Celebrated forest ecologist and UW Professor Emeritus Jerry Franklin once thought he’d been grabbed by Sasquatch while conducting research in Gifford Pinchot National Forest in southwest Washington. It turned out to be a mature Douglas fir shedding 1,000 pounds of its bark. Professor Franklin, a longtime steward of old growth forests and advocate for ecological [...]

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When Mount St. Helens erupted in the spring of 1980, over 200 miles of plants and trees were wiped away by wind, lava, and rock. Nearby buildings were buried, and 57 people were killed. A serene and picturesque landscape had turned terrifyingly barren. But researchers have since found a silver lining: the eruption created a great natural experiment. The federal government designated the mountain a national monument, which allowed plants and animals to return naturally — rather than being placed there by people.