Sessions, John

Position Type: 
Faculty
Job Title: 
University Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Department: 
Forest Engineering, Resources & Management
Office Location: 

336 Peavy Forest Science Center (PFSC)

Phone Number: 
(541) 737-2818
Fax Number: 
(541) 737-4316
Education: 
Ph.D., Forest Management, 1979 Oregon State University
M.S., Forest Engineering, 1971 University of Washington
M.S., Civil Engineering, 1968 California State University
B.S., Civil Engineering, 1966 University of California, Los Angeles
Educational Background: 
Registered Professional Civil Engineer: Washington
Research Areas: 
  • Engineering for Sustainable Forestry
  • Forest Operations Planning and Management
Research Interests: 
  • Forest Modeling
  • Forest Planning
  • Harvesting
  • International Forestry
Developing techniques for transportation planning, tactical forest planning, strategic forest planning, decision support systems for road management, biomass collection and transport.
Bio: 
During Academic Year 2023-2024: Projects - Biomass Production and Transport Planning, Steep Slope Logging Vehicle Performance, Clean Fuels, Electric and Hybrid Vehicles

Advising

Graduate Major Advisor
Graduate Students: 
Selected Publications: 
  1. West, T., J. Sessions, and B. Strimbu. 2021. Heuristic Optimization of Thinning Individual Douglas-Fir. Forests 2021, 12, 280. https://doi.org/10.3390/f12030280. Published on line Feb 28, 2021. 14 pp.
  2. Akay, A.E., Serin, H., Sessions, J., Pak, M., Bilici, E. 2021. Evaluating the Effects of Improving Forest Road Standards on Economic Value of Forest Products, Croatian Journal of Forest Engineering, 42(2):245–258.
  3. Diniz, C. and J. Sessions. 2020. Ensuring Consistency between Strategic Plans and Equipment Replacement Decisions. Published online June 5, 2020. International J. of Forest Engineering. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14942119.2020.1768769
  4. Lyons, K., J. Sessions and J. Wimer. 2020. Design of continuous bridle multiple-stump anchors. International J. of Forest Engr. 31(1):1-8, DOI: 10.1080/14942119.2020.1685833
  5. Lyons, K., J. Sessions and J. Wimer. 2020. The effect on tether tension when using trees to redirect live machine tethers during forest harvesting on steep slopes. Biosystems Engineering 195(2020):89-96.
  6. Green, P., W. Chung, B. Leshchinsky, J. Sessions, S. Fitzgerald, J. Wimer, T. Cushing, and J. Garland. 2020. Insight into the Productivity, Cost and Soil Impacts of Cable-assisted Harvester-forwarder Thinning in Western Oregon. Forest Science 66(1):82-96.
  7. Diniz, C., J. Sessions, R. Timofeiczyk Junior, and R. Robert. 2020. Equipment replacement policy for forest machines in Brazil. International J. of Forest Engineering 31(2):87-94.
  8. Hall, D. and J. Sessions 2019. Calculating the length of long bridle legs. Journal of Theater Design and Technology 55(4):46-50.
  9. Strimbu, B., C. Qi, and J. Sessions. 2019. Accurate geo-referencing of trees with no or inaccurate terrestrial location devices. Remote Sensing 2019, 11(16), 1877; doi:10.3390/rs11161877. Online August 11, 2019.
  10. Petitmermet, J., J. Sessions, J. Bailey, and R. Zamora-Cristales. 2019. Cost and productivity of tethered cut-to-length systems in a dry forest fuel reduction treatment: A case study. Forest Science 65(5):581-592. Online March 30 at https://academic.oup.com/forestscience/advance-article/doi/10.1093/forsci/fxz010/5423754.
  11. Acuna, M., J. Sessions, R. Zamora-Cristales, K. Boston, M. Brown, and M. Ghaffariyan. 2019. Methods to manage and optimize forest biomass supply chains: A review. Current Forestry Reports (2019) 5:124–141 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40725-019-00093-4. Springer. On line June 25 at https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007/s40725-019-00093-4
  12. Hersh, B., A. Mirkouei, J. Sessions, B. Rezaie, and Y. You. 2019. A review and future directions on enhancing sustainability benefits across food-energy-water systems: The potential role of biochar-derived products. AIMS Environmental Science 6(5):379-416. doi: 10.3934/environsci.2019.5.379
  13. Petitmermet, J., J. Fried and J. Sessions. 2019. Estimating biomass availability and cost when implementing forest restoration with tethered harvest systems. Journal of Forestry 177(4):323-339. Online June 5 at https://academic.oup.com/jof/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jofore/fvz033/5511745
  14. Belart, F., B. Leshchinsky, J. Sessions, W. Chung, P. Green, J. Wimer, and B. Morrissette. 2018. Sliding Stability of Cable-Assisted Tracked Equipment on Steep Slopes. Forest Science. Online Dec 20, 2018. https://academic.oup.com/forestscience/advance-article/doi/10.1093/forsci/fxy064/5256532#
