6
CllAP'rER I
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WIND RIVER DPERIMENTAL
FOREST
HISTORY
Bay R. Silen
In 1933,
a 10,310 acre block of the Columbia National Forest (now Gifford
Pinchot National Forest) in aouthwestern Washington was formally designated as
the Wind River Experimental Forest.
an historic event.
This action was more a name change than
Although a formal history might concentrate on events
after that date, Wind River had long before beccme the focal point of forest
research in the Douglas-fir Region.
Wind River is aptly called the •cradle of
Forest Research in the Pacific Northwest. •
No
other site in the west provides
so concentrated a capsule of forestry frcm its beginning to the present.
First experiments at Wind River began when a 5-acre spot in the valley was
.
cleared in 1909 for a nursery and eastern white pine was included among the
first seed lots sown.
In most years since, sane experimental savings have
been done for experimental purposes.
By 1913 part of the expanded clearing
was formally called the Wind River Forest Experiment Station, and research
activity continued to expand there through the next two decades.
In 1908, a year prior to the first nursery clearing, Forest Service
acSministration in the Northwest was reorganized.
'1'he Bureau of Forestry was
decentralized with establishment of a District Forester's Office (later called
Regional Office) in Portland.
Two aeetions of this office were involved with
research at Wind River for a number of years.
The Section on Planting under
Julius F. JCunmtel founded the nursery and conducted nursery and regeneration
studies.
These were ..inly informal studies that were reported annually in
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nursery reports which still are aaintained
Nursery.
Rive
as
a ccmplete file at the Wind
'l.'here are relatively few articles in scientific journals that
.
reflect this work at the Wind River Hursery.
'l'he Section on Silvie& under
'l'hornton T. Munger conducted formal as well as informal studies.
The
Douglas-fir Heredity Study and Wind River Arboretum, both started in 1912,
were formal projects still maintained for their long-te:cm research value.
This section eventually evolved into the present Experiment Station.
Organizationally, Forest Service research activities were offically
located at Wind River in 1913 on a site ajoining the nursery.
Following a
pattern in other western regions, the site was called the Wind River
Experiment Station.
Administrative control remained with the District
Forester's office until 1919, then research jurisdiction shifted to Washington
D.
c.
office.
The Director of the Wind River Experiment Station from 1913 to
1924 was Julius v. Hoffman (he used the initials •J.v.• presumably to
distinguish from Julius ICulllmel) .
The northmost dwelling-site building in the
present row of structures on the site was erected as the Experiment Station
headquarters.
When the Pacific Northwest Forest Experiment Station was established in
1924, the Wind River Experiment Station became an important branch location.
By then a 160-acre tract adjacent to the nursery in the Wind River Valley was
devoted exclusively to experimental use and dotted with many studies.
In
1932, Leo Isaac was assigned to rec011111end on additional lands in the area that
would be suitable for experimental forest designation.
•The committee on experimental forests and ranges
decided in 1930
to
and natural areas
set aside an experimental forest for the
Douglas-fir (sic) type on the COlumbia- National Forest in the
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vicinity of the Wind River Branch Station at Stabler, Washington.
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In
accordance therewith, two areas of the !NZ'rounding country were
examined and maps and a preliminary report prepared during the past
year."
Be looked for old growth stands, young stands, and cutover or burns to provide
ample area for experimental plots in each of these forest conditions.
The
10,300 acres set aside in 1932, including the original 160 acres, were in two
blocks or •Divisions•--Trout Creek and Panther creek.
The Trout Creek
Division contained 6,500 acres of mature and overmature forests, burns and
cutover lands.
It included a natural area of 280 acres, set aside in 1926,
which was later expanded to 1,180 acres.
Be stated that--•by including the
non-timbered sections between the area and the Wind River Station, the present
experimental reservation and the proposed experimental forest will become a
continuous ccmpact unit and will include Douglas fir (sic) land in several
natural stages, i.e, remnants of fire-killed old growth, 30-year burn with
varying degrees of restocking, non-restocking brush, and fresh burns partially
replanted.•
The Panther Creek Division was primarily second growth
Douglas-fir forest.
This specific point was made regarding Panther Creek:
•The Panther creek Division constitutes the even-aged young growth (90 year)
Douglas fir (sic) area.
Since there was no area near this age class in the
Trout creek watershed and it is a type in which much private cutting is now
being done and a size at which Douglas fir (sic) will probably be cut under
management, it was decided to include this area in the experimental forest."
In
total, stands on the experimental forest are considered typical of the
cascade Range hum.id forest in the cascade Range.
(
Formal establishment of an
Experimental Forest assured control over ccmpeting forest uses that might
jeopardize long-term study plots.
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Since 1933 there bas been no official change in the area's status as an
experimental forest, except for ainor boundary adjustments, that brought the
acreage to 10,815 as of January 1, 1983.
