Hyla Woods

The Story of a Story

2011-11-23T06:44:00.000-08:00

Something happened last weekend that reminds us of the truth in our belief that "the forest has something new to teach us every time we walk through it" - provided we keep paying attention and asking questions and seeking answers to them. In this case we saw something remarkable and rare that we had never seen before - in spite of spending lifetimes walking these and similar woods.

As described in the previous post, on this cold, still, early winter's morning we began to notice white, feathery formations coming like fluffy hair or cotton candy out of bare sticks of a certain diameter. What was this?!

On coming home, our minister of science, went to work with her circle of enthusiastic and far flung science nuts and came up with the following conclusions.
From Charlie Raymond, retired UW scientist, came this information:
"Pretty amazing picture. My guess is that the subject is similar to needle ice that can form in initial phases of ground freezing. Basically on a cold night when freezing is trying to penetrate a porous/permeable solid, the freezing interface can beheld near the surface because it can not easily get through the small pores (holes). Then water is sucked out of the solid toward the surface to freeze on in the small pores, thus the needle-like structure. I actually have seen this same phenomenon on wet sticks several times here in the NW. The cotton-like morphology is pretty startling. Of course, needle ice is more common. I am forwarding to Bernard for a second and more dependable opinion."

Justin Sharp, a wind power colleague of Pam's, found this link to "frost flowers" on wikipedia - explaining the phenomenon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frost_flower.

And finally a member of her book group sent along this youTube link with time lapse footage of it growing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlXfaOFgkd4
It turns out that these super delicate formations can be forceful enough to peel the bark off of the branches.

Which is more interesting, the process of frost flowers growing above the spawning coho, or the process of folks sharing information so that we begin to uncover one more mystery in the woods? What's next?

First Fish to Lousignont Creek

2011-11-20T15:52:00.000-08:00

It is always exciting to spot the first coho of the year making it back up to the Timber Forest. Sunday Nov. 20th was a clear, cold day and we enjoyed both picking the last of the season's chanterelles and watching 18 bright, lively, and determined fish. We also spotted some feathery ice formations that none of us has ever seen. Has anyone else?
If you want to follow general news of fish returning to the mighty Nehalem, visit:
http://nehalemfish.blogspot.com/

Bears and Bucks

2011-11-18T14:34:00.001-08:00

Though we never need a reminder that "we are never alone" in the forests, this fall has provided some exciting reminders. Bear tracks in the mud and shots captured by monitoring cameras help us keep good track of the resident bears. Work by our committed, "elite corps" of hunters replaces the role of preditors that are less plentiful than they were in the past.

Some Terrific Wood

2011-11-18T14:21:00.000-08:00

Given the apparent feebleness of our memories, when it comes to see what types of boards are hidden in the stacks of wood that have spent the toasty summer drying in the solar kiln, the surprises are a little like unwrapping presents on Christmas morning. The fall's 3,000 board foot charge of Oregon white oak was no exception. We were pleased to be reminded of about 20 boards that were remarkable for their width, grain patterns and absence of knots. These select boards are already on their way to local furniture makers by way of our friends over at Zena Forest Products. The remainder of the oak is in the process of becoming attractive flooring. Looking ahead to the wood that will be milled throughout the winter, we are excited to be cutting into a stack of cedar logs that have been cooling their heals on top of Mt. Richmond for the past 15 years. Where will that lumber end up?

First Significant Logging in Six Years

2011-11-18T14:08:00.000-08:00

After choosing not to do any major logging projects, due to poor market conditions, for the past six years, we've completed three projects this summer and fall. The largest project involved thinning of 60 tp 90 year old stands near the upper gate and on top of Mt. Richmond. Also at Mt. Richmond, we are working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to continue efforts to save oak woodlands from being killed by fast growing firs that overtop them and steal the light. Since 1995 we have been actively saving and restoring our oak, and we are pleased to benefit from the advice and support provided by the helpful and cooperative folk at USFWS. We are also appreciative of the essential role that the Yamhill Soil and Water Conservation District is playing in creating a route for the federal funding to get to the project.

The third project has been a 40 acre thinning of a 23 year old fir stand on Mt. Richmond. Working with Randy, Jarred, and Willard of Skeans and Son, the work has gone well and the stands look great. As the heavy rains set in and log prices drop due to the Chinesse appetite for wood drying up, it is a relief to have these projects complete.

Forest Community School - Wild and Productive in the Forests

2011-11-18T14:04:00.000-08:00

Building on the outstanding work that they've done over the past five years, level 2 students and teachers came to both the Timber Forest and the Manning Forest for study and exploration this fall. While the primary focus was on answering ongoing questions about the status and trends in creek health, they also explored a wide range of natural history topics. This was the first student led research on Kuder Creek and we and others in the Dairy Creek Watershed are excited to learn from their results. Stay tuned!
Update - Dec. 1:
Naturalist in the Timber Hyla Woods
Charlie Graham’s 5th /6th grade class

For some years now students from the Forest Grove Community School have done a variety of studies in the Timber Hyla Woods, including water quality monitoring, 'reading the land' for social & natural histories, elk management experiments with decoys, and science inquiries around phenology. This year we did something different, but breaking into “Naturalist” teams to explore and investigate the overall environment from the point of view of different science disciplines, all on the same day. This tied in well with this year's focus on exploring how naturalists view the world and the impact they make. What follows here are the reports from each group of 'Naturalist'.

Hydrology-
The Hydrology team took many measurements in and around Lousignaut Creek. It was a cold day and the air temperature was 2 degrees C and the water was 1 degree C. Fact: when the water is warmer than the air, it creates fog. Next we tested the Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and the pH (parts Hydrogen) of the water. The DO was excellent at 11ppm (parts per million) and the pH as pretty neutral at 6.5. Last but not least, we measured the flow rate of the stream. To do this we had to measure the average width and depth at three points over 50 feet. We then tried to time how long a plastic ball took to travel the 50 feet. That did not work because the ball kept getting stuck on branches and debris. We then did the same thing with some cool (but harmless) florescent green dye. We timed with stop watches how long it took to travel the 50 feet. We now had the rate of velocity which we plugged with the other figures into a formula ( r = w x d x v x a , note- “a” was a multiplier to reflect the stream bottom being mostly gravel, cobble, and bedrock). The result was a flow rate of 14 cubic feet per second. The stream level was very low on that day, so it was fun to imagine what it will be when the streams fills with rain soon.

Geology-
We are the Geologists, but we call ourselves the “Soilogists”. Our study is important because the soil is the foundation of the forest environment. So everything on the soil depends on it. We took three samples of soil (what some call 'dirt') – from the road, the meadow, and near the creek. We added H2O to them in jars and shook them for a couple of minutes. While we waited, we took other measurements, such as temperature, wetness, and pH. We found out that there is a big variety of different types of soils. Eventually, in the jars we were able to view the different composition of the soil samples. It seems that the soil at Hyla Woods is very healthy.