  15. Sessions, J. and K. Lyons. 2018. Harvesting elevation potential from mountain forests. Published on line Oct. 1, 2018. International J. of Forest Engineering. https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/vDYX7eDrjZe9dyJ8Y2AZ/full
  16. Belart, F., J. Sessions, and G. Murphy. 2018. Seasonal changes in live branch moisture content of three forest species in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Forest Science. Available on line, August 29, 2018 at https://doi.org/10.1093/forsci/fxy038.
  17. Campbell, J., J. Sessions, D. Smith, and K. Trippe. 2018. Potential carbon storage in biochar made from logging residue: basic principles and southern Oregon case studies. Published Sep13, 2018. PLoS ONE 13(9): e0203475. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0203475.
  18. Daugherty, B., J. Sessions, R. Zamora-Cristales, and M. Wing. 2018. Improving Large Trailer Access for Biomass Recovery in Steep Terrain. Forest Science 64(4):429-441. Available on line April 4, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1093/forsci/fxx020
  19. Zamora, R, K. Boston, J. Long, and J. Sessions. 2018. Economic Estimation of the Available Biomass Following Logging Operations in Western Oregon and Washington. In press. Forest Products J. Available on line March 2, 2018 at http://www.forestprodjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.13073/FPJ-D-17-00045
  20. Han, H.-S., A. Jacobson, E.M. Bilek, and J. Sessions. 2018. Waste to Wisdom: Utilizing forest residues for the production of bioenergy and biobased products. Applied Engineering in Agriculture 34(1):1-7.
  21. Berry, M. and J. Sessions. 2018. The Economics of Biomass Logistics and Conversion Facility Mobility: An Oregon Case Study. Applied Engineering in Agriculture 34(1):57-72.
  22. Berry, M. and J. Sessions. 2018. A Forest-to-Product Biomass Supply Chain in the Pacific Northwest, USA: A multi-product approach. Applied Engineering in Agriculture 34(1):109-124. Available on Line at doi: 10.13031/aea.12384.
  23. Berry, M. , J. Sessions and R. Zamora-Cristales. 2018. Sub-regional comparison for forest-to-product biomass supply chains on the Pacific West Coast, USA. Applied Engineering in Agriculture 34(1):157-174.
  24. Belart, F., J. Sessions, B. Leshchinsky, and G. Murphy. 2017. Economic implications of moisture content and logging system in forest harvest residue delivery for energy production: a case study. Canadian J. of For. Res. 47(4): 458-466, https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2016-0428.
  25. Mirkouei, A., K. Haapala, J. Sessions, and G. Murthy. 2017. A Review and Future Directions in Techno-Economic Modeling and Optimization of Upstream Forest Biomass to Bio-oil Supply Chains. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 67(2017)15–35.
  26. Sessions, J., B. Leshchinsky, W. Chung, K. Boston, and J. Wimer. 2017. Theoretical Stability and Traction of Steep Slope Tethered Feller-Bunchers. Forest Science 63(2):192-200
  27. Chen, C., F. Pierobon, R. Zamora, I. Ganguly, J. Sessions, and I. Eastin. 2017. Modeling the processing and transportation logistics of forest residues using life cycle assessment. Journal of Forestry 115(2)86-94.
  28. Ghaffariyan, M. R., M. Brown, M. Acuna, J. Sessions, T. Gallagher, M. Kühmaier, R. Spinelli, R. Visser, G. Devlin, L.Eliasson, J. Laitila, R. Laina, M. Wide, and G. Engell. 2017. An international review of the most productive and cost effective biomass recovery technologies and supply chains. J. of Renewable Energy Reviews 74(2017) 145-158. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.02.014
  29. Mirkouei, A. K.R. Haapala, G.S. Murthy, and J. Sessions. 2016. Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions For Sustainable Bio-Oil Production Using A Mixed Supply Chain. Proceedings of the 2016 ASME IDETC/CIE: 21st Design for Manufacturing and the Life Cycle Conference (DFMLC), Paper DETC2015-59262, August 21-25, Charlotte, North Carolina.
  30. Zamora-Cristales, R. and J. Sessions. 2016. A collection model for forest biomass residues. Croatian J. of Forest Engineering 3(2):287-296.
  31. Mirkouei, A., K.R. Haapala, G.S. Murthy, and J. Sessions. 2016. Evolutionary Optimization of Bioenergy Supply Chain Cost with Uncertain Forest Biomass Quality and Availability. Proceedings of the IIE/ISERC, May 21-24, Anaheim, California.
  32. Wing, M.G., J. Burnett, J. Brungardt, D. Dobler, V. Cordell, and J. Sessions. 2016. Search and Rescue Operations with an Unmanned Helicopter. International Journal of Remote Sensing Applications, 2016, 6(0), 65-75. doi: 10.14355/ijrsa.2016.06.007.
  33. Mirkouei, A., P. Mirzaie, K. Haapala, J. Sessions and G. Murthy. 2016. Reducing the Cost and Environmental Impact of Integrated Fixed and Mobile Bio-Oil Refinery Supply Chains. J. of Cleaner Energy 113(2016):495-507. On line at doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.11023