Biological Legacies on Mount St. Helens

Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980 and dramatically changed the surrounding landscape. In the forty years since the eruption, scientists from the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station and their colleagues around the world have studied ecological recovery at the volcano, using it as a living laboratory for ecological research. Today, Mount St. Helens is the most studied volcano in the world and has changed how we understand ecological recovery and study volcanically active regions. To learn more about the scientific findings and ongoing research at Mount St. Helens, check out our Mount St. Helens webpage.