Biology-
We in the Biology group feel it is important to study animals because it is the only way we can know if they are extinct or not. All animals are a vital part of the ecosystem and need to be preserved. We can also learn about how adaptations help them survive and see if they have any natural enemies. We study them to see how intelligent they are and we hopefully can learn what we can do to save their habitats. It takes patience and skill to get close to them. The more we know about them the more we marvel at nature's ingenuity.
During our day at Hyla we explored the forest and the meadow, looking for animals or animal signs, such as tracks, scat, or disruptions left behind. We did see some scat, but were unable to identify them. What we did find was a lot of insect life, especially in the meadow. We also looked at newts and their adaptations. There were many types of spiders. Even though we didn't see many animals, we know that they are there.

Botony-
We are the botanist team and we studied plants because plants are a big part of the ecosystem. Plants help us breathe by giving us oxygen (and we give them carbon dioxide). We explored all over the forests, riparian zones, and the meadow. We looked at different canopy covers in different areas and used an 'incremental borer' to take two tree ring core samples, from a pine and a maple tree. By counting tree rings, you can determine how old a tree is. We had the most fun discovering the many mushrooms that we found growing, such as “Shaggy Man” and “Amanita”. Back in the classroom, we made some “spore prints” of other mushrooms we found. We learned that there are many kinds of mushrooms at Hyla Woods, which we think indicates that it is a healthy forest.
Special thanks for Patricia Edmonds for guiding our group.

Entomology-
Our group study insects because we believe that there is more to insects than what you see when you just glace at them. Many of them are important because they are great decomposers.
During our day, we got to go into the stream to catch 'macroinvertebrates' that live in the water. We caught 'Stonefly' and 'Caddisfly' larvae. We then got to tear through dead logs looking for other insects, most of which were decomposers, breaking down the log. Insects are very important to a healthy forest and are needed to make soil. There are a lot of interesting insects in logs.
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And More About Their Ongoing Monitoring Work:
This year marks the fourth year of Leaf Pack water quality experiments at Hyla Woods. During the previous years, we have investigated in the Fall and again in the Spring, producing an impressive amount of data over a significant amount of time. This year, the weather was kind to us, providing crisp fall days. At Both visits the stream level was quite low, making access relatively easy.
On September 28th, we arrived at Hyla Woods (Timber) for our placement trip. There are primarily two types of trees that ‘feed’ Lousignant Creek- Red Alder and Vine Maple, so we collected these leaves to fill 6 mesh bags of equal amounts. The bags were carefully weighed to meet the Leaf Pack protocol of 30 grams. These packs were placed in the stream in locations that simulated real ‘leaf packs’ that naturally occur. These needed to be in the current but up against a rock, tree root, or stable branch facing upstream (not wagging downstream in the current). Essentially, we created a trap to sample what macroinvertebrates are living in the stream. We also placed 2 “experiment packs” of leaves of only Big Leaf Maple, a once plentiful tree that seems to be missing in this riparian zone. Once our packs had been placed, we spent the rest of our time exploring or working on our nature journals.
We returned on October 26th to collect our packs and analysis what macroinvertebrates had taken up residence in them. This was again a beautiful day, but surprisingly cold. The packs were carefully removed and the contents were filtered through screens to capture the largest macros. Then each leave was gone over with brushes several times, in order to be sure that all critters were capture. The macros were identified, sorted, and (once every agreed on the id), quantified. The results were recorded for later analysis. It seems that ‘not all macroinvertebrates are created equally’. Some of them are very intolerant to any pollution at all, making them great indicators of the streams overall health.
This year, while our overall numbers of the most important macros (mayfly, stonefly, & caddisfly) were consistent with previous years, we also found an huge number of aquatic snails. This threw off the ‘biotic index’ indicator , as well as the EPT % substantially. The stream’s rating was only “good”, not the usual “excellent” rating. We were not convinced by our data’s outcome, so we consulted the experts at Stroud Water Research in Pennsylvania. We were able to determine that the snails were “gill breathing” rather than “lung breathing”. These ‘gilled’ snails actually have a high level of intolerance to pollution, which apparently the ‘biotic index’ charts do not take into account. It was recommended that we remove the snail count and recalculate. The results easily fell into the ‘excellent water quality’ range. The scientist at Stroud plan to revisit and perhaps redesign the charts to rectify this problem.
The results of the our Leaf Pack data can be found in the charts below, or can be view at the Leaf Pack Network website: http://www.stroudcenter.org/lpn/summary.asp

A Week in the Woods

2011-11-18T13:54:00.000-08:00

We were fortunate to have the 10th grade students and their teachers from the Seattle Waldorf School spend a week living, learning, and working in the Timber Forest in early October. Building on what they learned the previous year from working on Jubilee Farm, they were immersed in all aspects of the forest. Instead of following the path taken by Waldorfers in previous years of designing and building a new trail, this group did an excellent job of clearing and maintaining the growing network of trails in the forest. Additional projects included falling trees, yarding logs to the mill, making lumber and using the freshly sawn board to build protective structures around our beloved baby cedars. With rain in the forecast, they were fortunate in dodging most of the drops, which noone objected to.

Stream Detectives Return - And Spring Into Spring

2011-05-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

In the forests we have come to count on a number of things emerging and returning with the new life of spring - skunk cabbage, vultures..... and the citizen scientists from the Forest Grove Community School. This spring they added to their normal research questions, related to creek health, an additional inquiry question "how does spring come to the forest?".

On April 5th they placed their leaf packs in the creek - preparing to sample the invertebrates that would move in - and chose a range of plants to study for lessons on spring. It was great to have Char and Dave Corkran and Marc Carrel out to support their work.

On April 26th the scientists returned to complete the stream monitoring and to reobserve their emerging plants. Along with this work they did a quick and important job of removing the tubes that protect young seedlings through the winter. When liberated from the tubes, the trees' "solar panels" are much more effective in gathering energy and helping the young rascals grow.
We look forward to learning from the results of the students' work.

Portland Staters Explore the Forest and Issues

2011-05-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

On April 16th we enjoyed a lively visit to the Timber Forest by Dr. Jennifer Allen and students in her forest policy class. The group wandered through both the forest and the range of issues (ecological, economic, political, and cultural) related to the forest.

Amphibian Stocks on the Rise

2011-05-02T14:07:00.000-07:00

For the eighth year, our small - but brave - core team completed the annual round of amphibian monitoring on April 2nd. We were heartened to find an expansion of species into new areas and strong populations in our main wetlands. The species we have been most excited to see surviving and expanding is the red legged frog. Along with having snow showers for the second year - we enjoyed having Andy and Henry Stevens, and friends, join us once again. Special thanks to Char Corkran for her enthusiasm, skill, and commitment.
The eight years of data are compiled in a handy spread sheet; if you'd like a copy, let us know.

Talking With Owls

2011-03-07T09:26:00.000-08:00

Here is a report on our first efforts at monitoring for owls in the forests. This is somehting we've wanted to do for years - but have resisted, due to our commitment to trying to keep our monitoring program from continuing to grow.

