Elwha Ecosystem Restoration, the second largest restoration project ever undertaken by the National Park Service, presents unique opportunities to learn about forest development and restoration assessment techniques in the Pacific Northwest. Olympic National Park implemented an unprecedented revegetation program in conjunction with dam removal, planting over 300,000 trees and shrubs to accelerate forest development in the former reservoirs. Understanding how planting efforts influence forest succession is critical to future dam removal and other salmon restoration projects. Learn how to conduct scientific surveys of restoration sites, identify native and non-native trees and shrubs in the winter, organize and manage data and identify factors driving forest development. BOT 101 and BIOL 285 recommended but not required. This class may include students from multiple sections. (Formerly BIOL 291D, Elective)
Course Outcomes
- Identify important native and non-native tree and shrub species in the winter.
- Understand how native forests develop and how restoration can influence forest succession.
- Demonstrate how to navigate in a field setting with compass and field GPS units.
- Compare the strengths of different scientific survey methods to assess young forest stands and restoration sites.
- Organize and evaluate scientific survey data and assess the strengths and limitations of the data they collect.
- Demonstrate how the process of science is used to answer scientific questions.
- Clearly communicate the results of a scientific study in written form.