Introduction Page 4


...More about the forest at the HBEF

Air temperature at the Forest Service Headquarters

What should scientists know about a forest before they begin to experiment with it?

Scientists need to know about things like:

Scientists have been monitoring these and other HBEF characteristics for over forty years. What do you think would happen if scientists did not know much about these characteristics? For example, how would scientists know if a rainy year was very unusual or simply part of normal variation?

Temperature. The HBEF has short, cool summers, and long, cold winters. In July the average monthly temperature is 19° C (about 66° F). In January, the average temperature is -9° C (about 16° F).

Because of these long winters, the growing season for trees is from 15 May - the approximate date when trees have fully developed leaves - to 15 September, the approximate time when leaves begin to fall.

How are these temperatures different from where your school is located? How do you think a short growing season like that at the HBEF could affect trees? How could it affect other organisms that live in the valley? These cool temperatures mean that many organisms that need long growing seasons or extended periods of warmth might not be able to live in the HBEF. By learning about daily and yearly temperature trends, scientists can learn more about what affects the presence (or absence) of animals that live in the valley.

The above graph shows monthly mean temperatures at the Forest Service Headquarters (see the map for location). On average, what is the warmest month at the HBEF?

To learn more about soils, precipitation, geology or streams, click here.

Or, if you would like to continue with the tour, go to the next page to learn about what happened before this area became an experimental forest.


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