Night 1 - March 2 in the Manning Forest (100 Acre Wood) - Char Corkran, Meghan Young, Larry Johnson, and Pam and Peter Hayes. With calm and starry conditions we listened and called throughout the forest. Though we saw and heard many interesting things - including 50 elk charging through the twilight - we heard no owls.

Night 2 - March 5 in Mt. Richmond Forest - Larry Johnson, Amy Hiatt, Dave Pratt, Pam, and Peter. We listened and called in seven locations spread across the forest and were pleased to communicate with both a Northern Pygmy Owl (the first call at the first stop!) and a pair of Western Screech Owls (who, understandably were more interested in talking with each other than with us).

On both nights, the experience of spending hours exploring and listening throughout the forests helped us sense and appreciate the forest communities in new and valuable ways. We owe thanks to all who helped - and particularly to Larry and Char whose expertise and effort made it a success.
Photos of owlers at night - and in the light of day.

Update - The "owl prowls" continued with a third monitoring night at the Timber Forests and a variety of other "hearings" through the spring. At Timber a Barred owl responded to our call (we were shocked!), and both Barred and pygmys were heard at later dates on Mt. Richmond. Thanks to all who helped us begin to learn about owls in the forests.

Coho Worshippers Unite! - and we did....

2010-12-19T16:16:00.000-08:00

Aye, it was a cold, snowy, wet day but a great group of about 45 hearty souls showed up to welcome and cheer the the returning coho and see the old year out and usher the new year in. Writers, loggers, educators, scientists, students......, it was a meeting of old fiends and new.
About five live, spawning fish were seen, and the remains of about ten more showed that many had passed through before, during the recent high water.
The new westside trail, recently built by students was a great enhancement to the fish watching adventures, giving new vantage points and allowing for a loop walk.
The day was capped off with a ceremonial tree falling and milling - sending some of out youngest visitors home with fresh lumber and plans to build a boat from it. Stay tuned.

Bumper Year for 'Shrooms

2010-12-01T10:18:00.000-08:00

In the forests every year has its unique characteristics - big floods, strong winds, really dry..... . One characteristic that has made 2010 remarkable has been the large number and variety of fungi in the forests. As you can see, Pam gets excited about the chanterelles. She has tested the maxim that "one cannot live on mushrooms alone" and we had to call it quits when she experimented with her chanterelle oatmeal recipe! Note that in addition to having two fists full, she has another 10 lbs. bundled in the shirt around her waist!

Forest Grove Community School Students Continue Creek Research

2010-11-29T07:26:00.000-08:00

"Team Kestrel" and teacher Charlie Graham of the Forest Grove Community School continue to be the most committed and focused of the school-based research teams working in the woods. Braving some seriously cold and wet weather, they completed their annual, 2 part, "check up" of creek health this Fall. Perhaps the best lessons learned were about how to dress for comfort and safety in "exciting" weather? A summary of their work is pasted below, more detail and photos may be found at: http://web.me.com/charliegraham1/kestrelsfgcs.org/Newsletters/Entries/2010/10/31_The_Week_of_October_25th_-29th.html

and they tell us that a summary of their findings, as well as their own definitions of "sustainable forestry", should be coming shortly. Three cheers to them for their good work!
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Our Tuesday Out&About took us back up to Hyla Woods for the follow-up Leaf Pack analysis. Three week prior we placed packs of leaves into Lousignaunt Creek to help monitor the overall water quality. This week we pulled the packs to see what macroinvertebrates had taken up residence there.

The day was cold and wet, with rain pretty much constantly coming down. This really tested our level of weather preparedness, which most of us decided could (and should) have been better. We found that the creek had risen substantially, but all of our Leaf Pack were found intact. Peter Hayes (Hyla’s owner) kindly cleared out a shed area for us to work in, to keep us out of the rain. By then, many of us had already gotten wet, making it difficult to get warmed up.

The Leaf Packs were filled with a rich diversity of macroinvertebrates. This is a great sign that the overall stream water quality is good. These were carefully sorted, identified, and recorded for further analysis back in the classroom. We will complete this analysis work this week, so check back to see what our results were.

Peter also helped us answer some other questions were have been pursuing. One was the debate over the presents of ‘Big Leaf Maple’, which we have left out of our packs because of their absents near the creek. It turns out that they do exist up in the hillsides. We now need to revisit just what should make up the composition of our leaf packs. Since our visit last week to the Stimson Lumber Mill last week, a guiding question has been , what is ‘sustainable forestry’? The people at Stimson used the word ‘sustainable’ many time in there presentation, but there land is so difference in appearance from Hyla Woods. Peter’s answers were deep and thought-provoking, as he explained the philosophy that drives his land management. In a nut shell, his idea is that management practice must benefit both the land (environment) and people, as well as leave both healthy and functioning for the future. Each student has been given the challenge of coming up with their own definition of ‘sustainable forestry’. We concluded this Hyla Woods visit with the singing of Peter’s song “Tracks Left Behind”, which was written about our class’ work at Hyla a few years ago

Hyla Woods News - Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-28T20:51:00.000-08:00

Hyla Woods News – November 2010:
Piles of leaves, cold rain, rising creeks, and shrinking daylight remind us that the coho are headed upstream and it’s about time to share some news and deliver some invitations. The ways in which so many of you have been directly involved with the forests during the past year suggests that we are making progress toward sorting out what it might mean to be a “community-connected forest”. You are a diverse lot – loggers, teachers, ornithologists, furniture makers, foresters, students, millers, conservationists, professors, elected officials, contractors, agency and non profit staff, artists; young and old – and we appreciate and enjoy your involvement in this adventure of trying to figure out what approaches might work best – for forests and people. As in the past, we share below invitations that we hope will lure you out to the forests in the coming months, news from the woods, and a few puzzlers aimed at stirring your thinking.

