We are beginning new studies of phenology at the Andrews Forest to better understand influences of existing complex climatic gradients on timing of springtime life history events for multiple trophic levels. Phenological events are highly sensitive to temperature and climatic variations and are some of the most responsive indicators to climate change. By studying timing of events at multiple sites in a very heterogeneous climatic landscape, we expect to learn much about plant, insect and bird responses to current abiotic variability (i.e.

The vast majority of biodiversity on Earth lives in the soil; to what degree are this diversity and the ecosystem functions they perform regulated by climate and plant productivity? In this study, we seek to determine the relationship between climate/Net Primary Productivity (NPP) and soil food web structure. Research sites, each consisting of a forest and paired grassland, are located along east-west transects in Oregon; these transects encompass climates producing the greatest productivity and nearly the least productivity on the continent.

The vision for a future “cyber forest” at the Andrews Experimental Forest foresees high performance wireless communications enhancing connectivity among remote field research locations, station headquarters, and beyond to the university and Internet. Increasing use of sensor technologies and collaboration tools for both research and education foretell exponential increases in data and information flow.

Climate warming in western North America is expected to result in reduced snowpack, earlier melt, and increased evapotranspiration.  Consequently a shift toward a greater proportion of streamflow earlier in the water year with diminished spring and summer streamflows is anticipated.  However, few datasets exist of streamflow with associated climate and vegetation records adequate to interpret changes in climate, forest processes, and their consequences for streamflows.  This study examines trends in long-term streamflow records from three headwater catchments in old growth f

The known biodiversity of tardigrades in North America is limited. Less than one-fourth of the known tardigrade species have been recorded in the United States. As part of the NSF-Biotic Surveys and Inventory and Research at Undergraduate Institutions programs we are attempting to expand the known biodiversity of North American Tardigrades by sampling 23 of America’s LTER sites. This work is a collaborative effort between Fresno City College, Baker University, Brigham Young University and the Academy of Natural Sciences Philadelphia.  

LTERmaps is an internet interface to LTER site base data.  The application uses internet mapping software to provide access to site locations, boundaries, and Trends data tables.  Several approaches were tried by the inter-site working group including off the shelf internet mapping applications, Google Maps and Google Earth.  The poster will highlight the process of collecting the data for the project, the value of video conference calls during the project, and the types of data configurations tried, and the pros and cons of the different approaches. 

The US Forest Service contracted with Watershed Sciences to provide LiDAR data collection
for the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest located within the Willamette National Forest,
consisting of approximately 16,700 acres in Lane and Linn Counties, Oregon.
The data were collected on August 10th and 11th, 2008.

Deliverable from the contractor included raw point cloud data, 1 meter bare-earth
and highest hits DEMs. A vegetation layer was produced by subtracting the bare-earth
DEM from the highest hits DEM.

Ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi are a prominent and ubiquitous feature of forest soils, forming symbioses with most tree species, yet little is known about the magnitude of their impact on forest carbon cycles. A subset of EM fungi form dense, perennial aggregations of hyphae, which have elevated respiration rates compared with neighboring non-mat soils. These mats are a foci of EM activity and thereby a natural laboratory for examining how EM fungi impact forest soils.

     The Andrews LTER program is currently in the first year of its sixth funding cycle, “LTER6”. For nearly 30 years our research program has aimed to understand the long-term dynamics of forest and river ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest. The Central Question guiding this research has been and continues to be: How do land use, natural disturbances, and climate change affect three key sets of ecosystem services: carbon and nutrient dynamics, biodiversity, and hydrology? In LTER6 we are approaching our Central Question through new avenues.