US Forest Service Research and Development Coram Experimental Forest - Rocky Mountain Research Station - RMRS - US Forest Service
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Coram Experimental Forest

[image] The Coram Experimental Forest is on the Flathead National Forest near Glacier National Park, 45 km (28 miles) east of Kalispell, Montana. It is an outdoor laboratory dedicated to providing basic information needed to manage western larch (Larix occidentalis) forests. The forest was established in 1933 on 3,019 ha (7,460 acres) of the Flathead National Forest. Western larch and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) are the most common of 10 conifer species. The dominant, co-dominant, and many of the understory trees average over 300 years old. A few larch are over 500 years old, survivors of a stand-replacing fire 300 years ago. Second-growth trees range in age from 5 to over 50 years.

For nearly 50 years, the Coram Experimental Forest has served as the focal point for much of the research of western larch. Research began in 1948. A wide range of practical studies provides land managers answers to help them effectively manage similar forest lands within the range of western larch in the Inland Mountain West of the United States and southern interior British Columbia. The forest is a thriving field laboratory for studies on the ecology and silviculture of these forests. Research results point the way to proper application of silvicultural practices to achieve ecosystem management goals and enhance biodiversity of species.

In 1938, a 339 ha (838 acre) block in the southeastern corner of the forest was reserved as a natual area. It was officially designated the Coram Research Natural Area in 1988.

Studies in the late 1940's and 1950's determined how to regenerate larch and other conifers naturally using even- and uneven-age methods of harvest cutting coupled with a wide range of site preparation treatments. Research in the 1960's centered on how to regenerate larch using seeding and planting and how young larch forests, grown under a wide range of stand densities, respond with individual tree and stand growth, with understory vegetation development, with water use, and with insect, disease, and animal interactions. In the 1980's, permanent plots were established within the Coram Research Natural Area to monitor long-term succession of all vegetation and birds using the area. A 1992 Larix symposium culminated in the establishment of the International Larix Arboretum at Coram Experimental Forest Headquarters. It includes most of the world's Larix species.

Climate

The climate is classified as a modified Pacific maritime type. Occasionally during the winters, continental polar air moves westward over the Continental Divide, dropping temperatures substantially. Annual precipitation averages about 890 mm at the lowest elevation (1,006 m) and about 1,270 mm at the highest point, Desert Mountain (1,942 m). The May through August mean temperature is about 16 °C, with highs on occasion exceeding 38 °C. Winter temperatures average about -7 °C, but rarely drop below -29 °C. Length of growing season ranges from 81to 160 days.

Soils

A rock layer primarily comprising argillite and quartzite underlies most of the upper slopes of the Coram. Glacial outwash and till were deposited on the lower areas. A thin layer of volcanic ash covers about half of the forest. Rich loamy soils predominate. Soil depths range from a few centimeters on the steep, upper slopes to more than 3 m on the gentle, lower terrain. The following soils are evident: loamy-skeletal soils on materials weathered from impure limestone and argillite; loamy-skeletal soils on argillite, siltite, and quartzite; loamy-skeletal soils on glacial till; loamy-skeletal soils on both alluvium and glacial outwash; loamy-skeletal soils on glacial outwash; and fine and fine-loamy soils on lacustrine deposits.

Vegetation

Main forest cover types on the Coram are western larch and interior Douglas-fir; spruce-sub-alpine fir on cooler, moist sites at all but the lowest elevations; western redcedar on one lower elevation, moist, and sheltered site; western redcedar/western hemlock on occasional lower to mid-elevation moist sites; whitebark pine along the high ridge near Desert Mountain (declining population because of white pine blister rust).

