Rainy Creek Experimental Forest
_Beginning in the summer of 2005, Dr. Underwood assembled a team of
undergraduates to assist in the establishment of permanent sampling
plots in a 220 acre forest slated for experimental forest thinning. The
objective of the thinning is to alter successional processes to hasten
development of a complex foodweb capable of supporting the small mammal
prey base which, in turn will assist in recovery of the Northern
Spotted Owl. This on-going project brings together the resources of
Peninsula College, Olympic National Forest, and the Pacific Northwest
Research Station. In addition, faculty from the College of Forest
Resources at the University of Washington – Drs. Jerry Franklin, Bob
Edmonds and Eric Turnblum – have assisted in the design phase of the
investigation.
The project affords an outstanding opportunity for students to discover the physical and biological attributes of the Olympic National Forest while contributing to an ongoing and significant study in applied forest ecology. Working as members of research teams, students help establish permanent sampling plots using Global Positioning Systems and Geographic Information Systems, in many respects the technological cornerstone of natural resource science. Dataloggers are used in conjunction with laser rangefinders and other mensuration tools to estimate forest structure, the data later used in the Landscape Management System to simulate forest development over time. They sample soil and conduct laboratory analysis to estimate soil chemistry, soil biodiversity, soil productivity and soil structure. Other activities include sampling the flora to determine the productivity and biodiversity of understory ecosystems; and invertebrate and small mammal trapping. All told, their work will make possible the testing of hypotheses regarding the effectiveness of forest restoration efforts to propagate biodiversity values in our National Forests.
Shaelee Evans. 2008. Restoring sustainable forests of the Pacific Northwest. mov file (5.5mb)
Contact: Daniel A. Underwood, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics & Environmental Science
The project affords an outstanding opportunity for students to discover the physical and biological attributes of the Olympic National Forest while contributing to an ongoing and significant study in applied forest ecology. Working as members of research teams, students help establish permanent sampling plots using Global Positioning Systems and Geographic Information Systems, in many respects the technological cornerstone of natural resource science. Dataloggers are used in conjunction with laser rangefinders and other mensuration tools to estimate forest structure, the data later used in the Landscape Management System to simulate forest development over time. They sample soil and conduct laboratory analysis to estimate soil chemistry, soil biodiversity, soil productivity and soil structure. Other activities include sampling the flora to determine the productivity and biodiversity of understory ecosystems; and invertebrate and small mammal trapping. All told, their work will make possible the testing of hypotheses regarding the effectiveness of forest restoration efforts to propagate biodiversity values in our National Forests.
Shaelee Evans. 2008. Restoring sustainable forests of the Pacific Northwest. mov file (5.5mb)
Contact: Daniel A. Underwood, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics & Environmental Science