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Thirtieth anniversary of 1996 floods

News Brief Description: 

This weekend (Feb 6-8, 2026) marks the 30th anniversary of the major flood of 1996, which was one of the largest flows in the recorded history of Lookout Creek in the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest (HJA). The flood caused damage and destruction to communities across the Northwest--at its peak, the Willamette River came within a foot of overtopping the walls and flooding downtown Portland, Oregon.  At the start of the storm over a foot of snow was at the HJA headquarters site and over the several days of the storm an additional foot of rain fell, melting the snow, feeding the flood.  Gordon Grant took video at several places in and near Andrews, and segments were incorporated in Alan Honick's video, Torrents of Change. Research following the flood showed dramatic change in characteristics of streams and riparian zones, but also amazing resilience of components of the stream ecosystem. Rain-on-snow floods like the 1996 event are the largest floods not just in the PNW, but nationally, and the Andrews Forest long-term data provides unique insights into what causes these floods. 

Research Experience for Undergraduates in Ecohydrology

News Brief Description: 

Research Experiences for Undergraduates: The Effects of Forest Structure on Soil Hydraulics
June 23 - August 29, 2025

Participate in cutting-edge research in ecohydrology!

10-week internship includes:

  • Field work and data collection at H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest
  • Laboratory analysis at OSU 
  • One-on-one mentoring in field and lab techniques, data analysis, and science writing with Ph.D. students, post-docs,and research faculty.

Applications Open Until Filled

Questions? Contact Xander Takver 

Watershed Responses to Disturbance

As climate change intensifies, natural disturbances are dramatically reshaping ecosystems. This is especially prevalent across the western United States, particularly in vulnerable mountain regions with complex landscapes and tightly linked land-water systems. In this study, we examine how disturbances—whether sudden events like wildfires and bark beetle outbreaks, or ongoing pressures like reduced snowpack and gradual vegetation changes—affect the chemistry and flow of streams in temperate montane watersheds.

Stream Chemistry Response to Fire

Wildfires are increasingly affecting the wet forests of the Pacific Northwest, a trend expected to intensify with climate change. These fires disrupt water quality and streamflow, threatening aquatic ecosystems and drinking water supplies. While the impacts of high-severity wildfires on streams are relatively well-studied, less is known about low- and mixed-severity fires. To address this, researchers studied the mixed-severity 2020 Holiday Farm Fire in two watersheds within the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest.

Andrews Forest Monthly Meeting January 2025

Event Date: 
Friday, January 10, 2025
Event Brief Description: 

Andrews Forest Monthly Meeting: Friday, January 10,  9-11 AM

Presentations:

  • “NWFP amendment DEIS overview and introduction: how can HJA community engage in the process?” presented by Dr. Meg Krawchuk, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, College of Forestry OSU; serving member of Northwest Forest Plan Federal Advisory Committee.
  • “Streamflow generation in the heterogeneous subsurface landscape of the HJA: How will the landscape respond to fire?” Presenters: Zachary Perry and Dr. Catalina Segura, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, College of Forestry OSU
  • Graduate Student Lightning Talk: Title: “Water availability after fire: Modeling snowmelt isotopes in the HJA” presented by Lutz Klein, University of Bonn, Germany. Lutz is a first-year PhD student co-advised by Julian Klaus and Catalina Segura.
  • GlASS: Global Aggregation of Stream Silicon -- Shiny app with HJA data. Demonstration. Pamela Sullivan.
  • Lookout Fire Hypothesis paper update. Matt Betts and Dana Warren. 

After our presentations, at 10 AM, we will move into our community meeting, which includes updates on graduate student activities, site, WNF, community, education, new faces, and recent publications.

Peavy 315, Oregon State University.  Contact Lina DiGregorio for zoom option.

Our meetings follow the academic year. Upcoming meetings: Jan 10 (Peavy 315), Feb 7, Mar 7, April 4, May 2, June 6.

Influence of mixed-severity fire on stream water

Wildfires can alter streamflow response to precipitation and change water quality, which can pose a risk to aquatic ecosystems and downstream drinking water treatment. Research often focuses on the impacts of high-severity wildfires, with stream biogeochemical responses to low- and mixed-severity fires often understudied. Scientists studied the impacts of the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire at the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest where rare pre-fire stream discharge and chemistry data allowed them to evaluate the influence of mixed-severity fire on stream water quantity and quality.

Jaimie Ortega MS Defense on Streamflow Contributions

Event Date: 
Tuesday, January 30, 2024
Event Brief Description: 

Please join us for Jaime Ortega’s MS thesis defense: "Driver of Relative Streamflow Contribution in Mountainous Headwater Streams".

Jaime did field work at the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest in Lookout Creek and Cold Creek. His major advisor was Dr. Catalina Segura.

Tuesday, January 30. 12:30 p.m.  Richardson Hall 313 or zoom.

Rivers as a Storyteller

Submitted by Lina on Fri, 09/22/2023 - 12:59

Jaime Ortega, an OSU graduate student who grew up in Panama, shares that one of his greatest memories at the Andrews Forest, specifically in the Upper Lookout Creek catchment, was admiring the fascinating changes in the forest throughout the four seasons and how rivers respond to storm events.

McRae Creek NEON Site

Submitted by Lina on Fri, 09/22/2023 - 12:24

McRae Creek, on the edge of the Lookout Fire this week, is home to an aquatic field site of the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). The continental-scale network collects long-term ecological data to understand how ecosystems are changing. The NEON study reach at McRae Creek includes a meteorological station and two in-stream sensor stations to characterize environmental conditions and water quality. Since 2017, NEON staff have collected water quality samples and monitor populations of fish, benthic microbes, macroinvertebrates, and more.

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