After spending one year at WFI, Zengwang Ma will depart for his hometown in Hebei, China. “I had one year great time to conduct this program in Oregon,” said Ma. “I have regarded Portland as my second hometown, hopefully, I will have a chance to visit again.”
In Hebei, Ma is a researcher involved in restoration projects. His province has completed many projects to restore degraded ecological systems, which are now vigorous young forests. The task at hand now is to manage these young stands for future threats, including wildfire prevention, invasive species, and new forestland management techniques. During his program Ma examined the Oregon experience for dealing with such problems in order to take lessons back to Hebei. Ma recommends an integrated strategy that keeps ecosystem integrity mind and involves long-term planning, forest management, and research.
“I am missing my family after this one year abroad,” said Ma. “The first thing I’ll do when I return is spend some time with my wife and daughter, then I will continue my forestry research at Hebei Academy of Forestry Science.” We wish Ma all the best upon his return journey.
