Pacific Northwest Domain

The Wind River Experimental Forest is the NEON candidate core site for the Pacific Northwest Domain, a relatively small domain that includes portions of California, Oregon, and Washington. The site has an extensive research and education history, including an Ameriflux tower that has been taking atmospheric measurements for more than a decade. It features climate, vegetation, and a mix of tree species that are representative of the region. Also on-site is the Wind River Canopy Crane Research Facility—an operating construction crane within an old growth forest with access to 1.7 million cubic meters of Douglas fir and western hemlock forest canopy. The Pacific Northwest anchors the NEON northwestern forest management area, part of a continental-scale research focus on forests that includes the Great Lakes and Southeast domains.

Domain: Pacific Northwest (Domain 16)

Science Focus: Land use.

Candidate Core Site Name: Wind River Experimental Forest

Representativeness: The Pacific Northwest Domain is characterized by dense forests dominated by coniferous trees, an attribute that contrasts with most moist temperate forest regions in the world, which are dominated by deciduous hardwoods. Forest understories are characterized by well-developed communities of mosses, ferns, perennial herbs, and shrubs.

Location: Latitude: 45.820; Longitude: -121.952.

Existing Infrastructure: The Wind River Canopy Crane Research Facility (WRCCRF) features a 74.5 meters crane tall which covers a circle with a radius of 85 meters. It gives researchers access to 2.3 hectares of forest of an old-growth (500 yr) Douglas-fir/western hemlock forest. There are numerous Forest Service structures that can be recommissioned for a wide variety of purposes.

Unique Feature: Forests in the Pacific Northwest Domain are often massive and achieve the greatest biomass accumulations of any global ecosystem.