Ecosystem Studies in the Hoh River Drainage, Olympic National Park

Jerry F. Franklin

In: Starkey, Edward E.; Franklin, Jerry F.;Matthews, Jean W., tech. coords. Ecologicalresearch in National Parks of the PacificNorthwest: Proceedings, 2d conference onscientific research in the National Parks;1979 November; San Francisco, CA. Corvallis,OR: Oregon State University Forest ResearchLaboratory; 1982.

Reproduced by USDA ForestService, for official use.

Jerry F. Franklin, U.S. Department of Agriculture,Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Forest and RangeExperiment Station, Forestry Sciences Laboratory,3200 Jefferson Way, Corvallis, Oregon 97331.

■111,-11

Interdisciplinary, ecosystem-oriented research isessential to understanding complex, interlinkedresource values. A project of this type wascarried out in the South Fork of the Hoh River inthe western Olympic Mountains. This wildernessdrainage has outstanding examples of broadterraces with Picea sitchensis-Tsuga heterophylla rainforests, a major glacial-fed river, andfluvial processes. During an intense 11-day"pulse," relationships were examined betweengeomorphic processes, terrestrial communities, andaquatic systems. This paper discusses therationale of the study, describes the objectivesand approaches, and serves as introduction toseven papers that follow.

On September 5, 1978, a large group of scientists,technicians, and graduate students entered theSouth Fork of the Hoh River drainage. Theresearch team included personnel from 11 differentorganizations and a broad range of disciplines.During the next 11 days, 46 technical personneldevoted 266 field days to an examination oflandforms, geomorphic processes, and aquatic andterrestrial communities and their interrela-tionships.

My objective in this paper is to outline therationale and objectives of this short-termintensive research effort which we refer to as a"pulse." I will also describe the essentialfeatures of the site. All of this serves asintroduction to the seven papers that follow. Sixof these papers are based on research conducted inthe South Fork during the pulse. One paper (see

.Jenkins and Starkey in this report), based on workin the main Hoh River drainage, is included inthis session because of the importance of theRoosevelt elk herds in these valley ecosystems.

RATIONALE

It is increasingly apparent that integratedstudies of natural ecosystems are critical tosolution of management problems as well as to thegeneral progress of natural history research.Projects like the Coniferous Forest Biome havedemonstrated both the practicality and value ofintegrated examinations of natural ecosystems(Edmonds 1980). In such studies emphasis isplaced on linkages between ecosystem compartments,such as the interface between a forest and stream;linkages which are often avoided or not consideredin traditional disciplinary research. There isincreasing evidence of the necessity for focusingon linkages with many examples of difficultiesencountered in considering problems in isolation,whether it be herbivores viewed outside of ahabitat context or a stream analysis that fails toconsider terrestrial inputs. Land managers areincreasingly faced with problems involvingmultiple linkages and resource tradeoffs; andtheir needs often can only be met with integrated,ecosystem-level research.

A corps of interested scientists and associateswith a tradition of integrated, ecosystem-orientedresearch has developed around programs centered at

Corvallis, Oregon. Personnel include staff ofOregon State University and the USDA ForestService Forestry Sciences Laboratory as well as"graduates" who have moved out into industry andother agencies. Joint research efforts are anessential factor in maintaining the interdisci-plinary linkages and system-level perspectiveamong the corps. Hence, the desire and need forperiodic field exercises.

The south fork of the Hoh River represents acomplete river drainage from 20 km from itsheadwaters to the Olympic National Park boundary.The drainage is essentially pristine with verylight recreational use, one short trail, and noroads. Although the river is relatively small,fluvial processes are evident; and the valleybottom is broad with extensive alluvial land-forms. Geomorphic-biologic interactions can,therefore, be viewed within a relatively compactbut ecologically complete river drainage.

Baseline data are needed to serve managerial andscientific purposes on ecosystems within bothOlympic National Park and the South Fork drainage.Basic resource information is, of course, welcomedby Park managers and interpreters. Management-related data on the fisheries resource areimportant in Olympic National Park. Recentdesignation of Olympic National Park as aBiosphere Reserve increases the need for expandeddata bases and monitoring programs. Finally, theSouth Fork of the Hoh River is identified as apotential Research Natural Area because of theoutstanding valley-bottom Picea sitchensis forestsand need for further evaluation.