Research activities and emphases
have undergone changes every decade in response to national and regional
events.
The period up to world war II -s characterized by gradual expansion
of progr ams and facilities at Wind River by research pioneers in the Forest
Service.
During the 1930's, several residences
and
a headquarters building
were constructed under the CCC program and enrollees also helped with research
studies.
Research activities ebbed during world War II but expanded after the war
with emphasis on timber harvest and regeneration problems. 'l'he first long-term
growth, vegetation, and 1110rtality plots in a Northwest natural area were soon
established and the dynamics of rodent populations in clearcuts and adjacent
stands were studied.
Harvest cutting trials· were installed in both old-growth
and second-growth stands on the Experimental Forest.
Wind River's role as a prilllary research location declined after the
mid-SO's as programs at other field locations were developed and as national
emphasis transferred scientists away frCllll field headquarters to scientific
laboratories.
After 1960, Wind River Experimental Forest was no longer manne d
and Experiment Station buildings were transferred to the Wind River Ranger
District.
Since then existing and new studies have been assigned to be
administered by projects headquartered at Forestry Sciences Laboratories in
Olympia and Corvallis.
An effort in the late 1960's -s made to bring the old growth stands on
Trout Creek Hill under a management plan.
Under the direction of District
Ranger Beal, in 1974 Jon s. BumStead ccmpleted a Troiit Creek Hill Management
Plan.
It specified that the primary objective of Research and National Forest
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lO
Administration -s to regenerate the 2,800 tract in successive entries.
With
•
this first
research
entry of 8 clearcut an.its in 1974-1979 for forest residue reduction
by Portland Scientists was initiated on 'l'rout Creek Jlill.
Methods of
'
treating residue and levels of utilization -re studied.
'l'his -s followed by
Ol.ylllpia Scientists installing spacing studies, mixed species plantations, and
related regeneration growth studies on the clearcuts.
Methods of regeneration
differed fran those envisioned in the 1974 plan.
'l'he impact of the Wind River Experiment Station and Experimental Forest on
aound forestry practices in the Douglas-fir Region has been very great.
Al.though most of the Station's research is now centered elsewhere, Wind River
always has l>een and remains the focal point.
Nursery practices everywhere are
still founded on pioneer findings learned at Wind River Nursery.
Silvicultural concepts and cutting practices.developed out of the trials,
e ven mistakes,
of the Wind River experience.
Re£orestation methods,
especially concepts concerning natural regeneration,
data from studies conducted at Wind River.
still rely heavily on
'1'he genetic studies still in
progress at Wind River continue contributing important information.
of many leaders in the Forest service, both in research
were molded
and
and
Careers
administration,
by their research experience gained in the Wind lliver valley.
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CHAP'l'ER IV
FINDINGS AND DY RESEAJCH
ROy R. Silen
INTRODUC'l'ION
'1'he lull in research activity during World War II provides a convenient
point in time to separate research at Wind River Experimental Forest into two
logical time periods.
'1'he scientists who dam.inated forest research in the
Northwest prior to World War II were winding down their careers by then.
A
•
surge of new Station scientists associated with Wind River soon after World
war II have, by
now,
completed their careers.
It was these two surges of
effort that contributed the majority of research at Wind River.
Research climate of the two periods were quite different.
Forest Service
emphasis of the first was mainly on protection· and assessment of the
resource.
In the second, harvesting and its associated problems was the
dominant emphasis.
Research in the first period was mainly controlled
observation featuring broad ranging, pragmatic, ecologically oriented goals.
There were few true specialists.
In the second period specialization and
sophistication became dominant at the loss of
research broad questions.
acme
capacity to effectively
'l'here were few true generalists.
Administration of
research in the first period was low key, local, or by scientists in Portland
who were still active in research at Wind River.
In the post World War II era
local administration flourished briefly, then the Experimental Forest
administration became more and more distant as it shifted to the Olympia
canter, and diffused to projects of the Forestry Sciences Laboratories at
Olympia and Corvallis.
The research findings are divided into contributions frcm each period.
Where single studies contributed significantly these are highlighted.
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A more
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comprehensive coverage was attempted
1'y
listing lifetime achievements of a
group• of the main scientists who worked there.
1908
TO WORID WAR II
The main research activities during this period involved nursery, planting
and 11eeding,
natural regeneration,
precOlllr
llle cial thinning,
provenance trials,
species trials, spacing,
silvicultural, stand development and monitoring
natural areas.
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Nursery Studies
Nursery studies were included with the first aowings in 1909.
By 1911,
c.
P. Willis produced a separate section of the annual Wind River Nursery report
on regeneration studies.
