“In 1935 a study was initiated in (then 83)-year-old, even-aged stands of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) at Cascade Head Experimental Forest in the Siuslaw National Forest on the Oregon coast that traced their development for 33 years.

“Permanent growth plots of Sitka spruce and western hemlock are located in the Cascade Head Experimental Forest, Siuslaw National Forest, near Otis on the Oregon coast. The (now nearly 180)-year-old forest supports a well-stocked stand of Sitka spruce and western hemlock, believed to have become established after the 350,000-acre Nestucca fire in 1845.”

From: Growth and Yield of Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock at Cascade Head Experimental Forest, Oregon

Stephen H. Smith, John F. Bell, Francis R. Herman, and Thomas See (1984 Research Paper).

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Steve Griffiths and Joseph Youren, Audubon Society of Lincoln City board members, spent a morning in late May 2024 checking on forest conditions in this area just north of Otis, Oregon. The Cascade Head Experimental Forest (CHEF) provides great examples of an old, mature, structured temperate rainforest landscape. It includes massive, towering examples of Douglas fir, western hemlock, and the iconic Sitka spruce.

This area is a great example of how federal forest management and operations can restore and improve forest conditions. It's a short drive on a paved road just north of Lincoln City and provides excellent views of not only structured and mature but also OLD forest (over 170 years). We highly encourage a visit.

These photos record a healthy western hemlock understory, large snags and downed wood, with lots of horizontal and vertical heterogeneity—all coming together to provide a near-perfect example of an older forest.

The CHEF is filled with towering giants—the western hemlock on the left in the photo below measured 112 inches around at breast height, the Douglas fir 114 inches.

This massive Sitka spruce, below, measured 14 feet, 10 inches around (4.7 feet wide) at breast height.

But the real gem of the field trip was this giant Sitka just 2 inches shy of 18 feet in circumference above massive buttressing roots.

A stand marked for thinning—no date is available for when this operation occurred.

Immediately adjacent to the thinned stand above is an un-thinned stand lacking the characteristics of a healthy maturing stand.

Photos provided by Joseph Youren