Six Good Reasons…..
Please consider making it out to the forests in the coming months. Six, open to all, opportunities are on the horizon:
1. Something Fishy – Cohohoho Rendezvous – Sat. December 18, 10 AM - dusk – Family fun in the cold, wet, dark, muddy forest, welcoming coho back to Lousignont Creek. Good cheer guaranteed - and fish are up to the fish (numbers have been low for the past few years). (late breaking news: they’re back! 20 beautiful fish in ¼ mile on Nov. 20th)
2. Owl Monitoring – In spite of the potentially negative consequences of a positive find, this year we plan to expand our bird monitoring program to the nocturnal world of owls on several evenings in January or February. Hoo will join us?
3. Annual Amphibian Roundup – Saturday April 2 – A great way to learn about the forests and amphibians as we visit all forest wetlands in a day, under the leadership of amphibian expert, Char Corkran.
4. Annual Bird Monitoring – Rise before the birds to help with three annual bird counts in our Timber Forest in early May. Birding expertise is not required, but is always welcomed.
5. Spring Celebration Day – For those who want to explore the forest in the warm, green, full flush of May. With this new event we plan to try a mix of forest exploring, logging/sawmilling, trail clearing, and possibly a teachers’ summit and a bit of potluck music. Date to be determined in late May.
6. Support the Schools – The multiple teachers who regularly work in our forests with their students often need and welcome an extra, level headed adult to help work with the group. If you’d like to be added to the “on call” list, let us know.
RSVP, please – If you’d like to join us and/or learn more, please send an e-mail to: peter_hayes@comcast.net.
News – A Taste of Life in the Woods in 2010:
• Let ‘em Grow - With log markets continuing to be depressed, we’ve limited our logging to what is needed to keep our “in house” milling and drying operation supplied.
• Who’s Home? – This year we’ve expanded our monitoring program in a number of ways, including inclusion of remote wildlife cameras, installed and cared for by Joe Furia and our team of hunters. It is exciting to see photos of the bears and bobcats that we know are there, but seldom see.
• Visitors and Constructive Critics – We’ve been fortunate to welcome a series of knowledgeable and interested visitors in the forests, including: faculty of Oregon State University’s College of Forestry, staff of the Pacific Forest Trust, members of the Tualatin and Upper Nehalem Watershed councils, and World Forestry Center International Fellows. We learn from their constructive critique and suggestions.
• Where Are We Going? During last winter’s rains we completed a thorough rewrite of the stewardship plans for the forests. It provided an important chance to assess where we are, where we’ve come from, where we aim to go, and how we intend to get there. If you’d like a digital copy, let us know.
• The Research Team – Our base of knowledge about the forests continues to expand thanks to the contributions of our decentralized research team. Key contributors include: Forest Grove Community School studying stream health and forest history, Pacific University studying amphibians, restoration techniques and a range of other topics, OSU College of Forestry studying the forest’s response to logging experimentation, and annual counts by our birding team.
• Where Does the Wood Go? After years of watching our wood disappear into the anonymous pipeline of large sawmills, it is exciting to see our finished products in homes in our community, including: flooring and ceiling paneling in the Chamberlain’s new home on the coast, the oak floor in Joan Williams’ NW Portland home, trim and maple floors in the Granger’s innovative new home in NE Portland, and firewood heating homes throughout the region. Increasingly, when a tree hits the forest floor, we know where it is headed.
• Focus on Products – Over time we’ve learned that we are best suited to producing the following finished products: flooring, select lumber, fir trim, and paneling in cedar and fir. If you’d like to consider using some Hyla Woods wood for an upcoming project, we’re happy to provide more information.
• Save the Oak – Start the Saw – After a three year break from doing any significant logging, we are working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to organize several projects primarily focusing on removing fir that is out competing and killing some of our unique oak stands.
• Art in the Woods – Over the past year, encouraging progress has been made toward our goal of integrating arts throughout the forests. Highlights have included: Forest Grove Community Schools creative “wishes for the fishes” hanging welcoming coho home, the sharing of a new, forest-based novel by author Kristin Kaye over dinner discussions in the forest, and inspiring projects by students of the Seattle Waldorf School
• Improved Forest Access – Our Timber forest is a great place for walking, and has gotten even better in the past year. Student skill and labor have created four new trails providing linked access to important corners of the forest. The For the Birds Trail, built by students from Catlin Gabel School, connects the end of the west side road to the NW corner of the Nedow, Seattle Waldorf 10th graders and Montessori Earth School students teamed up to create a great West Creek Trail, and Seattle Waldorfers also created the Raven’s Way Trail through the dense Christmas Tree Patch, and the Cabin Creek Cut Through Trail. All routes are getting good use by students, other researchers, hunters, ……and the occasional bear. Thanks to all for the hard work.
And Now for the Puzzler – In the form of a pair of questions:
Background – As most of us know, society expects private forests to provide a range of important services - including wood, clean and clear water, habitat for the many species we all depend on, carbon sequestration, scenic views, etc., yet the landowner is financially rewarded for providing only one of these services – timber.
Question 1: Should the status quo be maintained, or should we work to find equitable ways to compensate private forest owners for providing essential public services?
Question 2: If changes should be made, which approach makes the most sense, creating individual markets and agreements for individual services (carbon, biodiversity….), or bundling the services together and possibly finding ways to include them into the value of the wood that is purchased from the forest owner?

Thank you for reading this and for your involvement with the forests. The attached summary of our operations may be of interest.
If you would like to no longer receive these occasional updates, please let us know.

Best wishes for the holidays and the new year, the Hayes family and the Hyla crew

The Salmon are Back!

2010-11-28T20:46:00.000-08:00

Following several years of discouragingly low numbers of coho returning to Lousignont Creek, we are thrilled to see a solid return of large, bright fish this winter. On Nov. 20th the Hayes clan watched 20 fish in the 1/4 mile upstream of the bridge, and this afternoon re saw about ten in the same stretch. Hurray!

Seattle Waldorfers Return

2010-11-28T20:37:00.000-08:00

Seattle Waldorf School Hyla Woods Forestry Experience Fall 2010
By Raizel Burstein-Frame

We, the tenth grade class of the Seattle Waldorf High School spent the week of October 4-8th at Hyla Woods in Timber Oregon. I readily admit that I had my fair share of trepidations. Last year, the tenth grade at our school also visited the woods. They went at a time when it was pouring rain and below freezing. Needless to say, that was not their favorite trip.
Our experience, however, would prove completely different. We had beautiful weather, no rain to speak of. The forest was beautiful. The work we were told to do was meaningful, but not too hard by any means. We cleared trails, mapped areas of forest and did some stream biology in Lousignont creek. We became mules temporarily and hauled logs.
Most of our work was supervised by Peter Hayes, the owner and manager of Hyla Woods. Peter is a man of many talents. In addition to forestry, he taught high school for many years and is a wonderful musician. He was beyond generous to us, ungrudgingly sharing his insightful ideas and ambitious vision for his forest and the world.
At the end of the trip, we regretted having to leave and begged to be allowed to go back. We learned a lot about forestry, but also about ourselves and each other. We were so lucky to have this experience.

Rain Makers in Rain Forest

2010-05-21T11:34:00.000-07:00

For the week of May 17 - 21, the brave 10th graders from the Seattle Waldorf High School returned to the Timber Forest for a week of living, working,and study. Keeping true to the class' tradition of always bringing rain with them, they had a wet week - just as they did in the Fall. In spite of the rain, they did much useful work, including completing the "For the Birds" trail, building the new "Ravens' Way" trail, and getting started on the measurements and math involved in calculating wood volume for our young stands. Here is a sampling of their artwork and experiences. The breadth and depth of their artwork deserves more complete sharing than we are able to do here.

For the Birds - and the Forest

2010-05-21T11:28:00.000-07:00

The annual three rounds of bird counts have gotten off to a good start. After three years of monitoring in the Manning Forest, we have shifted to the Timber Forest. On a cold, clear, and crisp May 13th morning, Steve Engel, Char Corkran, and Pam completed the first count. The numbers of birds were high and they were pleased to count a solid number of birds associated with more complex forests.
The second count, on May 20th, had to be cancelled due to rain. Instead of doing an official count, we did an educational bird walk along the same route with Lori Hennings, Char Corkran, Ken Chamberlain, and Molly, Pam, and Peter Hayes. Hoping for better weather for the final count next week.

