The H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest: Seventy Years of Pathbreaking Forest Research

The H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, a 15,800-acre area in the Willamette National Forest, “is a thoroughly western Oregon place of steep mountain slopes, narrow valleys, and cascading streams that empty into Lookout Creek, the main tributary to Blue River. One of four U.S. Forest Service–designated experimental forests, “The Andrews” is renowned nationally and internationally as a site for forestry research and ecosystems studies. In this research article, William G. Robbins recounts the seventy-year history of the forest by drawing on archival resources and oral histories located at Oregon State University (OSU). Fundamental research conducted in the forest includes the characteristics of old-growth forests, maintaining heathy streams, and how northern spotted owls changed thinking on forests and prompted a shift in federal forest policies. According to Robbins, “despite its seeming anonymity, the Andrews is a busy and hospitable place that continues to expand the boundaries of our understanding of natural systems.”