Nature’s Calendar (Phenology)  

Phenology is the study of “cyclical and seasonal natural phenomena” 
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary) and is an essential means by which to study 
the interrelationships within ecosystems, as well as the e ects that 
variations in weather can have on these relationships. H. J. Andrews has 
been conducting phenological experiments since the 1970s, focusing on 
di erent microclimates in the forest.  
Phenology is often measured by average date of first budbreak, 
which is the date in which budding first begins to be visible on a particular 
species, and is extremely important in the life cycle of plants, particularly in 
their relationships to pollinators.  
Vine maple phenology (links to cheat sheet images) 
Red huckleberry (links to cheat sheet images) 
Rhododendron (links to cheat sheet images) 
 
Cool, Calm, Conifers (Forest Ecology) 
Old growth forests are natural forests that have developed for at 
least 100 years, and include characteristics and structures such as old 
trees, woody debris, layers, and snags. These key characteristics can be 
identified using the acronym OWLS. 
 
Old trees  Trees in old growth forests that 
are 100 years old or older. 
Examples include Douglas-firs, 
western hemlocks, and western 
red cedars. These trees provide 
habitat for a variety of animals 
species. 

Woody  Fallen dead trees and tree 

debris  branches in forests. These 
structures become habitat for 
forest organisms. An example is 
a fallen log called a nurse log 
which is home to mosses,   
 

lichens, saplings, and other 

organisms. 

Layers   Layers refer to vertical diversity 

in the forest, such as grasses 
and ferns, shrubs, understory 
trees, and canopy trees. In old 
growth forests there are large 
canopy trees like old 
Douglas-firs, understory trees 
that compete for light such as 
Western hemlocks, and shrub 
like plants on the forest floor.  

Snags   Standing dead trees that 

provide significant habitat in old 
growth forests. For example, 
northern spotted owls build 
nests in snags. 

 
Ecosystem services are the wide-range of benefits that ecosystems 
provide. There are four categories of ecosystem services: 
 

Habitat Services: Northern spotted owls nest in snags 

Cultural services: Tree climbing and hiking 
Regulatory services: Pileated woodpeckers who eat bark beetle larva 
Provisioning services: Taxol found in Pacific Yew’s help with ovarian 
cancer  
 
Telling the Story of the Forest: Humanities in the Environment 
The Kalapuya have inhabited the southern Willamette valley for time 
immemorial. Their rich subsistence culture was intertwined with the 
changes in the seasons; each seasonal change is referred to as a “round”. 
The people spent the cold winter months in permanent camps above the 
valley to gather huckleberry while living o of preserved foods. In the 
spring, they fished for salmon and smelt and harvested strawberries. In the 
summer, they hunted deer and elk, picked blackberries, and harvested 
camas and wapato bulbs. Fall activities largely centered around the 
harvest and use of basketry materials, but also included trading camas for 
other materials with the Columbia River Trade Network. These foods were 
extremely important to the Kalapuya, not only for their livelihood, but to 
their culture as well.