Swanson, Fred. 1996. What is a flood? A report on the Andrews Forest flood pulse study. PNW Research News. June/July: 3-5.
What is a flood? Perspectives differ. Floods are viewed differently by those re-sponsible for road systems. Fish communities and riparian vegetation all impactsediment production and transport. The flood of February 1996 in the PacificNorthwest exhibited the multiple dimensions of floods.
Over 90 scientists, technical specialists, and students gathered the week ofJune 24 at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest to address this question. Thegroup studied landslides, stream geomorphology, riparian vegetation, amphibians,and stream ecosystems. During this intensive, interdisciplinary field program,called a "pulse," learning was shared around a campfire in the evening. Partici-pants in the 1996 Flood Pulse came from Oregon State and several other univer-sities, the PNW Research Station, the Willamette National Forest, the NationalBiological Survey, and the Fish and Wildlife Service. Scientists from Spain, Japan,and France also joined the pulse.