,
{
Scme idea of the scope of the 1911 effort is
provided from the annual production of over a million seedlings.
p0rt
questions addressed in this single annual re
Research
-re drill versus broadcast
saving, seed covering techniques to promote more even germination, irrigation
schedule trials, thinning densities of 1-0 stock, sulphuric acid treatment for
damping off, late summer transplanting,
trials.
and
gang dibble versus planting board
Similar scope of trials or research -re COlllDIOn to each subsequent
annual report.
It is safe to say that most of the practical questions of
nursery and planting practices received some research at Wind River between
1908 and World war II.
For many years thi• was the only nursery in the Region.
However, there
waa aCllll8 trading of information initially with George C. Sawyer of the
Silverton Nursery near Granite Falla, Washington, a Forest Service nursery
that operated between 1909 and 1914.
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The study on Douglas-fir 11eed reported on in 1915
was the largest seed study ever done on the species.
__.......
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1'y
Willia and Hoffman,
It covered seed yields
21
per tree, ber bushel, per cone, and per pound, and variation by tree age as
well as by parent.
Much of the data are •till applicable and useful.
el was long sustained toward
Research into nursezy practices under
upgrading practices at Wind River Kursezy.
This covered nursery design,
cultivation, fertilization, bed design, 80Wing methods, seed holding, weed and
pest control,
root
pruning, culling, grading and packing methods.
These early
decades of experiments and trials have undoubtedly merged indistinguishably
into the technology of all modern forest nurseries.
The only documentatio
for much of this is in the publication, •Forest Planting in the Douglas-fir
Region• by ICumme l, Rindt, and Meager in 1944.
Planting and Seeding Studies
The earliest seeding study was a trial of eastern white pine at Warren Gap
in 1910, resulting in a complete failure.
Some of the most imaginative work
at Wind River resulted from the early finding that mice consumed virtually all
the seed in sowing of cutovers.
One activity by
c.
P. Willis in 1916
discusses his frustrations from studies of concealment, burying, and chemical
protection of the seed.
Despite coatings of such repulsive items as red lead,
tar, belladonna, and mink urine the mice located and efficiently consumed the
seed even under 2 inches of soil.
Planting methodology was developed to considerable sophistication from
Seedling size, time of planting, planting methods, planting
planting studies.
tools, care in transport, and storage methods were standardized.
Some
indication of the success of the methodology is provided by the 1915 and 1916
planting of the Douglas-fir Heredity Study.
were planted as far away
as
Seedlings grown at Wind River
Mt. Bebo and Mt. Baker with 12 separate plantings
nearly all of which averaged over 90 percent first year survival.
Much of
this technology was reported in •Forest Planting in the Douglas-fir Region• by
.
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1tU111111 el, Rindt, and Munger in 1944.
However, like the nursery research, many
of the trials and studies were undocumented.
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Natural Regeneration Studies
Large burns that were in every part of the Region when Wind River nursery
began was the main reforestation concern of the period.
Planting projects
prior to world War II such as Yacolt, Cispua, Bebo, Breitenbush, Sanntiam, and
Still Creek required a sustained production of over 2 million seedlings by
1914.
Although natural regeneration usually followed the forest fires,
planting had to be done on areas repeatedly burned.
•
A systematic look into
the principles of natural regeneration was started by J.
v.
Hoffman.
A
transect of 4 milacre plots across Wind River Valley was established in 1918
to record every seedling from natural seeding.
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Wind River Valley was logged
from a railroad which resulted in a cutover of the valley bottom and up each
slope to the limit of skyline yarding.
The transect of the plots at right
angles to the valley permitted estimation of the effectiveness of seeding at
various distances downslope frcm the two timber edges, one on a north and the
other on a south slope.
Within 5 years over 1, 000 natural seedlings per acre,
mainly Douglas-fir, had reforested the north facing slope l/4 mile from the
timber edge.
The co=eaponding south slope was stocked with about 100
seedlings per acre.
The conclusion, which has been the keystone of natural
regeneration methods in the Northwest, is that on favorable slopes openings
should be less than l/2 mile across, preferrably l/4 mile.
These plots have been examined at intervals to date.
The record
constitutes the only long-term detailed sampling of natural regeneration
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through an entire rotation of Douglas-fir.
However, the conclusions of the
early years are now temperated with quite contrasting long-term results.
valley is now entirely stocked to conifers except near the river.
The
The
originally well-stocked plots within l/4 mile of timber edge are now a lower
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value stand so suppressed as to provide mainly small stems and many openings
fran snow damage.
The south-facing •lope, considered a failure for several
•
decades, has maintained a stocking of about 100 trees per acre.
The south
•lopes •tand is now of ccmmercial •ize and more valuable per acre than the
overstocked north •lope, which for decades was considered a forestry Buccess.
Now the most valuable stands are the ones on north slope more than 1/2 mile
fran timber edge with normal volumes of com.mercial size stems.
these were considered understocked.
