History

Human History

Indigenous peoples have been in relationship for thousands of years with the forests, streams, and meadows we now call the Blue River watershed. In the Kalapuya Treaty of 1855 (aka Treaty of Dayton, Willamette Valley Treaty), the Kalapuya were forced to cede this land to the US Government. We continue to learn about, recognize, and value the attributes of the Blue River watershed that reflect the enduring relationship between Indigenous people and the land. We strive to be mindful of this relationship and to integrate it in our research, our decision-making, and our actions. 

See the Human History page for information on Indigenous presence on the land and history of the site before the 1948 establishment of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest. 

Program History

The H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest (HJA) was established in 1948 by the U.S. Forest Service.  In 1980, the HJA was designated as one of the first NSF-sponsored Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) sites. Currently, major research themes of the Andrews Forest Program continue to include disturbance processes, landscape and water dynamics, carbon sequestration and fluxes, biological diversity, forest-stream interactions, soil and watershed processes, and the cultural dimensions of forests and watersheds.  Analyses of long-term data reveal environmental trends over time in relation to climate, succession, and other factors.  The history of the Andrews Forest Program, like that of any long-term ecological research program, has revealed important knowledge for society and provoked questions about humankind’s relationship to the world.

See the Program History page for more information on the history of the H.J. Experimental Forest and Long-Term Ecological Research Program. 

Learn about our long-term and long-running Experimental Watersheds, Gauging Stations, and Climate Stations