There also is a basic need for scientific data onecosystems of the type found in the South Forkdrainage. Substantial research exists on forestand stream interactions, but almost none has beendone on northwestern rivers. Information isneeded on natural fisheries and sediment levels ina pristine but natural sediment-rich river system;these data provide a baseline for comparison withadjacent Olympic Peninsula river systems that arebeing logged. Further, basic knowledge of westernOlympic Mountain valley ...,ttom forests (Fonda1974) is still sparse and includes essentiallylittle on population structure of the trees and oncoarse woody debris.

Thus, a variety of factors combined to makedesirable an integrated research project on theSouth Fork of the Hoh River. An interdisciplinaryexamination of Olympic rainforests and associatedstreams and rivers was needed. Appropriatemethodology and perspectives were available alongwith a corps of personnel with a suitable mix ofdisciplines. An outstanding site existed in theSouth Fork drainage. Baseline data and permanentsample plots were generally needed for the NationalPark/Biosphere Reserve, and managers had currentneeds for specific types of data. Research inthese coastal forests was also needed to advancebasic ecosystem science in the Pacific Northwest.

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STUDY AREA

The drainage of the South Fork of the Hoh River islocated on the western slopes of the Olympic Moun-tains at about 47°47' N. latitude and 123°56' W.longitude (fig. 1). The South Fork is a glacialriver arising from Hubert Glacier on the slopes ofMount Olympus and running for about 25 km to itsconfluence with the main fork of the Hoh River.Most of the drainage is located within OlympicNational Park (fig. 2).

The South Fork drainage covers about 11,400 hawithin the Park and is generally a broad,glacially carved, u-shaped valley. Adjacentmountain slopes are precipitous and composedlargely of sandstones and shales. The floodplainin the lower valley is exceptionally wide,occupying nearly 25 percent of the total width ofthe valley at the primary study sites; thefloodplain in the main fork of the Hoh River is,by contrast, only 10 percent of the width of thevalley. The landforms in the lower valley arediscussed by Swanson and Lienkaemper in thisreport.

Climatically, the study area is extremely wet andmild. The Spruce Weather Station is located alongthe Hoh River below the study area (U.S. Departmentof Commerce 1965). Precipitation there averagesover 3 200 mm annually with 55 mm in the driestmonth (July). Snow is uncommon. Mean temperaturesare probably around 10°C with January minima ofaround 1°C and July maxima of 21°C. Fog and lowclouds often occupy the valley even when highermountain areas are experiencing clear weather.Precipitation occurred every day between September5 and 15, 1979, and totalled at least 200 mm.Rains in excess of 100 mm at the camp during a2-day period resulted in water ponding on thelower terrace and a substantial increase in theheight of the river.

Environmental stresses are obviously uncommon inthese valley bottom forests. Snow, ice, anddrought play little or no role. Windstorms docause significant tree mortality, particularlyfrom strong southwesterly winds associated withmajor winter storms. Catastrophic blowdowns dooccur every few decades in localized areas. Amajor blowdown actually occurred in January 1979and caused significant mortality of mature treeswithin the permanent sample plots. Fire appearsto be an insignificant factor on the terracesthemselves; the only charcoal found in soil pitsappeared to have been transported to the site.Fire has been an important factor on the mountainslopes.,

The research was confined primarily to the valleybottom environment with very little sampling ofthe mountain slope or river headwater environments.The major study sites are located 3 to 5 kmupstream from the National Park boundary at about215-m elevation. Forest sampling was confined toterraces and river bars except for anchor pointsof the two longest transects which were located onmountain slopes. Terrace habitats were generallynot confounded with colluvial and alluvial

Figure 1.--Olympic Peninsula in Washington Stateshowing general location of Olympic National Parkand the Hoh River drainage; coastal strip of theNational Park not shown.

deposits from sideslopes and alluvial fans fromtributary drainages as is the case along much ofthe main Hoh River.

LOGISTICS

The logistical arrangements were developed jointlyby Olympic National Park and the research teamleaders. Base camp was located 3.5 km upstreamfrom the Park boundary on a river bar in order tominimize long-term impacts of a large group on thevalley. Equipment and supplies necessary for basecamp and the research were brought in by heli-copter. Research personnel drought in their owngear over 5 km of trail from the road head.

A total of 46 persons contributed at least 1 dayof field work. Organizations represented in thegroup included the National Park Service, USDAForest Service, Oregon State University,Weyerhaeuser Company, University of Washington,Washington Department of Natural Resources,University of Alberta, University of Edinburgh,U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Fish and WildlifeService. Not all personnel were present on anysingle day; average daily participation was 26,not including visitors. Teams were formed to doindividual tasks with personnel leaving or beingreassigned to new tasks upon completion of anactivity.

