has mentored students in fields as varied as medicine. For instance, he guided a cutting-edge genomics project with pre-med students who studied tumor biology by investigating oak galls and the wasps that create them. This creative approach demonstrates that conservation biology can have unexpected applications, bridging the gap between ecosystem health and human health research.

“Extinction and climate change are here; that knowledge is deeply heavy and sad,” Craig concedes. “But we know the way out is to work together.”

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