For decades
Barly •tand density differences appear to
be the main factor for present stand characteristics.
•
The experiment has not
been reported formally since 1951.
After 1918 Hoffman continued to •tudy the factors of successful
regeneration, but wrongly concluded that enough seed was stored in the duff to
regenerate a clearcut.
The implication that no other seed source was needed,
was enthusiastically received and continuous clearcutting was considered as a
scientifically acceptable practice.
Hoffman became a Professor of
Silviculture at North carolina State University and outstanding leader in
Southern forestry after World war I.
Isaac studied natural regeneration after 1924 as one of his major
interests.
Bis approach was a ccaplete one involving detailed study of the
physical factors of light, temperature, moisture, competition, and of dam.aging
factors.
He produced many •cientific papers over a long period which are
•till regarded as the best information available on the topic for
Douglas-fir.
Bis •Reproductive Habits of Douglas-fir• published in 1943
9ummarized his life work in reforestation research.
It was timely.
The heavy
cutting in the Region following World war II finally had a sound •ilvicultural
body of knowledge.
Both oregon and Washington •oon passed sound forestry laws
24
l_
base
upon this work.
on the national forests his •patch cutting•
or
•staggered setting• proposal became the standard cutting practice.
Although Isaac had regeneration plots over the region, he used the Wind
River Valley clearcut, and adjacent Yacolt burn as his ma.in study area.
Several reburns had kept many openings in the Valley floor until the mid
1930's as convenient research sites.
Virtually all of his plots involving
instrumentation were near the headquarters site.
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Bcoloqical Studies
Thornton Munger's career was strongly slanted toward ecological studies.
He observed the natural succession of species in all the timber types.
Following Munger's suggestion, Judd, who had a. short career in research at
Wind River, perhaps was the first who deduced the true role of forest fires as
dominating the ecology of the Region.
his later publications.
Munger elaborated upon this theme in
These papers had served as the basis of the intensive
ecological studies today.
The establishment of the natural area in the Trout Creek Division was only
one of the efforts
by Munger to provide for the long time study of ecology.
He was the prime mover in starting other Experimental forests, each usually
providing a natural area.
He extended this thrust to formal setting aside of
natural areas in each unique forest habitat, the start of today's extensive
ayat- of natural areas.
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Silviculture
Information needed to maximize productivity of established stands through
harvest was addressed in several early studies.
25
P,ew studies in Douglas-fir have produced more persuasive impact on stand
management practice than a apacing trial installed by Isaac in 1924.
its design ahortccmings, such
as
Despite
lack of replication over a range of site
qualities, it has constituted a striking demonstration as well as producing
auch data on the consequences of overdense early stocking.
Anyone who has
visited the area comes away convinced that there can be a severe value loss
without control of tree density.
The plot provides a fairly clear
•
demonstration that while gross volume of a closed stand has been nearly equal
at the range of spacing frcm 4'
x
41 to 12' x 12', there is an opportunity to
distribute this wood to fewer large rather than many small stems, with perhaps
little growth loss frcm underutilized apace.
An unexpected outcome of the
study was that height as well as diameter reductions occurred with increasing
stand density.
A clear indication of increasing snow damage with increased
stand density was verified on a larger scale on the Wind River Transect
Study.
The study has been regularly reported on in recent years by Don
Reukema and Robert eurtia.
While other Wind River plots have not been as famous they have established
important concepts.
Considering the year 1919, a study of precommercial
thinning of a 9-year-old stand would not have been expected.
Its installation
by Hoffman has provided an unusual insight of an inte%play of trends
experienced over most of a rotation.
in 1910 was thinned to 8'
as
x
The dense reproduction following logging
81 density on two plots and a third left unthinned
a control when the trees were about 6 feet tall.
Thia single early
thinning succeeded in shifting a large portion of aubsequent growth to produce
larger stems.
It has been the -in demonstration in the Region to pr
wideapread practice of precommercial thinning.
sophisticated question.
te the
The study addressed another
Ia it better to thin to an exact 8' x 8
•
spacing or
'
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,
to le.ave an equivalent naaber of dominant trees instead?
it -s clearly best to leave the dalllinants.
to exact spacing is the better.
For about 30 years
By DDW, however, the plot thinned
The reason appears to he an indirect one
•
.Many of the smallest trees that fell on the exact s• x s• spacing did not
develop,
hence the plot for practical pu:<poses developed as if it were at
wider spacing,
even though it took many years for the good trees on the plot
to express this advantage.
once the crowns closed,
Gross growth on the 3 plots appears about equal
just as in the spacing study.
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Walter Meyer installed a series of replicated thinning and spacing plots
in 1934.
Because of sto:i:m damage to sane of the series their results have
been clouded,
and their contribution to practice has been small.
In the post world war I period a main thrust of the Station was inventory
of the Region.