3

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Figure 2.--The South Fork Hoh River drainage showing location of major study site.

A key feature of the pulse was the regular eveningreview session during which personnel presentedand . discussed that day's findings. These sessionswere critical in modifying and sharpening theresearch effort as well as insuring an interdis-ciplinary exchange of viewpoints on features andphenomena of common interest. Such exchangessometimes resulted in serendipitous discoveries.A large team project needs to provide forsemi-structured exchanges of this type to get thedesired communication and collaboration.

OBJECTIVES AND APPROACHES

The major objectives of the studies in the SouthFork of the Hoh River are outlined in table 1.Many of the tasks appear relatively independentalthough all relate to the overall objective ofdescribing and better understanding the valleybottom ecosystems found on the western slopes ofthe Olympic Mountains. Interdisciplinary effortsoften break down into component tasks, some ofwhich are strongly discipline oriented. Theoverall design provides the context which makesthe parts fit into a whole. In fact, in the Hohstudies each objective is linked to at least oneother objective, generally by a requirement forinformation. Several objectives, such as thedefinition of aquatic habitats and their relationto geomorphic processes and terrestrial vegeta-tion, obviously require interdisciplinarycollection and synthesis of data.

The basic geomorphic analysis of the valley bottomlandforms and processes is covered by Objective I(table 1). Fonda (1974) had developed a model ofvegetation-landform relationships for the mainfork of the Hoh River, and the research teamwanted to test its application in the South Fork.Special interest centered on interactions oflandforms, and geomorphic processes with terres-trial vegetation and major reciprocal effects doexist (see Swanson and Lienkaemper in this report).Geomorphic processes and vegetation also link toproduce certain aquatic habitats. The majorapproaches to Objective I were mapping ofelevation-vegetation profiles along permanenttransects laid out across the valley floor (seeSwanson and Lienkaemper in this report).

Objectives II, III, and IV focus on descriptionsof the valley bottom forests with specialattention to a key structural component (deadwood) and the reproductive population dynamics ofthe two major tree species--Picea sitchensis andTsuga heterophylla. The research team wasinterested in obtaining data on amounts anddecomposition rates of coarse woody debris incoastal environments to compare with a large database collected from Cascadian conifer forests.The team also hypothesized that reproductivebehavior would be influenced by down logs althoughthe overwhelming importance of logs (see McKee etal. in this report) was not appreciated at theoutset of the study. The relative reproductivesuccess and presumed ecological role of Picea andTsuga in the Olympic rainforests has been anunresolved topic of discussion (Franklin andDyrness 1974, Fonda 1974).

4

Since Objectives II, III, and IV (table 1) gen-erally utilized the same data base, the samplingtechniques are detailed here to avoid repetition.Sampling of the forest communities began withreconnaissance and systematic sampling at inter-vals along four line transects run perpendicularto the river and across several landforms. Theline transects were also used by the geomorphicresearch team. The transect data are incorporatedinto the general compositional and structuraldescriptions of the valley forests in the studyarea (see McKee et al. in this report).

Reconnaissance and the transect sampling revealedtwo distinct, mature forest communities of Picea sitchensis and Tsuga heterophylla. These aredescribed in detail by McKee et al. in this reportbut generally consist of an open Picea sitchensis/Acer circinatum/herb forest on lower terracesurfaces (fig. 3) and Picea sitchensis-Tsuga heterophylla/Vaccinium-;777moss forest on high orupper terraces (fig. 4).

Permanent hectare (100- x 100-m) sample plots wereestablished in typical segments of these two for-est types to facilitate sampling of coarse woodydebris and tree regeneration and collection ofadditional compositional and structural data onmature forests. Two continuous plots were estab-lished in each forest for a total of 4 hectares.The basic layout of the plots followed the proce-dures developed for reference stands at the H. J.Andrews Experimental Forest (Hawk et al. 1979).Plot boundaries were surveyed with staff compassand tape. Plots were then temporarily griddedwith string into segments as smal las 5 m to ea-ocular mapping of all live trees 5 cm, snags15 cm, and logs ) 10 cm in diameter. Since thosewere permanent plots, all live trees over 15 cmdiameter were tagged with numbered metal tags atbreast height. Galvanized steel pipe approximately1.5 m in height and 4 cm in diameter were installedat the corners, center, and quarter corners ofeach plot. Live trees and snags were subsequently

Figure 3.--Mature forests on the lower terrace aretypified by large, widely spaced Picea sitchen-sis a tall shrub layer of Acer circinatum, and adense herbaceous ground layer that Is rich ingrasses.

