Ecosystem Studies in the Hoh River Drainage, Olympic National Park

Home , Hoh River, Mount Tom (Washington)

Jerry F. Franklin

In: Starkey, Edward E.; Franklin, Jerry F.; Matthews, Jean W., tech. coords. Ecological research in National Parks of the Pacific Northwest: Proceedings, 2d conference on scientific research in the National Parks; 1979 November; San Francisco, CA. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University Forest Research Laboratory; 1982.

Reproduced by USDA Forest Service, for official use.

Jerry F. Franklin, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, Forestry Sciences Laboratory, 3200 Jefferson Way, Corvallis, Oregon 97331. ■111,-11

Interdisciplinary, ecosystem-oriented research is Corvallis, Oregon. Personnel include staff of essential to understanding complex, interlinked Oregon State University and the USDA Forest resource values. A project of this type was Service Forestry Sciences Laboratory as well as carried out in the South Fork of the Hoh River in "graduates" who have moved out into industry and the western Olympic Mountains. This wilderness other agencies. Joint research efforts are an drainage has outstanding examples of broad essential factor in maintaining the interdisci- terraces with Picea sitchensis-Tsuga heterophylla plinary linkages and system-level perspective rainforests, a major glacial-fed river, and among the corps. Hence, the desire and need for fluvial processes. During an intense 11-day periodic field exercises. "pulse," relationships were examined between geomorphic processes, terrestrial communities, and The south fork of the Hoh River represents a aquatic systems. This paper discusses the complete river drainage from 20 km from its rationale of the study, describes the objectives headwaters to the Olympic National Park boundary. and approaches, and serves as introduction to The drainage is essentially pristine with very seven papers that follow. light recreational use, one short trail, and no roads. Although the river is relatively small, On September 5, 1978, a large group of scientists, fluvial processes are evident; and the valley technicians, and graduate students entered the bottom is broad with extensive alluvial land- South Fork of the Hoh River drainage. The forms. Geomorphic-biologic interactions can, research team included personnel from 11 different therefore, be viewed within a relatively compact organizations and a broad range of disciplines. but ecologically complete river drainage. During the next 11 days, 46 technical personnel devoted 266 field days to an examination of Baseline data are needed to serve managerial and landforms, geomorphic processes, and aquatic and scientific purposes on ecosystems within both terrestrial communities and their interrela- Olympic National Park and the South Fork drainage. tionships. Basic resource information is, of course, welcomed by Park managers and interpreters. Management- My objective in this paper is to outline the related data on the fisheries resource are rationale and objectives of this short-term important in Olympic National Park. Recent intensive research effort which we refer to as a designation of Olympic National Park as a "pulse." I will also describe the essential Biosphere Reserve increases the need for expanded features of the site. All of this serves as data bases and monitoring programs. Finally, the introduction to the seven papers that follow. Six South Fork of the Hoh River is identified as a of these papers are based on research conducted in potential Research Natural Area because of the the South Fork during the pulse. One paper (see outstanding valley-bottom Picea sitchensis forests .Jenkins and Starkey in this report), based on work and need for further evaluation. in the main Hoh River drainage, is included in this session because of the importance of the There also is a basic need for scientific data on Roosevelt elk herds in these valley ecosystems. ecosystems of the type found in the South Fork drainage. Substantial research exists on forest RATIONALE and stream interactions, but almost none has been done on northwestern rivers. Information is It is increasingly apparent that integrated needed on natural fisheries and sediment levels in studies of natural ecosystems are critical to a pristine but natural sediment-rich river system; solution of management problems as well as to the these data provide a baseline for comparison with general progress of natural history research. adjacent Olympic Peninsula river systems that are Projects like the Coniferous Forest Biome have being logged. Further, basic knowledge of western demonstrated both the practicality and value of Olympic Mountain valley ...,ttom forests (Fonda integrated examinations of natural ecosystems 1974) is still sparse and includes essentially (Edmonds 1980). In such studies emphasis is little on population structure of the trees and on placed on linkages between ecosystem compartments, coarse woody debris. such as the interface between a forest and stream; linkages which are often avoided or not considered Thus, a variety of factors combined to make in traditional disciplinary research. There is desirable an integrated research project on the increasing evidence of the necessity for focusing South Fork of the Hoh River. An interdisciplinary on linkages with many examples of difficulties examination of Olympic rainforests and associated encountered in considering problems in isolation, streams and rivers was needed. Appropriate whether it be herbivores viewed outside of a methodology and perspectives were available along habitat context or a stream analysis that fails to with a corps of personnel with a suitable mix of consider terrestrial inputs. Land managers are disciplines. An outstanding site existed in the increasingly faced with problems involving South Fork drainage. Baseline data and permanent multiple linkages and resource tradeoffs; and sample plots were generally needed for the National their needs often can only be met with integrated, Park/Biosphere Reserve, and managers had current ecosystem-level research. needs for specific types of data. Research in these coastal forests was also needed to advance A corps of interested scientists and associates basic ecosystem science in the Pacific Northwest. with a tradition of integrated, ecosystem-oriented research has developed around programs centered at

