Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center will host a Fireside Lecture with ecologist Rick Edwards, lead scientist for the US Forest Service’s Héen Latinee Experimental Forest, on Jan. 27. In 2009, the federal agency established the experimental forest at Cowee Creek, near the end of the road in Juneau.
Edwards will provide an update on Héen Latinee, meaning “River Watcher” in Tlingit. The area is a special reserved site where scientists study coastal temperate rainforests from icy mountain peaks to sea level estuaries.
Research is designed to understand the complex relationships of landscape topography, watershed drainage, climate change, forest carbon, and stream chemistry over the 6,000 foot elevation change from top to bottom.
“Our first step is to determine what exists – to create a baseline – so we can study and understand the connection of all these elements as they change over time,” said Edwards, a Forest Service researcher at the Pacific Northwest Forestry Science Lab at Auke Lake.
Key to learning more about the area is a newly built weather station network.
“We have completed installation of a weather monitoring network and cameras,” explained Edwards. “The equipment helps assess how weather varies with elevation and location.”
Another important measuring tool is LiDAR imagery, which allows researchers to visualize the entire area with and without vegetation in high resolution, added Edwards. LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, uses light from a laser in a manner similar to radar.
Edwards said the Forest Service hopes to build an access trail into Davies Creek and a research cabin to support field work when funding becomes available.
Fireside Lectures are free and offered at Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center each Friday night at 6:30 p.m. and again at 8 p.m. during January, February and March. Doors open at 6 p.m.
