Ecological responses to the 1980 eruptions of Mount St. Helens: forward and preface.

Virginia H. Dale; Frederick J. Swanson; Charles M. Crisafulli

Treesearch

Ecological responses to the 1980 eruptions of Mount St. Helens: forward and preface.

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Virginia H. Dale, Frederick J. Swanson, Charles M. Crisafulli

Year:

2005

Type:

Scientific Journal

Station:

Pacific Northwest Research Station

Source:

In: Ecological Responses to the 1980 Eruptions of Mount St. Helens: i-xv

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Abstract

When Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980, it did more than just reconfigure a large piece of Cascadian landscape. It also led to dramatic revisions in our perspectives on disturbances, secondary succession, and forestry practices. The Mount St. Helens landscape turned out to be a far more complex place than the "moonscape" that it initially appeared to be. Granted, a large area was literally scoured and sterilized, and that vast expanse of newly formed rock, mudflows, and avalanche debris up and down the mountain made the Mount St. Helens landscape unique. But I still remember my surprise when, as I stepped out of the helicopter on first landing within the extensive "devastated zone," I saw hundreds of plants pushing their way up through the mantel of tephra.

Citation

Dale, Virginia H.; Swanson, Frederick J.; Crisafulli, Charles M. 2005. Ecological responses to the 1980 eruptions of Mount St. Helens: forward and preface. In: Ecological Responses to the 1980 Eruptions of Mount St. Helens: i-xv