2 STUDY AREA

The drainage of the South Fork of the Hoh River is located on the western slopes of the Olympic Moun- Port tains at about 47°47 N. latitude and 123°56 W. Angeles longitude (fig. 1). The South Fork is a glacial river arising from Hubert Glacier on the slopes of OLYMPIC Mount Olympus and running for about 25 km to its confluence with the main fork of the Hoh River. South Fork of Most of the drainage is located within Olympic the Hob River National Park (fig. 2). NATIONAL The South Fork drainage covers about 11,400 ha PARK PACIFIC within the Park and is generally a broad, OCEAN glacially carved, u-shaped valley. Adjacent Oulnault mountain slopes are precipitous and composed largely of sandstones and shales. The floodplain in the lower valley is exceptionally wide, occupying nearly 25 percent of the total width of the valley at the primary study sites; the floodplain in the main fork of the Hoh River is, Uoqulurn •OLYMPIA by contrast, only 10 percent of the width of the Aberdeen valley. The landforms in the lower valley are discussed by Swanson and Lienkaemper in this report. O 30 60 FT Climatically, the study area is extremely wet and Kilometers mild. The Spruce Weather Station is located along the Hoh River below the study area (U.S. Department Figure 1.--Olympic Peninsula in Washington State of Commerce 1965). Precipitation there averages showing general location of Olympic National Park over 3 200 mm annually with 55 mm in the driest and the Hoh River drainage; coastal strip of the month (July). Snow is uncommon. Mean temperatures National Park not shown. are probably around 10°C with January minima of around 1°C and July maxima of 21°C. Fog and low clouds often occupy the valley even when higher deposits from sideslopes and alluvial fans from mountain areas are experiencing clear weather. tributary drainages as is the case along much of Precipitation occurred every day between September the main Hoh River. 5 and 15, 1979, and totalled at least 200 mm. Rains in excess of 100 mm at the camp during a LOGISTICS 2-day period resulted in water ponding on the lower terrace and a substantial increase in the The logistical arrangements were developed jointly height of the river. by Olympic National Park and the research team leaders. Base camp was located 3.5 km upstream Environmental stresses are obviously uncommon in from the Park boundary on a river bar in order to these valley bottom forests. Snow, ice, and minimize long-term impacts of a large group on the drought play little or no role. Windstorms do valley. Equipment and supplies necessary for base cause significant tree mortality, particularly camp and the research were brought in by heli- from strong southwesterly winds associated with copter. Research personnel drought in their own major winter storms. Catastrophic blowdowns do gear over 5 km of trail from the road head. occur every few decades in localized areas. A major blowdown actually occurred in January 1979 A total of 46 persons contributed at least 1 day and caused significant mortality of mature trees of field work. Organizations represented in the within the permanent sample plots. Fire appears group included the National Park Service, USDA to be an insignificant factor on the terraces Forest Service, Oregon State University, themselves; the only charcoal found in soil pits Weyerhaeuser Company, University of Washington, appeared to have been transported to the site. Washington Department of Natural Resources, Fire has been an important factor on the mountain University of Alberta, University of Edinburgh, slopes., U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Not all personnel were present on any The research was confined primarily to the valley single day; average daily participation was 26, bottom environment with very little sampling of not including visitors. Teams were formed to do the mountain slope or river headwater environments. individual tasks with personnel leaving or being The major study sites are located 3 to 5 km reassigned to new tasks upon completion of an upstream from the National Park boundary at about activity. 215-m elevation. Forest sampling was confined to terraces and river bars except for anchor points of the two longest transects which were located on mountain slopes. Terrace habitats were generally not confounded with colluvial and alluvial