Table 1--Major objectives of South Fork Hoh Riverecosystem studies

I. Describe the valley landforms with somespecific interests

Role of vegetation in landformdevelopmentFormation of different aquatic habitats

II. Develop baseline descriptions of thevalley-bottom forest including

Live, standing dead, and down treesRelationships of forest types to landform

C. Descriptions developed as a permanentsampling system

Analyze the amounts and role of dead anddown wood in the valley-bottom forests

Analyze the regeneration dynamics of foresttrees in the valley-bottom forests

V. Describe and analyze aquatic habitats in thelower valley

Define aquatic habitats and determinetheir relation to geomorphic andterrestrial processesDetermine biology of habitats, energybase, and invertebrate communities

C. Baseline data on sediments

VI. Analyze use of aquatic habitats by fish

Species distributionsHabitat use by anadromous fish

C. Overall importance to total fishery

VII. Examine interactions between Roosevelt elkand vegetation

Figure 4.--Well-stocked stands of Picea sitchensisand Tsuga heterophylla typify mature forests onupper terraces along with understories dominatedby Vaccinium sp., ferns, and mosses.

5

measured for height. Areas of standing water andelk trails also were mapped. The resulting standmaps for two of the hectare plots are shown infigures 5 and 6. Additional sampling of down logs(see Graham in this report) and regeneration (seeMcKee et al. in this report) was done on thesepermanent plots.

Objectives of the aquatic research involveddefinition of distinct aquatic habitats with theassistance of the geomorphologists followed by athorough characterization of their biology--energysources, invertebrate communities, and type andlevel of usage by various fish (table 1). Thehabitat classification scheme is discussed bySwanson and Lienkaemper and Ward and Cummins bothin this report. The aquatic biologists andfisheries researchers selected representativeareas of each habitat for their sampling (see Wardand Cummins and Sedell et al. in this report).The research on sediments and anadromous fish alsoinvolved extensive sampling along nearly 10 km ofthe South Fork.

The objective (VII) on Roosevelt elk-vegetationinteractions is listed last because little wasaccomplished as part of the South Fork pulse; notbecause it is unimportant. Roosevelt elk are asignificant component of these ecosystems andseveral hypotheses have been proposed about theireffects on plant composition and tree reproduction(see McKee et al. in this report). We aregrateful that Jenkins and Starkey agreed toinclude their paper in this report, which is basedon research in the main Hoh River valley, withthis series from the South Fork. Dr. D. Boersma,of the Environmental Research Institute of theUniversity of Washington, has initiated a study oneffects of elk grazing on tree reproduction. Thisresearch, along with the planned establishment of0.5-ha exclosures around portions of the permanentsample plots on both the upper and lower terraces,should begin providing some quantitativeinformation on elk-vegetation interactions.

CONCLUSION

This paper introduces and places in perspective aseries of seven papers on valley-bottom ecosystemsin the Hoh River drainage. The concluding paper(see Franklin et al. in this report) is a briefsummary emphasizing the major conclusions andreiterating the interrelationships betweenecosystem components.

LITERATURE CITATIONS

Edmonds, Robert L., editor.1980. The natural behavior and response tostress of western coniferous forests. US/IBPSynthesis Series. Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross,Inc., Stroudsburg, PA. In Press.

Fonda, R. W.1974. Forest succession in relation to riverterrace development in Olympic National Park,Washington. Ecology 55(5):927-942, illus.

Franklin, Jerry F., and C. T. Dyrness.1973. Natural vegetation of Oregon andWashington. USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep.PNW-8, 417 p., illus. Pac. Northwest For, andRange Exp. Stn., Portland, OR.

Hawk, G. M., J. F. Franklin, W. A. McKee, andW. B. Brown.

1979. H. J. Andrews Experimental Forestreference stand system: establishment and use.Coniferous Forest Biome Bull. 12, 79 p., illus.Univ. of Wash. Seattle, WA.

U.S. Department of Commerce.1965. Climatic summary of the United States--supplement for 1951 through 1960. Washington,D.C. Climatography of the United States No.

86-39. 92 p.

6

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8