A part of this effort .by Richard McArdle and Walter Meyer was
the development of the yield tables for Douglas-f.ir.
used were on the Wind River Experimental Forest.
A portion of the plots
The publication •The Yield
of DOuglas-fir in the Pacific Northwest• in 1930 may have been the Station's
most important contribution to forestry, since it provided estimates of volUllle
growth rates for any DOuglas-fir forest.
Studies of the improvement in stem quality frcm pruning have elucidated
the major principle that pruning may improve growth if continued up the stem
into the lover live whorls.
Apparently the shaded branches in dense stands
require enough photosynthate frCllll the upper crown to add detectable volUllles of
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stem growth if removed in pruning.
However, the ability to select the right
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tree to prune in a young stand is difficult.
Studies of crop tree pruning
reviewed two decade• later tlbowed only about 70 percent of the pruned trees
were fated to aurvive caupetition.
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Considerable insight -s gained by pathologists into the extent of stem
rots detected on the basis of external indicators such as fruiting bodies and
11t•
...,.lling.
scme of the early work by John s. Boyce vas done at Wind
tiver, but his coverage -s regionvide of pathological problems of all western
species.
The use of these studies vas in estimating the llJllOunt of cull
degrade in cruising or scaling.
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Species Trials
Forest species frcm eastern Ollited States were represented in early
aovings at Wind tiver, presumably because such seed vas ca:mnercially
available.
Scme planting of each lot behind the Experiment Station
headquarters was a common practice.
River Arboretum.
These formed the nucleus of the Wind
Soon, the trial of forest tr••• frcm all parts of the world
became a vigorous project under Thornton Munger.
Meanwhile forest plantings of introduced species was having mixed
results.
Summer drought was usually too severe for species that came from
regions like eastern United States vith ample summer rains.
animal damage was also a major problem.
Undoubtedly
By 1924 the Wind River scientists had
already concluded that introduced hardwoods were generally a failure even in
the arboretum, and henceforth the emphasis of introduced trees would be
confined to conifers.
The main trials of introduced species after 1924 were of conifers at the
Arboretum, or on Experimental Forests such as Cascade Head if Wind River
climate vas considered too harsh.
Arboretum record.
Nearly 200 species trials are in the
Initially a great interest vas generated by a clearly
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•upera.or early growth of
Buropean
and Asiatic larches.
Up to 20 years several
exhibited a SO percent 1113periority over Douglas-fir in the Arboretum.
l'Ortunately this enthusiaan 4id
:ay age SO, all the introduced
not
carry over into many ccmmiercial trials.
larches were fading, and any •uch ccamerical
plantings might now be a 4i•aster.
A few individual species, like Norway
spruce, continued to compete with Douglas-fir through three or even four
decades, but by now all are outstripped by Northwest conifers.
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'?he Wind River experience with species introduction has thus provided two
priceless lessons upon which a sound forest genetics program can be based.
11e droughts are more ••vere than most other major
The first is that our SU111r
commercial forest regions of the World whose trees, particularly hardwoods,
are probably not adapted or useful.
'?he •econd is that for each genera,
our
native Northwest conifers may start more slowly, but in their grand period of
growth they outgrow their counterparts fran other telllp8rate zone forest
regions of the world.
Northwest species will probably be used on a quarter of
the forest sites of western Europe for this reason.
These two lessons haw permitted the region to confidently devote its
limited efforts in forest genetics to native species.
Provenance and Family Genetic Studies
Although only two •tudies were installed at Wind River with a genetic
-Uvation, both have had an impact far beyond the original study plans.
were initiated by 'rhornton T. Munger.
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Both
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'1le Douglas-fir Heredity
Study of 1912
-• unusual for .its time.
Basically .it i• a study of 120 .individual parent trees, even though thirteen
local.it.iea frcm which the parents originated
are
highlighted .in subsequent
Racial studies -re aore usual elsewhere in the world.
reports.
But clearly
the questions asked had to be approached with studies of .individual parent
trees.
Are diseased trees, young trees,
suitable parentage .in reforestation?
or
trees growing on poor soils
Although the seed crops of 1912 was
•
listed as moderate, the crews sent out by Munger to collect cones along the
logging railways were successful .in gathering seed samples of individual trees
covering moat of the Douglas-fir Region.
known,
like E. J. Hanzliak,
c.
Hames, which later became widely
R. J:raebel, R.
w.
Weidmann,
R. Ames, and C. P. Will.is -re involved in the collections.
.involved, it .is small wonder that
c.
R. Tillotson, A.
With such talent
embellishments appeared .in the execution of
the study that were ahead of their time.
A mimeographed parent tree description fo:i:m recorded the location and
there was a sketch of every parent tree plus the record of germination on its
seed.
As
another .innovation, the study was replicated at a.ix locations, and
over two planting seasons, a practice that -s not reinstituted until the
1930's.
