Biological Diversity

The fifty three species of mammals recorded at the Andrews Forest include black bear, flying squirrel, deer, and red tree voles. To learn more about what animals live at the forest, see our Species List page.

Twenty different species of reptiles (which include lizards) and amphibians (which include salamanders) can be found at the Andrews Forest. The rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa) is so commonplace at the Forest that it has taken on the role of mascot, appearing in the Andrews Forest logo.  The Pacific Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon ensatus), fondly nicknamed Dicamp by researchers, can reach up to 12 inches (30 cm) long.

The nine species of fish found at the Andrews Forest live in the small, cold streams that flow through the forest. The species include the cutthroat trout, the mottled sculpin, and the speckled dace. To learn more about the kinds of fish and other creatures at the Andrews Forest, see our Species Lists page.

Plant species at the Andrews Forest include enormous Douglas fir trees, which can reach 300 feet tall, and the tiniest mosses. The 505 species recorded include plants with flowers, cones, catkins, and fruits. The full list of plants species can be found on our Species Lists page. 

The Andrews Forest is home to resident birds, such as the Varied Thrush and the the iconic Northern Spotted Owl, which stay all year round. The Forest is also home to migratory birds, such as the Black-Throated Grey Warbler and the Swainson's Thrush, which spend the summer breeding season at the Andrews Forest and fly south for the summer. The full list of birds can be found on our Species List.

The tallest tree on the Andrews Forest, a Douglas Fir, was identified by LIDAR imaging.  If you saw the previous version of this Fast Fact, you would have seen that the tallest tree on site was 299 feet, measured in 2008. The height of that tree was verified in 2009 with a measuring tape! This other, now taller tree, was measured by LIDAR in 2016. A cross-section of that LIDAR image is pictured here. As a point of comparison, the Statue of Liberty stands at 305 feet tall, including her base. 

Invertebrates, which include insects, spiders, centipedes, and slugs, number more than 3,100 at the Andrews Forest, with the possibility of many more species to be found and documented. See our species lists for a full list of the invertebrate species that have been documented...so far.

Most of the Andrews Forest is covered in dense forest. Huge, iconic Pacific Northwest old-growth conifer forests grow here with cedar, hemlock, and moss-draped ancient Douglas fir trees. See our Forest Description page for more information.