When Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980, its northern flank collapsed, triggering the largest landslide in recorded history. A good portion of this debris avalanche tore through Spirit Lake. Within moments, the lake was violently altered. The picturesque recreation site, home to youth camps and visitor lodges was gone. When the debris avalanche […]
Category: Science Writing
The deadly amphibian bsal disease: How science-management partnerships are forestalling amphibian biodiversity losses
Avian influenza, rabies, mad cow disease, and even chronic wasting disease are animal diseases that make the headlines because of the human-health link and the ease in which they spread among animals, regions, and even countries. Lesser known are the nongame wildlife diseases. Although an alert for global amphibian declines began almost 30 years ago, […]
Counting carbon: Calculating how headwater streams contribute to the carbon cycle
U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Science Findings December 2018 Pacific Northwest forests play a significant role in the global carbon cycle. Because they sequester atmospheric carbon, they are considered long-term carbon sinks when one is calculating the carbon budget for the region. Yet a forested landscape is more than trees; numerous headwater streams […]
The Recovery of Soil Fungi Following a Fire
U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Science Findings June 2018 If all the fungi within a half gram of forest soil were lined up, they would form a line that’s half a mile long. That same half gram of soil includes bacteria that number in the hundreds of thousands. These fungi and […]
River food webs: Incorporating nature’s invisible fabric into river management
U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Science Findings April 2018 Increasing the population of spring Chinook salmon and summer steelhead in Washington state’s Methow River is a goal of the Upper Columbia Spring Chinook Salmon and Steelhead Recovery Plan. Spring Chinook salmon and summer steelhead are listed as endangered and threatened, respectively, under […]
Can We Store Carbon and Have Our Timber and Habitat Too?
U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Science Findings November 2017 We ask a lot of our national forests. They are our recreation destinations, while providing habitat for numerous wildlife and plant species. They are a source of timber that supports jobs for rural communities and our cities’ water supplies. And they are vital in […]
There’s carbon in them thar hills: But how much? Could Pacific Northwest forests store more?
U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Science Findings April 2017 As a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the United States annually compiles a report on the nation’s carbon flux—the amount of carbon emitted into the atmosphere compared to the amount stored by terrestrial landscapes. Forests store vast amounts of […]
The Idiosyncrasies of Streams: Local Variability Mitigates Vulnerability of Trout to Changing Conditions
U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Science Findings November 2016 Land use and climate change are two key factors with the potential to affect stream conditions and fish habitat. Since the 1950s, Washington and Oregon have required forest practices designed to mitigate the effects of timber harvest on streams and fish. Yet questions remain […]
Flows of the Future: How will climate change affect streamflows in the Pacific Northwest?
U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Science Findings July 2016 Much of the water supply in the Pacific Northwest originates in national forests. It sustains the region’s aquatic ecosystems, agriculture, hydroelectric power, and community water supplies. Understanding how climate change will affect water supply is one of the most pressing issues of our time. […]
Rise and shine: How do northwest trees know when winter is over?
U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Science Findings March 2016 Trees bursting forth with new leaves signal the arrival of spring. Budburst for most temperate tree species occurs after a tree has been exposed to a sufficient number of chilling and forcing hours over the winter. Waiting until these chilling and forcing hours have […]
Writings by Andrea Watts 