Biological Diversity

Researchers at the Andrews Forest, and the forest itself, are featured in an Oregon Public Broadcasting EarthFix television show, "Old Growth Could Be Key For Native Songbird Species To Beat Climate-Change Heat." https://www.opb.org/television/programs/ofg/segment/climate-change-heat-oregon-washington-hermit-warbler-birds/    Get a stunning, bird's-eye view of the forest from above the trees, and through the trees, and find out what scientists are learning about how birds may be using the old-growth forest to beat the heat.

It’s hard to spot some kinds of animals—they’re secretive, or they’re active at night, or they live in remote places. This spring, scientists were delighted to find multiple images of two secretive mammals, the American marten (Martes americana) and the Grey fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), in photos captured by motion-sensor cameras set up in the Andrews Forest. The marten and the fox are seldom seen, even in a place like the Andrews Forest where researchers travel deep into the forest, morning and night. Although marten and grey foxes typically prefer older and undisturbed forests, they are relatively uncommon at the Andrews Forest. Marten in Oregon are typically found at higher elevations or along the coast. Both species are nocturnal during certain parts of the year and require hollow logs, burrows, or tree cavities for resting and denning. Both species feed primarily on mammals like squirrels, chipmunks, and hares, but their diets can include fruits, nuts, birds, insects, and carrion. Because marten and grey foxes are shy mammals, motion cameras are an important tool for surveying them and other mammals that are otherwise hard to see. Research at the Andrews Forest on mammals, including spotted skunk and weasels, continues, with a goal of learning more about each species, the role each plays in the ecosystem, and how their habits may be changing with a changing climate. 

Stream Fish and Amphibian Ecology at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest 

We are seeking 2 summer research assistants to conduct sampling for stream vertebrates and associated measurements of habitat and food resources. 

These research assistants will use established field protocols for study of cutthroat trout, pacific giant salamanders, tailed frog tadpoles and stream macroinvertebrates. They will also collect measurements of instream habitat and chemical characteristics. 

These positions will begin around July 9, 2018 and continue into early September, 2018.

The research assistants will be based at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, in the Oregon Cascades near Blue River, Oregon. The Andrews Forest was established in 1948 as an US Forest Service Experimental Forest, and since 1980 is one of the National Science Foundation's Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites. The field station has modern apartments with full kitchens, a well-equipped computer lab, and wireless internet.

The jobs have been posted: https://jobs.oregonstate.edu/postings/57237 . Applications will be reviewed starting April 9. 

This posting is for current students. If you are not a student and are interested in working with us this summer, please contact Sherri Johnson (sherrijohnson@fs.fed.us) for more information.

The Andrews Forest LTER program will support graduate student Marie Tosa and mentors Damon Lesmeister and Taal Levi for their work on, "How does land-use affect single-species ecology, mammalian communities, food webs, and biodiversity of the Pacific Northwest forests?" Their work will focus on the small and elusive western spotted skunk. See more at https://fw.oregonstate.edu/150-species/western-spotted-skunk. Support comes from the Long-Term Ecological Research grant from the National Science Foundation.