Dr. Doug is one of the favorites among many students, FNR and otherwise. He is very devoted to his students, many times staying late, past his regular office hours and carrying a heavy load as an advisor. He is currently serving as Department Head. Despite this and his teaching obligations, Dr. Piirto still finds time to continue his professional development via research.

A Forestry student at the University of Nevada he earned his bachelor's degree in 1970. In 1971 at Colorado State University he was awarded his master's in Forest and Wood Science. Aside from his Ph.D. (1977) at U.C. Berkeley Doug also earned a certificate in advanced Ecology and Silviculture.

Projects

• Ecosystem Management
• Fire/Pathogen Interactions
• Monterey Pine Pitch Canker
• Tahoe Tree/Stand Attributes Land Value Study
• Uneven-age Management in Coast Redwood
• Various studies on giant sequoia and coast redwood

Professional Involvement

• Annually participates in national and local SAF meetings.
• Appointed to: 1) California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection; 2) State Pitch Canker Task Force; 3) Giant Sequoia Ecology Cooperative; 4.) Giant Sequoia National Monument Science Advisory Board
• Consulting and expert witness experience for numerous clients
• Member of several professional organizations
• Participated and presented papers at numerous professional meetings and symposiums

Awards

• 1995 Cal Poly College of Agriculture Outstanding Teacher award sponsored by Dole Food Company.
• 2000 Plant Science Award for outstanding service to the College of Agriculture at Cal Poly.
• Registered Professional Forester in California (RPF #2179)
• SAF Certified Forester
• Who's Who in America