Long-Term Data Bases

On the Coram, the following long-term data bases are available:
  • Natural regeneration following methods of site preparation (1949 to 1960).
  • Dispersal of conifer seeds (1949 to 1956).
  • Shelterwood and seed-tree cutting, site preparation methods, and natural regeneration of conifers (1950 to 1984).
  • Clearcuttings, site preparation, seed dispersal, and natural regeneration of conifers (1954 to 1974).
  • Strip clearcutting, site preparation, growth of unmerchantable understory trees, and natural regeneration of conifers (1954 to 1974).
  • Group seed-tree cutting, site preparation, and natural regeneration of conifers (1956 to 1968).
  • Direct seeding, germination, and seedling survival of conifers (1958 to 1964).
  • Small-mammal relationships in old-growth and recently harvested western larch (1961 to 1964, 1992).
  • Effects of wide tree spacing and site on flowering response of larch to stem injection of GA4/7 (1991 to 1996).

Research, Past and Present

The following studies at the Coram Experimental Forest and/or Coram RNA are ongoing:
  • Influence of regulated stand densities in young western larch stands on individual tree and stand growth; insect, disease, and physical damage; water relations and phenology; vegetation development; and cone production
  • Evaluation of alternative timber harvesting practices on regeneration, vegetation, and stand development and soil water use
  • Effectof vegetation change and seedfall on permanent plots
  • Bird populations
  • Climate and hydrology

Major Research Accomplishments and Effects on Management

  • Data from studies at Coram and many other locations were summarized for managers in 1976 in the USDA Technical Bulletin 1520, Ecology and Silviculture of Western Larch Forests. For more than 25 years, this publication has been the primary source of information for management of western larch. It is being updated and revised.
  • A number of significant symposia and workshops have been held to update managers with information from results of research on the Coram Experimental Forest:
    • Environmental consequences of timber harvesting in Rocky Mountain coniferous forests, 1979, Missoula, MT.
    • Conifer tree seed in the Inland Mountain West symposium, 1985, Missoula, MT.
    • Future forests of the Mountain West: a stand culture symposium, 1986, Missoula, MT.
    • Ecology and management of Larix forests: a look ahead, 1992, Whitefish, MT.
  • Celebrating 50 years of research on the Coram Experimental Forest, 1948-1998 included:
    • "Living in the Landscape, A Flathead Community Celebration" was held in 1998 to mark Coram's 50th anniversary and to explore people's connection to the landscape.
    • "Interpreting the Landscape through Science," a symposium held in Kalispell in 1998, celebrated not only 50 years of research at Coram but reported results of research being conducted elsewhere in the area.
    • The self-guided "Walk With Larch" trails on the Coram Experimental Forest provide opportunities for students and forest visitors to explore this unique area.
    • 1999 publication of Coram Experimental Forest: 50 years of Research in a Western LarchForest (RMRS-GTR-37).

Collaborators

Scientists from the following institutions have worked on the Coram: British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Clemson University, Flathead National Forest, Glacier National Park, Michigan Technical University, Montana State University, University of Montana, Universitat Münster (Germany), University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin, Washington State University, and FORINTEK of Vancouver, BC.

Research Opportunities

Future research on the Coram will continue to build on studies already in place and initiate new studies that can be superimposed on a wide range of forest conditions. In addition to old-growth forests at Coram, a range of younger age classes was established following harvest cutting and site-preparation treatments from 1916 to 1974.

Facilities

The field headquarters of the Coram at Hungry Horse, Montana, include living quarters and limited office space. There is road access throughout much of the forest, except within the Coram RNA. Most roads are gated because of grizzly bear habitat restrictions and several areas are accessed only by trails.

Lat. 48°23' N, long. 113°59' W

Contact Information

Coram Experimental Forest
US Forest Service

Rocky Mountain Research Station
Forestry Sciences Laboratory
800 East Beckwith, PO Box 8089
Missoula, MT 59807
Tel: (406) 542-4169

Forest website

Related Links
Coram Experimental Forest Website
 

The material for the Experimental Forests pages was originally published in:

Adams, Mary Beth; Loughry, Linda; Plaugher, Linda, comps. 2004. Experimental Forests and Ranges of the USDA Forest Service. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-321. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. 178 p. GTR-NE-321 - 5.5 mb pdf

Information has been updated since original publication.

Rocky Mountain Research Station
Last Modified: Monday, 28 April 2008 at 17:14:12 EDT (Version 1.0.5)