Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

An Analysis Of Pre-Settlement Biomass And Vegetation In Northwest Whatcom County, Washington, Circa Late 19th Century., Jayme Anne Gordon

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Much of ecology, especially terrestrial ecology, studies how a given system changes over time. Pressures from preservationists and demands for timber products have focused ecological attention on Pacific Northwest forest ecosystems, and much of the debate has been over how change affects "old-growth” forests. Old-growth forests have a number of distinguishing characteristics including species composition, size of trees and forest structure that make them unique (Waring and Franklin 1979, Franklin et al. 1981). Old-growth forests west of the Cascade mountain range are dominated by Douglas fir (Psuedotsuga menziesii) and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) trees approximately 200-750 …