History of Rebarrow Research Forest
The Rebarrow Research Forest was created in 1990 from a 200-acre parcel of land donated to Eastern Oregon University. It is located at 5,000 ft. elevation in the Blue Mountains of Northeast Oregon, six miles south of La Grande. The vegetation is mixed coniferous forest, dominated by Pinus ponderosa, P. contorta and Larix occidentalis. Other species occur on the site, including Pseudotsuga menziesii, Abies grandis, and limited Picea engelmanii.
The forest was badly degraded by a combination of many of the same factors that have affected much of the Blue Mountains. Between 1978 and 1984, 5.7 million board feet of timber were harvested from the forest. This harvest was followed by a winter storm in 1984 with high winds that blew down much of the reserve timber. Between 1984 and 1987, several years of drought and insect infestation resulted in the mortality of most remaining trees.
The donor included several stipulations for utilization of the land by the University. She instructed that the land was to be used as an outdoor laboratory for science classes, and for student or faculty research projects. Criteria were established for appointment of an advisory board. The board was instructed to maintain and develop the forest in ways that would "promote the natural forest habitat, including game and wildlife inhabiting the areas"; to "restrict logging to a minimum impact basis", and to "develop a portion of the research forest into a material climax stand".
The advisory board sought to develop a program that would meet the dual goals of reforestation and education. Consequently, the Rebarrow community stewardship project was begun in 1993. After six years of operation, the program has seen many accomplishments and may serve as a model for other communities with similar landscape degradation problems.