Community School Spring Monitoring

2010-05-21T11:17:00.001-07:00

Two classes of reliable citizen scientists from the Forest Grove Community School recently completed their Spring round of creek health monitoring. The trip had the added twist of exploring the questions of "how are the main creek and the Cabin Creek tributary the same and how are they different?". Applying skills, knowledge, and habits developed over the past months and years, the large group worked hard and efficiently - both in the forest and on their return to the classroom - to gather the data and analyze it into the form of useful, new knowledge. Their results may be viewed at: http://www.stroudcenter.org/lpn/projectsView.asp?Group=300
Perhaps they will send along a summary to be added to this post?
The group took a successful "test walk" on the new, student built "For the Birds" trail and enjoyed lunch up by the Big Snag.

Beavers - Friends and Foes?

2010-05-21T11:02:00.000-07:00

How should we best live with the many beavers that call Lousignont Creek in the Timber Forest home? On the one hand their tree falling and dam building add to the health of the creek and forest, while on the otherhand their habit of wandering far beyond their riparian corridor to girdle trees that we were hoping to contribute to the financial surival of the forest business. As you can see, the boss is not pleased! We are all increasingly aware of the positive roles that beavers play. Here is a cartoon that makes the case for "more beavers" - http://www.yesmagazine.org/beavers . Thanks to Charlie Graham for passing it along.

Taking the Temps

2010-05-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

On May 6th, Pam and her assistant completed one of the important tasks of the forests' "annual round". With the last of winter's high water behind us, we placed the data loggers in forests' creeks, ponds, and wetland. The cigar-like loggers will take hourly temperature readings until they are removed and the data are downloaded in late Fall. We do this work in partnership with the DEQ, and are pleased that they are already making use of Hyla Woods data. What are we learning? There is much to be learned from the multiple years of data, but we have yet to take time to begin analysis. Anyone interested in helping? Please let us know. It is important and interesting work.

A Trail Tale

2010-04-14T15:54:00.001-07:00

It was tough to imagine a more pleasant day to be in the forest - frost in the morning, followed by warm sun in the afternoon, the feeling of spring coming on fast, and good company working on an important project. A great team from Catlin Gabel School did a terrific job of making an excellent start on building the "For the Birds" trail in the Timber Forest. The trail links the end of the westside road to the NW corner of the Nedow - and provides an essential route for the spring bird counts that will start up in less than a month. The group worked hard, brushing out the corridor and making tread along much of the trail I think we were all impressed by how much good work could be done in such a short time, by a group working well together. Special thanks to all the workers; we hope they'll come back. Thanks also to John Schubert for his expert work in trail design.

Snow on the Amphibians

2010-04-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

As a reminder that the weather gods don't seem to care when it is time for the scheduled monitoring, five brave souls completed the annual round of aquatic amphibian monitoring on a snowy April 3rd. Our visits to one site at Manning, three at Timber, and four at Mt. Richmond showed us that amphibian populations are doing generally well and that at risk species, such as red legged frogs, continue to breed in several of our ponds - both human made and natural. It was clear that a spring that got an early start had been put on hold by unseasonably cold weather. Stay tuned for a more complete report from our leader, Char Corkran. The game participants were Marc, Rebecca, and Laurent Carrel, plus Char and Peter.
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UPDATE – April, 2010
Char Corkran, Northwest Ecological Research Institute

The annual quick check of ponds on the 3 forests was a bit hampered by weather – namely 3” of snow at Timber as well as high water and low visibility at all the sites. Nevertheless, we could determine that most of the same amphibian species are continuing to do quite well at the ponds. We conducted our usual visual count from around the entire perimeter of each of the small open ponds, plus capturing a few larvae with nets. The deepest sections of the larger ponds were not possible to survey this year. And as usual, in the Beaver Pond at Mt. Richmond amphibians could only be haphazardly sampled rather than counted because of the complexity of vegetation. It’s a jungle of dense aquatic plants, emergent willows bushing out after beaver nibbling, and ash trees that have tipped and then sprouted new branches from half-submerged logs. Hard for surveyors but heaven for frogs and salamanders.

Northwestern Salamander egg masses were present in all but one of the ponds where we have ever found them. In fact, we broke the old record in Mrs. Patrick’s Pond at Timber with a whopping 53 egg masses and 12 yearling larvae. Rough-skinned Newts were not seen in quite such numbers in quite so many ponds, which may be allowing the other species to do better. It was just too cold for any frogs to be active. We only saw a couple of Pacific Treefrog egg masses, but we may well have missed some and there’s plenty of time for more to be laid. Red-legged Frogs had probably laid eggs in the warm weather in January or February. We netted a few tadpoles at the Beaver Pond at Mt. Richmond, but could not tell if there were any in the Field Pond at Timber. We did not search under the snow for terrestrial salamanders. No reptiles were silly enough to be out, and we did not check the famous Blue Tarp.

At Timber, the Hayes had some work done at the Field Pond to create more shallows. With the development of vegetation that is occurring there, this pond should become really good habitat for Red-legged Frog. We need to get out there and borrow a few sedges from Mrs. Patrick’s Pond for transplanting to the new shallows. At Mt. Richmond, work to suppress invasive Reed Canarygrass and Himalayan Blackberry around Bear Pear Pond is impressive already and will continue.

Every survey at Hyla Woods always ends with excitement to add still more surveys! It would be good to go back later this spring to some of the small ponds where deer or somebody else had stirred up the mud and prevented our seeing the amphibians. More importantly, each year we should probably go out to Mt. Richmond on a good weather day in February or early March to try for a count of Red-legged Frog egg masses in the Beaver Pond.

Friends of Trees Scare Elk

2010-03-01T19:27:00.000-08:00

Our mighty and creative friends in level 2 at the Forest Grove Community School have come to the rescue once again. Though we have had problems for years with the winter elk herd chomping on the baby trees that we struggle to help live, this year has been the worst on record. Though we can't blame them, a herd of about 50 elk have settled into the "Nedow" (formerly known as the Lower Field) and done serious damage to hundreds of seedlings. Building on our success over the past three years with "scare elk", we've worked with students and staff to increase the number and realism. As the photos show, the 2 humans and 2 wolves have been joined by 3 beautiful humans and a pack of 5 lovely wolves. No elk in sight! Special thanks to the community schoolers!

Wishes for Fishes

2010-01-31T15:56:00.000-08:00

On December 26th students and staff of the Forest Grove Community School stepped in once again to contribute creative energy and effort to making art play an important role in a seasonal forest celebration. A highlight of the annual "Cohoho Rendezvous" was this fish print installation hanging across Lousignont Creek. Prior to suspending the fish prints, all participants penned their own "wishes for the fishes" on the back of the strips as a welcome to the returning coho. In addition to the artwork, students served as "forest docents" helping visitors better understand both forest history and stream ecology. Congratulations and thanks to the students and staff for their effort and leadership.

