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 […]

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 […]

Nearby Nature—A Cost-Effective Prescription for Better Community Health?

U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Science Findings January 2017 A balanced diet and regular exercise are fundamental for good health, and a daily dose of nature may be equally important. Nearly 40 years of research has demonstrated that “metro nature”—nature found in urban environments, such as parks or tree-lined streets—provides positive and measurable […]

Preparing for the Future and Adapting to the Times

TimberWest November/December 2017 With over 40 years of working in the Mossy Rock-Winlock area of Southwest Washington, there aren’t many hills that the Lyons family hasn’t logged. “We’ve been pretty fortunate to [have] spent 30 years in this area,” says Brad, while driving out to the first of several jobsites where his crews are working. […]

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 […]