Every tree -s tagged with a c:uatcm made stamped aluminum tag which
numbered its row and position.
And a set of 12 long rows of 100 progeny per
fllJllily, each a separate fllJllily, ran the length of the plantation specifically
planned to assess with.in-plot a.ite variation.
Unfortunately randcmization for
statistical purposes was at.ill unheard of, so the study violates randcmness,
the major assumption of modern statistical analysis.
pants.
Fisher -s still in Jenee
30
orpe study
quickly demonstrated genetic differences at the racial level.
It also quickly llhowed large family differences in
the
family rows of 100
trees, although the significance of the latter observation -s DOt highlighted
until after 1950.
'l'hrough the period until world war II
the
viewpoint of each
analysis was that certain seed sources, like Darrington, Washington, should
serve as seed sources for general planting because of demonstrated superior
growth rate on most of
the
five remaining planting sites.
'l'he sixth site was
destroyed in a 1917 forest fire.
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Eventually the overriding iJllpac t of survival differences began to suggest
different principles in the intexpretation of results.
High elevation races
began to show superior survival, growth and stand forming characteristics at
high elevation sites.
Northernmost races began to shaw superior development
at the northe rnmost site.
The coastal race, which failed at four sites,
showed excellent growth at
the
lower than
sites.
the
test site.
coastal site despite orginating from l,000'
cascade seed sources •howed up best at the cascades
A broad brush view of seed source specificity was evolving.
Family differences within each race were always large, but began to
dominate after the stand& closed
weaker progeny.
and
Today any forester
suppression reduced fami.ly numbers of
can
rank the parent performance without
statistics by simply observing large differences in growth and survival
-lking from one family row to the next in any of the five plots.
The impact of this study on tree improvement in
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very great.
the
Northwest has been
first practical progrUIB were started by
Northwest landowners, they ccpied European
progrllll.lB
I
In the l950's when
the
and
southern United States
These poorly fit Northwest conditions because plus tree selection
ll
nccmpatible of
-s 41fficult, and Douglas-fir -s aong the most graft-i
species.
A cc:apletely different type of program -s proposed by Silen for
J>Ouglas-fir.
It -s based priaarily upon large scale testing to substitute
for plus-tree selection, upon highly localized progrlllllB to fit theae study
results,
and seedling orchards to avoid grafting problems.
.
Heredity study -s over SO-years old at that
The Douglas-fir
The new program could be
proposed with little risk since the use of wind-pollinated seed was already
•
known fran Northwest experience to provide an adequate test of parent trees.
The Ponderosa Pine Regional stuc!Y established in l926 was based on a
range-wide collection of seed fran 10 sources.
This was outplanted at 6
locations both east and west of the Cascade Mountains.
were alreac!Y large in the nursery,
and
in 1962 developed most of the findings.
Racial differences
have widened with time.
A publication
Inherent growth of ponderosa pine is
best in southwest Oregon and northern California and drops off clinally
eastward,
northward, and southward in response to assured moisture
availability in spring.
Needles were shown to be longest in western sources
and are inherently shorter in a clinal pattern that roughly follows the
inherent growth pattern.
'l'he western races have 3 or more needles.
east of the continental divide have 2 needles as a rule.
Those
Winter cold
susceptibility is also clinal with west coastal races most s usceptible.
There
are also large inherent differences in damage by frost and animals.
The ponderosa pine study has one plantation at Wind River.
There is a
local strain of ponderosa pine of which a few individuals are on
of this plantation.
the
boundary
Hone. of the 10 planted races approach the growth rate of
the Douglas-fir surrounding the plantation.
However, the ponderosa pin e
native to the valley is actually taller than Douglas-fir of the same age.
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Afte
the visitor views the problems with the 10 planted races, a visit to the
nearby elUU!lples of local ponderosa pine provide a lasting demonstration of the
illportance of correct seed source.
I
Like the clear demonistration of density
effects in the nearby 1924 spacing study, the Wind River plot of the Ponderosa
pine race study is a convincing genetic demonstration of genetic differences.
The study, when canbined with similar data from a contemporary study at
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Priest River, Idaho, has provided the main racial variation data for the
.species.
Monitoring Natural Areas
The setting aside of 160 acres of natural area for future studies, and its
(
increase to 1,100 acres soon after the Wind River Experimental Forest
establishment emphasizing the desire to gain data and information on c!ynamics
of natural stands.
Measurements of growth and mortality of plots in the
Natural Area established that in general old grovth stands were virtually
static with mortality losses balancing or exceeding growth.
In older stands
this balance represented a shift from high value old growth Douglas-fir to
lower value often decadent hemlocks, firs, and cedar.
It was this known trend
toward stand degeneration that became the focal point the controversy over
selective logging as the official policy of Region 6 in the mid 1930's.