Article of Interest?

2010-01-24T16:41:00.000-08:00

The following article from Stormwater Management Magazine may be of interest. It focuses on the use of the Leaf Pack stream monitoring approach and highlights the good work of students and staff at the Forest Grove Community School.
http://www.stormh20.com/january-february-2010/leaf-pack-bugs.aspx
Happy reading! - peter

Montesori Earth School - On a Wonderful Day

2009-11-24T20:32:00.001-08:00

Good work of cutting lower field broom and monitoring coho returns was done by 1/2 of Ric Fry's class. With fall turning to winter, the land saturated and the creek flowing high, it was a fine day of work and exploration on a welcomely sunny day. At this early point in the run, the coho tally was three dead fish and one live one. Ironically, the only group to see the live fish was the group that wasn't looking for fish! The beaver dam is long gone, thanks to the high water in the past two weeks.

Wisdom from Charlie Graham

2009-11-09T06:56:00.000-08:00

Charlie Graham, a skilled, creative, and energetic teacher from the Forest Grove Community School recently shared the thoughts below in the latest issue of Clearing magazine. We include it here because of the connection to the great work he and his students have done - and are doing - in the Timber Forest. I encourage you to read it. - peter
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Lessons of Discovery:
Teaching and Learning along with your students

I have made an interesting observation about teaching recently. Some of the best lessons are not necessarily the carefully planned and orchestrated units, but rather the ones that grew and took shape as the project progressed. I have found that some of my best teaching has been when I didn't know the exact outcome in advance and learned something new right along with my students. This has been my experience with environmental exploration into stream ecology and the “Leaf Pack” program.

About five years ago, I was looking for a way to have my 6th graders make deeper environmental connections. My classes had raised salmon and trout for several years through a Fish & Wildlife program, and I sought out a way to extend my student's learning about life cycles and habitat into the stream ecology that supports fish. I decided to give the “Leaf Pack” program a try, even though this was new territory for me, as I had no academic training or background in the study of macroinvertebrates.

The basic procedure of a Leaf Pack experiment is pretty straight forward. Students identify the primary trees in the riparian zone that “feed” the stream. Leaves are collected, weighed, and placed in mesh bags, then are carefully placed into the water. Observational data is collected about the stream, stream banks, and air/water temperature. Three to four weeks later these bags are retrieved from the water and carefully examined for macroinvertebrates that have taken up residence in this 'trap'. The identification and sorting is made easy with the use of a number of resources included in the Leaf Pack kit, including sorting place mats, full color identification cards, magnification loupe, and a dichotomous key. Once sorted, a tally of each type of macroinvertebrates is recorded for later analysis. Stream conditions and air/water temperature are noted for comparisons, then the aquatic critters are returned to their stream.

The first time a class of mine attempted to run the Leaf Pack experiment was a true learning experience for all involved. My personal learning curve had to be a steep one, as I were learning just one step ahead of the students. Worries that we might not find anything in our packs to analyze turned out to be unfounded. As the day progressed excitement built. I found myself saying many phrases like “I don't know- what do you think?” or “good question!- we will have to research that further”. The engagement of the students was perhaps the most exciting part. They seemed to feed on their discoveries and the challenges they presented, eventually making some deep connections and observations. Those that had expressed hesitance to work so closely with these 'ugly bugs' soon lost their inhibitions and fully participated.

Back in the classroom, the excitement continued. The collected data became more meaningful, as we uploaded it into the Leaf Pack Network data base. The results were magically transformed at the web site into colorful graphs, with “biotic index” numbers and “EPT ratings” that indicated that the stream water quality was healthy. The whole process clearly showed us that it was not just the quantity of macroinvertebrates that mattered, but the variety. It turns out that not all macroinvertebrates are of equal value and each species has different pollution tolerance values that are used to indicate the overall water quality. The fact that our data was now published and could easily be compared to other streams and rivers throughout the country added pride to what we had accomplished.

Leaf Pack has now become a mainstay in my yearly curriculum. I am now able to add more to background information and pre-trip activities that enhance student learning. Students seem to naturally make connections between our study of trees that produce the leaves. Leaves eventually feed nutrients to the streams, which in turn feed the macroinvertebrates, and become the food base of the salmon and trout. Our study of trees, stream ecology, and the raising of fish are all designed as 'hands on' experiences. The effectiveness of teaching through these projects is clearly demonstrated through the student's depth of understanding of this energy flow and the interconnections in nature.

This past year, our work with Leaf Pack open up into some new directions. We are now collecting steam water quality data on an ongoing basis for Hyla Woods, a local “sustainable” harvest timber company. As part of their efforts towards restoring a creek after a period of sever flooding, we are analyzing macroinvertebrates populations in the fall and the spring. We plan to continue this for at least three years with the goal of complying comparison data to help determine the effectiveness of their overall restoration efforts. The fact that student work can provide usable information for a real world situation, adds meaning and authenticity to their efforts, as well as a sense of pride and value.

The opportunity to be frequent visitors to Hyla Woods has deepened our connection to the land and has developed into a real sense of place. This last year, Peter Hayes (Hyla's owner) helped us explore his forest for signs of past impacts of man. Our discoveries revealed a dramatic history of pioneer farming attempts and periods of extensive logging. By the end of the year, our work at the water's edge had expanded into an exercise of “reading the land” for signs the history of the area. In a collaboration with our art teacher, we eventually created a wall sized mural as an exhibit of our findings. This interactive display includes student writing describing what they found and its significance.

In order for education to be most effective, what we do must be alive and genuine. Sometimes the best way to do this is to venture into new directions with your students. Be open and willing to try what is unknown to not only your students, but to yourself as well. Seeking out collaborative relationships with the community can add authenticity to whatever you study. The adventure of learning is greatest when discoveries are yours as well as your students.

"Bear Pear" Progress

2009-10-09T16:48:00.000-07:00

On Oct. 9, a perfect indian summer day, Pacific Univ. students made impressive progress on the restoration project. The remainder of the invasive vegetation was cut back and much of the site was covered with black, plastic fabric. The aim is the kill the invasives by stealing their light. This will make way for the reintroduction of a native plant community. It was impressive to see how much can be accomplished in 2 hours by a motivated team of about ten.

Forest Full of Students - and Other Creatures

2009-10-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

The week of September 28 - October 3 saw much activity in the Timber Forest. For the full week, 23 10th grade students and teachers from the Seattle Waldorf School lived, explored, and worked in the forest. Studies ranged over all possible topics from ecology and economics to forestry and chain saw mechanics. They completed an encouraging range of important projects including fighting back invasive plants, clearing trails, documenting creek restoration work, and protecting trees from maurading elk and beaver. It was a pleasure to meet and work with them.

