Daniel McGarvey, an associate professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, contacted us early on in the fire to share his memories and connection to the Andrews Forest and Lookout Creek. “I traveled to Lookout Creek in 2018 to sample fish and stream invertebrates with a crew made up entirely of underrepresented minorities.
Art Exhibition – Forest Field Reports; Creative Collaboration at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest with special guest David Buckley Borden
Nov. 9, 2023 – 4-6 p.m. Starker Forests Classroom (PFSC117) and PFSC Atrium, OSU Campus
Join us for a discussion with artist David Buckley Borden, the Andrews Forest designer-in-residence, as he shares his latest environmental-communication collaborations with the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest LTER Program and the Fuller Initiative for Productive Landscapes. In an image-rich presentation, David will discuss his research-driven creative process and fluid collaborative approach to environmental communication using a series of accessible case studies including the PNW Tree ID project, Forest Fashion (Lookout Edition) and the Unfinished Book Bureau. After the talk, stick around for refreshments in the PFSC Atrium, and conversation and exploration of various artistic pieces by Borden and collaborators.
Despite the site’s ancient trees, rich biodiversity, and ongoing wildfire, the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest remains a secret from many Oregonians. Please join Dr. William Robbins, Emeritus Distinguished Professor of History at Oregon State University, to learn more about the past, present, and future of this experimental forest. More information and RSVP: https://highdesertmuseum.org/events/natural-history-pub-oct/
October 2, 2023
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Doors open at 5:30 pm
FREE
At McMenamins
Old St. Francis School
700 NW Bond St., Bend
The H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest and Long Term Ecological Research Program are featured in an article by Lynda Mapes for the Sept 24 2023 Sunday edition of the Seattle Times: "Decades of research burned in this Oregon forest. Now it could hold clues to wildfire mysteries"
Andrews Forest Monthly Meeting: Friday, October 6, 9-11 AM
Richardson 313 with a zoom option
A central focus to our meeting will be the Lookout Fire, which has burned approximately 70% of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest to date. We’ll provide an update on the fire, fire suppression activities, road and access restrictions, and we’ll ask you for input and ideas.
Our meetings follow the academic year, the first Friday of the month, 9-11 AM. Upcoming meetings: November 3 (RH313), December 1 (RH313), January 5 (Peavy 315), February 2 (Peavy 315), March 1 (Peavy 315), April 5 (Peavy 315), May 3 (Peavy 315), and June 7 (Peavy 315).
Kari O’Connell, previously the HJA Forest Director and now the Associate Director at the OSU Center for Research on Lifelong STEM Learning, shares her reflection:
"One of my fondest memories of the Andrews Forest is the afternoon I hiked on the Watershed 2 trail with Howard Bruner and Robert Michael Pyle, during Robert’s residency (the first writers residency of the Long-Term Ecological Reflections program). In Robert Michael Pyle’s own words,
Roswell Ridge, which burned today, August 25, is a central hub within our wireless network and our webcam network. For years, we have maintained webcams to provide real-time information on conditions at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest. Viewers can get a sense for current weather, road conditions, or the progression of the seasons. For example, our floodcam points at Lookout Creek and viewers can watch the water in the stream, and the wood in the stream, rise in the winter rains.
Studying forest dynamics takes decades, even centuries. The western Cascade Mountains of Oregon, including the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest, harbor centuries-old stands of old-growth forests, which are known for their high biomass, complex structure, and multi-layered forest canopies. In 1971, scientists established multiple permanent sample plots across the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest and elsewhere in the region, largely to study old-growth forest ecosystems. Scientists continue to visit the plots every year.
For the past few days, the Lookout Fire has been burning around one of our remote weather stations, Upper Lookout (UPLMET), and is nearing a second, Central (CENMET). Fortunately, as of the time of this post (August 21), the UPLMET station continues to send useful weather data over our network of radio relays. The first weather stations at HJA were installed to aid research on logging methods starting in 1952. Three more stations were added over time. Today we maintain seven weather stations spread out to capture the environment across the entire research forest.
Rob Mutch, the USFS Fire Lookout stationed on Carpenter Mountain, was on duty on August 5 and was the first to spot the tell-tale waft of smoke from the flank of Lookout Mountain, following the lightning storm on August 5. Rob, who is also a professional photographer, shared photos of the fire a week later, as conditions caused a massive column of smoke. For safety, Rob was moved from his station on Carpenter Mountain and is now assisting other USFS fire lookouts in the area.