The Pacific Northwest Permanent Sample Plot Program (PSP) is a long-term study of forest vegetation across the Pacific Northwest. The program samples 135 plots across a diversity of forest types in Oregon and Washington. Many of the plots are within the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest. Long-term observational data such as these are essential to understanding the fundamental processes of tree growth, mortality, regeneration and plant succession.
The Forests of Oregon Elevation Gradient (FOREG) is a network of large sample plots, established in 2019, within the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest. The FOREG project was designed to dovetail and connect with the long-running PSP and Reference Stand study at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest. FOREG is also a part of the much broader Smithsonian "Big Plot" program. The FOREG study, run by Joseph LaManna at Marquette University, is designed to answer questions about drivers of biodiversity.
This photo gallery highlights PSP and FOREG field work in summer 2025 within burned stand Reference Stand 21 and the unburned Reference Stand 38, along Lookout Creek.