Munger and Isaac saw in the practice a potential to degrade the Regions
National Forests by hastening the succession to an all aged, low value forest
heavy to cull trees.
'l'he outcome was establishment by Isaac of a large scale
aeries of old growth yield plots on selectively logged National Forest lands.
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World War II interrupted thi.s effort, but soon afterwards Isaac produced data
to show that these concerns were real.
Selective logging of old-growth
Douglas-fir was then discontinued as the policy in Region 6.
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l'OS'l'
WORLD
WAR l:I
:in prospective, the proportion of total reaearch effort associated with
Wind River Experimental Forest
appear in this review.
ter World war
l:l:
is much larger than it miqht
The decades follovinq the var were one of the more
active period& when one considers that such names as Steele, Eversole,
Bullard, Stein, Jtrueger, Meaqher, Staebler, Tarrant, Williamson, wriqht,
•
Childs, Reukema, Curtis, Miller, and Silen then fowid their way into the
literature.
A fair portion of post war effort is alreaay reported for early
studies that have been brouqht \IP to date in the previous section.
The new
study areas reported in this section cover second qrovth manaqement, harvest
cuttinq, alder and fertilizer studies, seed and seedlinq research and general
contributions.
Second Growth Manaqement--A heavy emphasis of the Experiment station after
1947 was on second-qrowth
naqement.
An ad hoc reqional •second Growth
Manaqement Committee, • sponsored by Philip Brieqleb to rapidly upqrade the
informational base of second qrowth, drew heavily on Wind River apacinq and
thinninq studies.
Publication of the committee report entitled, "Manaqement
of Second Growth Stands in the Douqlas-fir Reqion• stimulated research
qenerally, and at Wind River led to several new studies.
l:n 1952 a series of thinninq plots were established in the century-old
stand on the Panther creek division.
'l'Vo objectives are listed, one economic
and the other the biology involved with two levels of thinninq.
in this stand proved to be slower than in younqer
stands.
decade there was decreased ,.rovth in both thinning levels.
'l'he responses
For more than
.a
Results implied
that removal of expected mortality could be recaamended, but removal of
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appr,.::iable fractions of the stand at thia age required periods longer than a
deeade before growth be9&11 to approach fo:i:mer levels.
'l'heir valuable
experience has contributed to a more -ture view of second growth management.
Spacing studies also received renewed interest.
s. Meagher was established in 1951.
competing trees in a 41-year old
one study conceived by
G.
It involved removing O, 1, 2, and 3
stand frOlll around each of 10 designated crop
•
trees in dominant,
codominant
and
inte:cnediate crown classes.
Results after a
decade -re clear and consistent in that greatest response was on dominant
trees,
and with largest number of COlllpetitors removed.
However,
early
response was n on linear with much less response on codOlllinants or
intermediates,
than one.
and a much greater response with two or 3 cOlllpetitors removed
The study had wide implications for.young stands in showing
requirements for a quick growth response frOlll thinning.
A second spacing study was aimed to extend info:cnation beyond the 12' x
12' spacing of the 1924 study.
Wider spacings were achieved by thinning a 23
year old plantation frOlll a density of 680 trees to densities of SO,
200,
250,
spacing.
100, 150,
and 350 trees, the narrowest corresponding to about 11' x 11'
The initial result was unexpected.
All thinned plots suffered
•shock• to the extent that height growth after 5 years was reduced 46 to 69
percent compared to the unthinned stand.
occurred.
Sunscald and some mortality also
Since then the plots have begun to respond to the thinning.
AB
intended, they are beginning to demonstrate tradeoffs in financial returns in
the goal of concentrating growth on fewer larger stems.
!
Thus the plots installed in this period round out the early work toward
t
producing a regional long-term experience with spacing control.
35
cuttings
H
Another development soon after the world War II was the Station'• research
into harvesting of -ture stands.
This research centered mainly at the
Andrews and Cascade Head Experimental Forests.
At Wind River
acme
B.
J.
timber
sales -re made in the Trout Creek division to provide new age clases for
Emphasis began to decline on this activity in the mid 1950's
future studies.
•
•
It revived again at Wind River around concepts concerning the conical
extinct volcano of Trout creek Hill.
The idea that this landmark might serve
as an unusual stuey area was conceived by Dr. David M. Smith, Yale
University.
Smith spent a summer reviewing the Experiment Station
Silvicul.tural research program.
The suggestion, which appeared in his report,
was to start a series of pie-shaped clearcuttings at each of the four
quadrants to regenerate a series of new age classes for detailed silvicultural
studies.
The idea developed slowly as a cooperative thrust by District and
Station personnel.
The final plan, which called for establishing a new age
class on each quadrant at 10 year intervals, has one installment completed.
Red Alder Studies
The potential role of red alder in-DOuglas-fir management has received
primary stud,y at the Wind River Experimental Forest.