On Thursday we were joined by two classes from the Forest Grove Community School. We're excited to have them back to continue their work of monitoring the health of Lousignont Creek. They placed their leaf pack monitoring bundles in the creek and will return in about a month to analyze their results. As the seasons rolled into Fall, it was a busy and productive week.
Special credit is due to the creative and energetic teachers who made this happen.

Bear Pear Wetland Restoration - Phase 2 Starts

2009-09-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Sept. 18th, Pacific University students, their professor, Rich VanBuskirk, and Pam and Peter got to work on the second phase of the restoration of the "Bear Pear" wetlands in the Mt. Richmond Forest. The first phase, completed 10 mos. ago, involved an army of Pacific students and staff removing invasive reed canary grass and blackberry from the site. Yesterday's work continued the process and opens the way for the laying of black fabric over the site to block the invasives. This opens the way for restoration of the site with a community of native, wetland plants. We tentatively defined success and being made up of three parts: 1) improvement of ecological function through removal of invasive non natives and replacement with native plants, 2) development of knowledge about effective strategies for making this transition, and 3) students gaining skills and experience that will be helpful to them in the future.

The project is guided by a three way partnership between Pacific University, The Tualatin River Watershed Council, and Hyla Woods. We are fortunate to have the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board grants program providing important financial support for this phase of the work. It is exciting to see the work moving forward and look forward to the adventures ahead.

Ugh! - A New Invader:

2009-07-20T15:28:00.000-07:00

On July 19th we were disappointed to discover that the aggressive alien, garlic mustard has taken root in the Timber Forest. Given its location on the trail connecting the upper field to the main road it looks likely that the seed arrived on the tracks of a processor in the summer of 2003. So far it seems very localized and we're headed off to make sure it doesn't spread further.
- psh

Master Watershed Stewards Explore, Learn, and Advise

2009-07-18T12:29:00.000-07:00

On July 17 students and teachers in OSU Extension's Master Watershed Stewards Program spent a hot and productive day along Lousignont Creek. Highlights included sessions on stream assessment and restoration led by Glenn Ahrens, lessons in stream and fish ecology by Guillermo Giannico, and sneak previews of amazing video by Jeremy Monroe of Freshwaters Illustrated. One puzzle was the challenge of how to best work with the reed canary grass dominated meadow. The request is made for any and all to share their thoughts on what should be done. The only parameters are that our aim is to improve ecological function and that the expense of restoration is a factor. What do you think?

- psh

"History Detective" Mural Complete - and Beautiful!

2009-07-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

Culminating hours of hard work with exploration, research, writing, drawing, and painting, the Kestral Class at Forest Grove Community School completed their mural and mounted it in the cabin at Timber. It does a wonderful job of linking together visible "clues" in the forest to lead us toward an understanding of the everchanging history of the forest. Instead of trying to describe it here, it makes more sense to encourage all of you to come out to admire and learn from it. It is a really impressive project and special thanks go to all of the students and to teachers Charlie and Theressa.
A related project is the "Tracks Left Behind" song, written by an anonymous forest gnome to, like the mural, link the clues together into a story of the forest. For a rough version high tail it to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbY7mzN4x78
- psh

Vancouver-based Student Builders Explore Forest

2009-07-08T16:01:00.000-07:00

On April 25th an eager and lively group of young people from Vancouver spent the day exploring the Mt. Richmond Forest. With an overall goal of investigating where wood comes from and how it gets from a forest to the pavillion they are building, the students explored forest processes from tiny seedlings, to large trees, and on through milling a log to lumber and loading it into their school bus. A more complete account may be found at: http://www.vanvoice.com/article/19732-walk-woods
Since their visit, we have logged 7,000 BF of fir logs and sent them by tree taxi to the Urban Timberworks mill where they have been milled into the necessary timbers and lumber. We look forward to seeing the finished product.
- psh

A Pair of School Overnights

2009-07-08T13:57:00.000-07:00

This spring, two of the schools that have been active in the Timber Forest culminated their year with an overnight campout. Both had their share of constructive adventures and contributed to the forest through doing science research and other hands-on work. Here is a link to a recent article about the good work of the Forest Grove Community School crew. Next time you are in the forest, check out the outstanding mural they created using clues on the land to piece together some of the forest's history.
http://www.stroudcenter.org/newsletters/2009Summer/forest_grove.html
We look forward to seeing and working with them in the coming school year. - psh

Spring Bird Counts - 3rd of 3

2009-06-24T14:53:00.000-07:00

On May 26th, with the leadership of Char Corkran, and the support of Ken, Max, Brian, Pam, and Peter we completed the third and final count of the year. The species total was 25 with a good representation of species that need complex forests and/or are at risk. This completes the bird counts for the year and our three year concentration on the Manning Forest. In the coming months we plan to focus on analysis of our 13 years of data and decide which of the other two forests will be concentrated on for the next three years.
"Seat of the pants" analysis suggests that the quality of habitat in this forest is being maintained or improved. Ironically, as the Hess Family's final clear cut begins to grow back we are losing special species, such as McGillvary's Warbler, that favors the open areas.

OSU College of Forestry Research @ Mt. R.

2009-06-23T07:30:00.000-07:00

We're fortunate to work in cooperation with researchers from the College of Foresty as part of their network of study plots investigating "alternative silvacultural approaches". The overall leader is Prof. Doug Maguire and the field leader is Doug Mainwaring. This spring they completed the five year remeasurement of the plots at Mt. Richmond and send along the following summary. Our thanks go to them both for the summary and the ongoing research. Their questions are central to the future work of Hyla Woods. - peter

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Even-aged silvicultural systems, particularly clearcutting, are an efficient way to produce timber, are relatively well understood, and are ecologically sustainable when properly implemented. However, management objectives on family owned forestland are often multi-faceted, including such things as aesthetics and wildlife habitat in addition to revenue generation. There is currently a lack of reliable information about how complex managed westside Douglas-fir forests develop, their responses to alternative silvicultural treatments, and the implied economic tradeoffs.
A better understanding of the management practices necessary or possible to produce forests with multiple species and ages is of value. To achieve this, we have installed and measured numerous plot networks within western Oregon Douglas-fir stands that are being managed for multiple species and age mixes. More specifically, we are monitoring tree condition (crown ratio, disease symptoms) and its change over time, diameter and height growth, mortality, and regeneration. The stand we are using at Mt. Richmond contains 24 plots that were installed in the fall of 2003. In April of 2009, we completed a 5 year remeasurement. Analysis of the data from this site and others is forthcoming.
Among the questions we seek to answer are: How many trees can be retained in the overstory of a Douglas-fir stand without irreversibly suppressing natural regeneration or planted seedlings of various species? ; How can a mix of species be grown in a stand, and what are the potential gains and tradeoffs in timber productivity and value?; Can Douglas-fir be grown in perpetuity with a selection (uneven-age) system and, if so, how large do stand openings need to be?; and, what shift in species composition may be necessary to maintain a multi-aged forest structure?

