Monitoring the Health of a Temperate Old-Growth Froested Watershed, Hoh River Valley, Olympic National Park, Washington
Edmonds RL, Blew RD, Marra JD, Blew J, Barg AK. 1997. Monitoring the Health of a Temperate Old-Growth Froested Watershed, Hoh River Valley, Olympic National Park, Washington. Pacific Northwest Regional office. Seattle, WA
Although there is considerable knowledge of coastal Pacific Northwest forest ecosystems ..., knowledge of how small watersheds function in the ecosystems is limited, especially in the temperate rainforests on the western Olympic Peninsula. Our studies were conducted in two small watersheds (low elevation West Twin Creek and high elevation Hoh Lake) in pristine, temperate, old-growth rainforests in the Hoh River Valley. This research has established baseline datasets for precipitation, canopy interception processes (thoughfall and stemflow), soil solution, hydrology, and stream chemistry in the West Twin Creek watershed and has provided an understanding of natural acidification processes and nutrient retention mechanisms in undisturbed ecosystems. In addition, we have monitored vegetation dynamics, tree health, growth, and mortality, and microclimate at this site. For several years we also conducted studies at Hoh Lake and examined vegetation dynamics, tree growth and mortality. Chemical investigations occurred at Hoh Lake intermittently from 1984 through 1988, but due to difficult access we stopped operating this site; these data are not included in this report. This document summarizes results from the program over a ten-year period from the initiation of the program in 1984 to 1993.
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- Edmonds, Robert; Blew, Roger; Marra, James; Blew, Judy; Barg, Amy
- Date of Issue
- 1997
- Publisher
- Pacific Northwest Regional office
- Units
- OLYM
- Keywords
- Hoh River Watershed, Hydrology, Monitoring, Nutrient Cycling, Old-Growth Forest, Precipitation Chemistry