Publications

• Rice, E., D. Piirto, R. Larsen, R. Larsen, B. Tietje, R. Cooper, U. Lund. 2008. Identifying and Addressing Contemporary Issues in Central Coast Oak Woodland. Paper presented at 6th California Oak Symposium.
• Shelton, M., J. Ahern, D.D Piirto, and A. England. 2006. Perceptions of Agriculture. M.S Graduates Regarding Program Quality and Learning Outcomes Attainment.
• Hurstak, R., D. D. Piirto, S. Stephens, and R. Taskey. Canopy Gap Characteristics in Two Giant Sequoia Groves with Differing Cultural Histories [in preparation].
• Piirto, D. D. R. Thompson and K. Piper. 2006. Implementing uneven-aged coast redwood management in Santa Cruz County, Ca, a case study.
• Valkonen, S. and D. Piirto. 2005. Structure and Development of Pitch Canker Infected Monterey Pine Stands at Ano Nuevo, California. Forest Ecology and Management [in preparation]. 213 (2005) 160-174.
• Clarke, J.N., D.M. Graber, K.M. Nissen, D.D. Piirto, N.L Stephenson, D.R. Tormey, and P.E Waggoner (The Scientific Advisory Board, 2003) Advice for he Secretary of Agriculture about management of the Giant Sequoia National Monument. USDA Forest Service. Sequoia National Forest.
• Piirto, D.D. 2004. Forests need Local Support, Healthy Forests Take Effort, Money. California Forests 8 (1) 12-14
• Stephens S.L., D.D. Piirto, and D Caramango. 2004. Fire Regimer and Resultant Forest Structure in Native Ano Nuevo Monterey Pine Forest, California, America Midland Naturalist 152:25-36
• Piirto, D. D., and R. Rogers. 2002. An ecological basis for managing giant sequoia ecosystems. Environmental Management 30(1)110-128.
• Piirto, D. D., and R. Rogers. 1999. An ecological foundation for management of giant sequoia groves. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, Sequoia National Forest R5-EM-TP-005.
• Thompson, R. P., J. Hanna, J. Noel, D. D. Piirto. 1999. Economic contribution of stand characteristics to property value in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Journal of Aboriculture. 25(5)225-234.
• Piirto, D. D. and R. Rogers. 1999. An ecological foundation for management of national forest giant sequoia groves. In: Transactions for the 1999 North American Wildlife and Natural Resources conference. Wildlife Management Institute.
• Piirto, D. D., J. R. Parmeter Jr., F. W. Cobb Jr., K. L. Piper, A. C. Workinger, and W. J. Otrosina. 1998. Biological and management implications of fire-pathogen interactions in the giant sequoia ecosystem. Pages 325-336 in Teresa L. Pruden and Leonard A. Brennan (eds.). Fire in ecosystem management: shifting the paradigm from suppression to prescription. Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conference Proceedings, No. 20. Tall Timbers Research Station, Tallahassee, FL.
• Piirto, D. D., Robert R. Rogers, and Mary Chislock Bethke. 1997. Communicating the role of science in the management of giant sequoia groves. In: Proceedings for the National Silviculture Workshop, May 19-22, 1997. USDA Forest Service, Northeast Forest Experiment Station, Warren, Pennsylvania. General Technical Report GTR-NE-238.
• Piirto, D. D. R. Thompson and K. Piper. 1997. Implementing Uneven-aged redwood management at Cal Poly's School Forest. In: Proceedings of the Conference on Coast Redwood Forest Ecology and Management, June 18-20, 1996. p 78-82.
• Hanna, J., R. P. Thompson, D. D. Piirto, and J. E. Noel. 1997. Estimating Value Contribution of Tree and Stand Condition. Presented at the March 1996 Oak Woodlands: Ecology, Management, and Urban Interface Issues Symposium. USDA Forest Service. Pacific Southwest Research Station. Gen. Tech. Rpt. PSW-GTR-160.
• Piirto, D. D., B. Smith, E. Huff, S. Robinson. 1997. Efficacy of Herbicide Application Methods Used to Control Tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus ) in an uneven-aged Coast Redwood Management Context. A paper presented at the March 1996 Oak Woodlands: Ecology, Management, and Urban Interface Issues Symposium. Gen. Tech. Rpt. PSW-GTR-160.
• Piirto, D. D. 1994. Giant Sequoia Insect, Disease and Ecosystem Interactions. In Proceedings for the Symposium on Giant Sequoias: Their Place in the Ecosystem and Society. June 23-25, 1992. Visalia, California
• Piirto, D.D. and R.P. Thompson. 1992. Integrated Resource Management at Swanton Pacific Ranch -- A Beginning. Presented at the USDA Forest Service Silvicultural Workshop held on June 3, 1992 in Sacramento, California.
• Piirto, D.D. 1992. Disease and Insects Associated with Giant Sequoia. A paper presented at the symposium titled: Giant Sequoias, Their Place in the Ecosystem and Society on June 23, 1992 in Visalia, California.
• Piirto, D.D. 1991. Giant Sequoia Groves, A Relic to be Preserved or a Resources to be Managed. Testimony and paper submitted at the Congressional Hearing of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs on September 4, 1991. Visalia, California
• Piirto, D.D. and K. Piper. 1991. Biological and Management Implications of Fire/Pathogen Interactions in the Giant Sequoia Ecosystem. A poster presentation at the Fourth Biennial Conference of Research in California's National Parks. Davis, California.
• Piirto, D.D., J.R. Parmeter, Jr., F.W. Cobb, Jr., K. Piper, and A. Workinger. 1991. Biological and Management Implications of Fire/Pathogen Interactions in the Giant Sequoia Ecosystem. A poster presentation at the 1991 National Convention of the Society of American Foresters in San Francisco, California.
• Piirto, D.D. 1990. A Review of the Silvicultural Prescription for THP 1-90-280/MEN. Testimony and paper submitted at the September 11, 1990, hearing of the Board of Forestry.
• Childers, C. A. and D. D. Piirto. 1990. Cost-Effective Fire Management: A Case Study in Southern California. In Proceedings for the Fire and the Environment Symposium. March 20-24, 1990. Knoxville, Tennessee.
• Piirto, D. 1989. Tips for Making Effective Presentations. Jour. of Forestry 87(10)55.
• Childers, C.A. and D. Piirto. 1989. Cost-Effective Fire Management for Southern California's Chaparral Wilderness: An Analytical Procedure. In Proceedings for the Symposium on Fire and Watershed Management, October 26-28, 1988. Sacramento, California.
• Piirto, D.D. 1989. California Forestry and Natural Resources Education in the Twenty-First Century - Responding to Change, A Cal Poly Perspective. Presented at the Symposium on Forestry Education in California. December 9, 1989. University of California, Berkeley, California.
• Dunn, A. T., and D. Piirto. 1988. The Wheeler Fire in Retrospect: Factors Affecting Fire Spread and Perimeter Formation. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Experiment Station, Berkeley, California. General Technical Report.
• Piirto, D.D. and T. O'Keefe. 1987. Wood Energy Developments in the Central Coast Area of California. In the Proceedings of the International Residential Wood Energy Conference held March 4-5, 1986. Reno, Nevada.
• Weatherspoon, C.P., Y.R. Iwamoto, and D.D. Piirto. (Technical Compilers). 1987. Proceedings of the Workshop on Management of Giant Sequoia. May 24-25, 1985. Reedley, CA. USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rpt. PSW-95.
• O'Keefe, T.G. and D.D. Piirto. 1986. Central California Oak Residue Utilization and Marketing: Better Hardwood Management from Improved Utilization. In the Proceedings of the Symposium on Multiple Use Management of California's Hardwood Resources. November 12-14, 1986. Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
• Piirto, D.D., J. Hawksworth and M. Hawksworth. 1986. Giant Sequoia Sprouts. Journal of Forestry. 84 (9) 24-25
• Piirto, D.D. 1986. Wood Properties and Unique Characteristics of Giant Sequoia. In Proceedings of SAF's Management of Giant Sequoia workshop. USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rpt. PSW-95.
• Piirto, D.D., J.R. Parmeter and W. Wayne Wilcox. 1984. Basidiomycete Fungi Reportedly Associated with Living or Dead Giant Sequoia and Coast Redwood. Univ. of California, Berkeley. Forestry and Forest Products. Dept. of Forestry, Forest Products Laboratory, California, Agricultural Experiment Station. No. 55-April.
• Piirto, D.D., W. Wayne Wilcox, John R. Parmeter, David L. Wood. 1984. Causes of Uprooting and Breakage of Specimen Giant Sequoia Trees. Division of Agricultural and Natural Resources, Univ. of California. Bulletin 1909.
• Piirto, D.D. and W. Wayne Wilcox. 1981. Comparative Properties of Old-Growth and Young-Growth Giant Sequoia of Potential Significance to Wood Utilization. Division of Agricultural Sciences, Univ. of California. Bulletin 1901.
• Piirto, D.D. and W. Wayne Wilcox. 1978. Critical Evaluation of the Pulsed-Current Resistance Meter for Detection of Decay in Wood. Forest Products Journal 28 (1) 52-56
• Piirto, D.D., J.R. Parmeter and W. Wayne Wilcox. 1977. Poria incrassata in Giant Sequoia. Plant Disease Reporter 61 (1) 50
• Wilcox, W.W. and D.D. Piirto. 1976. Decay Resistance in Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) Heartwood as Related to Color and Extractives. Wood and Fiber 7 (4)
• Piirto, D.D., J.R. Parmeter and F.W. Cobb Jr. 1974. Fomes annosus in Giant Sequoia. Plant Disease Reporter 58 (5) 478