-Doug Mainwaring [doug.mainwaring@oregonstate.edu]

Bird Count '09 - #2

2009-05-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

The second of three counts at Manning was completed on a perfect morning by Lori Hennings, Char Corkran, and Peter. Being still, clear, and warm, it was a terrific morning for a count. Our count included 31 species including such "good news" friends as brown creeper, Pacific Slope Fly Catcher, and a first record in this forest of a yellow breasted chat. Evening Gros Beaks were filling the forest and we were please to hear Vaux Swifts overhead. With the clearcut growing in, we have lost some key species of prior years including Mcgilvary's Warbler and Willow Fly Catcher. In coming months we look forward to taking additional steps, with the help of Joan Hagar, to analyze what the data are telling us.

As always, thanks to Lori and Char for tumbling (springing?) out of bed to share their expertise.

amphibian surveys at Mt. Richmond

2009-05-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

7 April 2009. My research students (Kayla Jones, Dylan Taylor) and I surveyed the cover board array transects in forest units 11, 16 and 21. These arrays, installed in February 2007, consist of four cover boards (rectangular pieces of wood) placed every 10 m along each of two 100 m long parallel transects. They have been surveyed at least once each year since they were installed. This year we found no amphibians under the cover boards, but plenty of interesting arthropods, molluscs, annelids and fungi! We did see and hear the vocalizations of Pseudacris regilla (Pacific treefrog) in units 11 and 16, and one male Taricha granulosa (rough skinned newt) in the pond near unit 16. While surveying we observed the following birds: ruffed grouse, winter wren, scrub jay, Oregon junco, Steller's jay, rufous hummingbird, pileated woodpecker, raven, red-breasted sapsucker, yellow warbler, black-capped chickadee, and orange crowned warbler. We also saw four black-tailed deer near unit 16. The following plants were in bloom: milkmaids, yellow violets, currant, trillium, and skunk cabbage.

12 May 2009. My research students (Kayla Jones, Dylan Taylor) and I set out on this very cold and rainy morning to conduct time-and-area constrained surveys of amphibians in forest units 11, 16 and 21. This type of survey involves demarcating a 10 x 10 m quadrat that is randomly located but adjacent to the cover board array transects in each unit. Each quadrat is surveyed by three people for a total of 30 minutes (30 minutes x 3 people = 90 minute survey) , during which all potential amphibian microhabitat is thoroughly investigated--leaf litter, sword ferns, woody debris, etc. This year we found no amphibians in any of our quadrats, but in previous years Ensatina eschscholtzii (Ensatina salamanders) have been relatively common and seem to occur in close association with sword ferns. Data collection on this interesting association will continue! We did see several amphibians near unit 16--three female and two male Taricha granulosa (rough skinned newts) walking in the forest, two T. granulosa in the pond, four Rana aurora aurora (red legged frog) near/in the pond, and several amphibian egg masses in the pond (too deep to identify). While surveying we observed the following birds: winter wren, raven, evening grosbeak, pileated woodpecker, Oregon junco, and American robin. The following plants were in bloom: wild geranium, fawn lilly, fairy slipper (calypso orchid), bleeding heart.

Pam Lopez

Spring Bird Counts - 1st of 3

2009-05-13T21:01:00.001-07:00

We kicked the spring triplet of bird counts off this morning with a count in the Manning Forest. Led by Char Corkran and supported by Steve Engel and peter, we started at 5 AM and finished at 7. Though we are on the early side of the season we had a good count with 19 species. Species like Pacific Slope Flycather and Brown Creeper gave us encouragement and reassurance that the forest continues to provide habitat for species that favor more complex forests. The plan is to do one count per week for each of the coming weeks. Cary and Lars completed a count up at the nearby Renzema Forest. As ever, we much appreciate the help of our pool of skilled and early rising birders.

Lamprey - At Last!

2009-05-10T20:42:00.000-07:00

For years we have assumed that there are lamprey in the forest. Last week we saw our first evidence. While placing our water temperature data loggers, we spotted two lamprey in Kuder Creek in the Manning Forest. 5" long and about the dimension of a pencil. Brook or Pacific, we are not sure.

2 Classes to Lousignont Creek

2009-05-10T20:36:00.000-07:00

As Spring gathers steam, we have been pleased to have 2 classes out studying the creek's health and exploring the forest. Forest Grove Community School had an exciting and productive day on April 27th. The main activity was completing their Leaf Pack assessment, but they also did followup work on researching their 11 historic clues. More news is expected from them shortly. An odd highlight was the discovery, by a student, of a fawn's tiny hoof in some coyote scat on the railroad grade. Sharp eyes!

On May 4th, we were pleased to have a first visit from Ric Fry and his students from the Montesori Earth School. They are also using the Leaf Pack systems for assessing the creek's health.

Both groups plan to cap off their year with an overnight stay in the forest. Stay tuned.

April 4 Annual Amphibian Snoop

2009-04-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

For the fifth year we completed a one day exploration of all the main ponds and wetlands in all three forests, inventorying all evidence of amphibians. With our able leader, Char Corkran, out of action with illness, the team of Christie Galen, Mirth Walker, Mary LAGow(?), Pam Hayes, and Peter Hayes completed the work. We received good help from Andy and Henry Stevens, and Nathan at the Timber Ponds. As in past years, we were excited to find a wide range of amphibians and their egg clusters in the both the natural and man made ponds and wetlands. The clear, warm weather added to the enjoyment. If you would like the data, please contact peter.

Special thanks to all of the helpers!

FG Community School @ Timber Forest

2009-04-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

On March 30, 22 students from the Forest Grove Community School, plus their teacher, Charlie Graham and adult helpers, had an active day in the Timber Forest. The main focus was placing leaf packs in the creek as the first step in their spring assessment of creek health. Results from their Fall monitoring may be viewed at: http://www.stroudcenter.org/lpn/projectsViewBySubBasin.asp?subbasin=90&ws=Nehalem+River&sb=Upper+Nehalem+River

This went smoothly and after the low flows of the fall, it was exciting for them to see the creek running full and clear. In the afternoon they threw themselves into exploring 11 land-based, "history mystery" clues. Their goal is to piece together and tell the story of the forest's history, based on the clues they found.

Weather fine. Spring just coming around the corner. Special thanks to Sarah Oakley of Freshwater Trust for her, and their, support and involvement.

An Introduction - and Encouragement

2009-04-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

For many years a diverse mix of researchers and educators have used the three forests of Hyla Woods as sites for their work. In recent discussions the suggestion was made to work toward helping those who use the forests to have a better idea of what others are doing. For this reason this blog has been set up as a tool for recording and sharing news of use of the forests by researchers and educators - much like a running, digital log book.

We encourage you to use the blog to record and share news of your work in the forests, and learn from the postings of others. If you e-mail a request to Peter at peter_hayes@comcast.net he will give you the password that will allow you to make posts. In addition to the blog we are in the process of setting up a simple, web-based, digital library through which we can share the data and knowledge related to the forests.

Thanks, in advance, for your participation. If you have questions or suggestions, please let us know.

take care - the Hayes Family