3 Boundary, Olympic Not/. Park co

Primary study area MountA Olympus Mount Tom Hoh Poo

Boundary, South Fork Hoh River drainage

0 5 10 1!! .■• Kilometers

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

A key feature of the pulse was the regular evening The basic geomorphic analysis of the valley bottom review session during which personnel presented landforms and processes is covered by Objective I and . discussed that days findings. These sessions (table 1). Fonda (1974) had developed a model of were critical in modifying and sharpening the vegetation-landform relationships for the main research effort as well as insuring an interdis- fork of the Hoh River, and the research team ciplinary exchange of viewpoints on features and wanted to test its application in the South Fork. phenomena of common interest. Such exchanges Special interest centered on interactions of sometimes resulted in serendipitous discoveries. landforms, and geomorphic processes with terres- A large team project needs to provide for trial vegetation and major reciprocal effects do semi-structured exchanges of this type to get the exist (see Swanson and Lienkaemper in this report). desired communication and collaboration. Geomorphic processes and vegetation also link to produce certain aquatic habitats. The major OBJECTIVES AND APPROACHES approaches to Objective I were mapping of elevation-vegetation profiles along permanent The major objectives of the studies in the South transects laid out across the valley floor (see Fork of the Hoh River are outlined in table 1. Swanson and Lienkaemper in this report). Many of the tasks appear relatively independent although all relate to the overall objective of Objectives II, III, and IV focus on descriptions describing and better understanding the valley of the valley bottom forests with special bottom ecosystems found on the western slopes of attention to a key structural component (dead the Olympic Mountains. Interdisciplinary efforts wood) and the reproductive population dynamics of often break down into component tasks, some of the two major tree species--Picea sitchensis and which are strongly discipline oriented. The Tsuga heterophylla. The research team was overall design provides the context which makes interested in obtaining data on amounts and the parts fit into a whole. In fact, in the Hoh decomposition rates of coarse woody debris in studies each objective is linked to at least one coastal environments to compare with a large data other objective, generally by a requirement for base collected from Cascadian conifer forests. information. Several objectives, such as the The team also hypothesized that reproductive definition of aquatic habitats and their relation behavior would be influenced by down logs although to geomorphic processes and terrestrial vegeta- the overwhelming importance of logs (see McKee et tion, obviously require interdisciplinary al. in this report) was not appreciated at the collection and synthesis of data. outset of the study. The relative reproductive success and presumed ecological role of Picea and Tsuga in the Olympic rainforests has been an unresolved topic of discussion (Franklin and Dyrness 1974, Fonda 1974).

4 Since Objectives II, III, and IV (table 1) gen- Table 1--Major objectives of South Fork Hoh River erally utilized the same data base, the sampling ecosystem studies techniques are detailed here to avoid repetition. Sampling of the forest communities began with reconnaissance and systematic sampling at inter- I. Describe the valley landforms with some vals along four line transects run perpendicular specific interests to the river and across several landforms. The line transects were also used by the geomorphic Role of vegetation in landform research team. The transect data are incorporated development into the general compositional and structural Formation of different aquatic habitats descriptions of the valley forests in the study area (see McKee et al. in this report). II. Develop baseline descriptions of the valley-bottom forest including Reconnaissance and the transect sampling revealed two distinct, mature forest communities of Picea Live, standing dead, and down trees sitchensis and Tsuga heterophylla. These are Relationships of forest types to landform described in detail by McKee et al. in this report C. Descriptions developed as a permanent but generally consist of an open Picea sitchensis/ sampling system Acer circinatum/herb forest on lower terrace surfaces (fig. 3) and Picea sitchensis-Tsuga Analyze the amounts and role of dead and heterophylla/Vaccinium-;777moss forest on high or down wood in the valley-bottom forests upper terraces (fig. 4). Analyze the regeneration dynamics of forest Permanent hectare (100- x 100-m) sample plots were trees in the valley-bottom forests established in typical segments of these two forest types to facilitate sampling of coarse woody V. Describe and analyze aquatic habitats in the debris and tree regeneration and collection of lower valley additional compositional and structural data on mature forests. Two continuous plots were estab- Define aquatic habitats and determine lished in each forest for a total of 4 hectares. their relation to geomorphic and The basic layout of the plots followed the proce- terrestrial processes dures developed for reference stands at the H. J. Determine biology of habitats, energy Andrews Experimental Forest (Hawk et al. 1979). base, and invertebrate communities Plot boundaries were surveyed with staff compass C. Baseline data on sediments and tape. Plots were then temporarily gridded with string into segments as smal las 5 m to ea- VI. Analyze use of aquatic habitats by fish ocular mapping of all live trees 5 cm, snags 15 cm, and logs ) 10 cm in diameter. Since those Species distributions were permanent plots, all live trees over 15 cm Habitat use by anadromous fish diameter were tagged with numbered metal tags at C. Overall importance to total fishery breast height. Galvanized steel pipe approximately 1.5 m in height and 4 cm in diameter were installed VII. Examine interactions between Roosevelt elk at the corners, center, and quarter corners of and vegetation each plot. Live trees and snags were subsequently