This species is one of
the -in natural sources of nitrogen in the soils of the region.
A
fortuitious pre-World war I planting of red alder proposed by E. s. Hanzlik
as a firebreak strip on the Trout Creek Division provides a striking example
of its effect on DOuglas-f ir growth.
Isaac first noticed that seedlings
within the strip showed llUCh better growth over those just outside.
Tarrant
related this increase growth to higher nitrogen levels in the soil.
He vent
on to assess annual contriblltion of nitrogen fraa red alder in these and other
.
·.- ·.
· -
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- - - -
4.iAA.:•
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aldex> atandS i n the Region.
-
'1'he finding by Station pathologists that alder
also inhibited Phellinus weirii raised the prospect for an important role for
the t1pecies in Douglas-fir 111anagement.
I
Fertilizer Study
Effect of nitrogen fertilizer was tested in 1964 on a 35-year-old, Site
chlorotic plantation on the Yacolt burn.
v,
Both diameter and height increased
•
from application of 200 to 600 lbs of ammonium nitrate per acre.
in diameter vas nearly linear,
and favored larger diameter trees.
The response
There was
severe snowbreakage of codominant trees with highest application rates,
however.
The results of the Wind River experiment reinforced conclusions of other
scientists that fertilizer application in low .site stands may favor better
average stem diameter by encouraging suppression or breakage of lower crown
classes.
Another result has been to stimulate fertility studies to become a
major interest of Olympia Laboratory scientists.
Seed
and Seedling Studies
One stUdY at the Wind River nursery by :Krueger and Trappe contributed much
to the concepts surrounding successful forest planting.
'l'Wo
seasons of
nursery growth were monitered for root and shoot growth as well as levels of
food reserves.
The finding that shoot and root growth alternated in surges
thr0U9h the season contributed a more basic understanding of why planted trees
often fail.
For example, seedlings planted at the time of shoot elongation
would produce few roots.
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..fa
'
'·
e cone
ther •tudy by Silen U•e&•ed the effect on •eed of prematur
_i
harvest, and whether the 1-turity could be overcane by artificial ripening.
Cone collections
up to a JK>nth early could he successfully ripened in cool
damp peat moss.
However, placing them in a running stream, or in plastic bags
proved to be lethal.
The studies were carried to camnercial application.
The
practice of artificial ripening bas become widespread for most western conifer
species.
Large cooling facilities are incorporated into the Region 6 seed
•
processing system for purpose of artificially ripening of cones.
The General contribution:
With Wind River, the total contribution bas been far greater than the sum
of its individual studies.
simply been its continuity.
Its greatest service to northwest forestry has
The long term of most of its stdies has
repeatedly demonstrated how initial results change over time.
•seed Storage
The
in the Duff,• a seemingly clear early result, was upset a decade later.
early notions of what constituted satisfactory restocking on the Wind River
harvest study were almost totally at odds with the long-term results.
The
early notions that larches could outgrow Douglas-fir took half century to
correct.
What was considered desirable _spacing changed over a few decades
frcm 6' x 6'
to l2' x 12' or beyond as spacing studies matured.
The emphasis
for most of the first half century of the Douglas-fir Heredity Study was a
•earch for better seed sources, rather than the more modern search for better
parents within a local source.
The early notions that selective cutting were
pertinent for old-growth Douglas-fir required several decades to develop
convincing data that best forestry required full sunlight.
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Wi.nd River 11erves as the prillle forestry example in the West of
pricelessness of continuity of research.
Yet t:he forces at work that
diaamble such long-term efforts, both unplanne d and acmetimes deliberate,
have been strong enough to auc:ceed almost everywhere else.
Even at Wind River
the question of •Why ahould we continue here?" has aerved to terminate
portions and acmetimes threatened all of the continuity.
But to those who
take the trouble to visit, to study, and perhaps to add to the research, the
answer always has come out •1ta too valuable to terminate.• or •sound
long-term J>Xperience in forestry is too rare and precioua to give up."
Because of the long-term findings, Wind River ia perhaps the single most
lasting forestry experience to any visiting forestry newcomer.
Where else
would one find a complete documented stand history record from seedling to
harvest size of trees, or find a demonstration of how superior are the native
apecies over apecies from anywhere else in the world, or observe how abject
most off-site plantings beccme in half a century, or find a rotation age
demonstration of how Douglas-fir families, side
by side, compare in growth and
survival, or see how really poor most of the stems become in half a century
when planting was too dense, or how few stems are really needed to stock an
acre, or how over-mature atandS produce fiber at a declining rate, and also
deteriorate in value.
Such demonstrations tend to reinforce one another to
give the newcomer, and even the experienced forester, an unusual insight into
why forestry of the Oouglas-fir region is different from any other forest
region on the planet.
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