Wind River Experimental Forest
ecological and silvicultural research in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Skamania County, Washington, United States
The Wind River Experimental Forest is an ecological and silvicultural research in Stabler, Washington, in the United States. Used as a research site by the U.S. Forest Service beginning in 1908, and functioning as an experimental forest since 1932, it is "known as the cradle of forest research in the Pacific Northwest". The site is probably best known for the Wind River Canopy Crane Research Facility (WRCCRF), a 285-foot (87 m)-high freestanding tower crane which supported an 8-person gondola enabling scientists to view the forest canopy from above. The tallest trees in the forest are about 220 feet (67 m).
Many studies at Wind River continue for decades. This long-term research has resulted in important findings about forest ecology and management.
Location
It is located west of the Cascade Range in the south-central area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, north of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. It is about a 1.5-hour drive east of Vancouver, Washington, in the Mount Adams Ranger District.
History
Research at Wind River began with the assignment of Forest Service scientist Thornton T. Munger in 1908 to the new North Pacific District in Portland, Oregon. Munger began studying the Douglas fir trees of the western Cascades, setting up research plots throughout the Wind River area.
The public source identifies “Wind River Experimental Forest” as ecological and silvicultural research in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Skamania County, Washington, United States. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Wind, River and Experimental.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Wind River Experimental Forest”, the useful work is to connect “ecological and silvicultural research in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Skamania County, Washington, United States” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q8023943. VIAF identifies the subject as 315141771. The Library of Congress control number is sh2003001105. Authority coordinates are 45.809, -121.982. None of the 3 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1908 and 1932.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
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Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Wind River Experimental Forest” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.