Figure 4.--Well-stocked stands of Picea sitchensis and Tsuga heterophylla typify mature forests on Figure 3.--Mature forests on the lower terrace are upper terraces along with understories dominated typified by large, widely spaced Picea sitchen- by Vaccinium sp., ferns, and mosses. sis a tall shrub layer of Acer circinatum, and a dense herbaceous ground layer that Is rich in grasses.

measured for height. Areas of standing water and CONCLUSION elk trails also were mapped. The resulting stand maps for two of the hectare plots are shown in This paper introduces and places in perspective a figures 5 and 6. Additional sampling of down logs series of seven papers on valley-bottom ecosystems (see Graham in this report) and regeneration (see in the Hoh River drainage. The concluding paper McKee et al. in this report) was done on these (see Franklin et al. in this report) is a brief permanent plots. summary emphasizing the major conclusions and reiterating the interrelationships between Objectives of the aquatic research involved ecosystem components. definition of distinct aquatic habitats with the assistance of the geomorphologists followed by a LITERATURE CITATIONS thorough characterization of their biology--energy sources, invertebrate communities, and type and Edmonds, Robert L., editor. level of usage by various fish (table 1). The 1980. The natural behavior and response to habitat classification scheme is discussed by stress of western coniferous forests. US/IBP Swanson and Lienkaemper and Ward and Cummins both Synthesis Series. Dowden, Hutchinson Ross, in this report. The aquatic biologists and Inc., Stroudsburg, PA. In Press. fisheries researchers selected representative areas of each habitat for their sampling (see Ward Fonda, R. W. and Cummins and Sedell et al. in this report). 1974. Forest succession in relation to river The research on sediments and anadromous fish also terrace development in Olympic National Park, involved extensive sampling along nearly 10 km of Washington. Ecology 55(5):927-942, illus. the South Fork. Franklin, Jerry F., and C. T. Dyrness. The objective (VII) on Roosevelt elk-vegetation 1973. Natural vegetation of Oregon and interactions is listed last because little was Washington. USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. accomplished as part of the South Fork pulse; not PNW-8, 417 p., illus. Pac. Northwest For, and because it is unimportant. Roosevelt elk are a Range Exp. Stn., Portland, OR. significant component of these ecosystems and several hypotheses have been proposed about their Hawk, G. M., J. F. Franklin, W. A. McKee, and effects on plant composition and tree reproduction W. B. Brown. (see McKee et al. in this report). We are 1979. H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest grateful that Jenkins and Starkey agreed to reference stand system: establishment and use. include their paper in this report, which is based Coniferous Forest Biome Bull. 12, 79 p., illus. on research in the main Hoh River valley, with Univ. of Wash. Seattle, WA. this series from the South Fork. Dr. D. Boersma, of the Environmental Research Institute of the U.S. Department of Commerce. University of Washington, has initiated a study on 1965. Climatic summary of the United States-- effects of elk grazing on tree reproduction. This supplement for 1951 through 1960. Washington, research, along with the planned establishment of D.C. Climatography of the United States No. 0.5-ha exclosures around portions of the permanent 86-39. 92 p. sample plots on both the upper and lower terraces, should begin providing some quantitative information on elk-vegetation interactions.

SOUTH FORK HOH UPPER TERRACE PLOT 1

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Figure 5.--Stem map of permanent sample plot 1 located on the upper terrace.

7 • SOUTH FORK HOH LOWER TERRACE PLOT 4

TREE SIZE CLASS TREE SPECIES ELK TRAILS 4 LOGS NN o < 25 CM PICEA SITCHENSIS —PROMINENT ELK TRAIL- DECAY EESS 1- Liz EXPOSED MINERAL SOIL R. 0 26-50 CM O TSUGA HETEROPHYLLA ; Mt H, W STANDING DEAD ---INTERMEDIATE- ELK TRAIL-COMB N 22 ° E 51-100 CM • ACER CIRCINATUM OF EXPOSED SOIL+ INTACT VEG STANDING 100-150 CM ALNUS RUBRA --INCIPIENT TRAIL, MINERAL SOIL WATER NOT EXPOSED, INTACT VEG 0 > 150 CM C THUJA PLICATA )( LOG DEEPLY CUT BY ELK CROSSING A LOG MARKED BY ELK CROSSING-NOT DEEPLY CUT Figure 6.--Stem map of permanent sample plot 4 located on the lower terrace; note the reduced density of logs and stems and the extent of standing water.