Introduction

Abstract

Landscapes tell stories, if we know how to listen. When Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980, the story most people heard seemed to be almost entirely about violence, danger, and devastation. But even as rescue efforts continued for the people missing on the mountain, scientists went up to the volcano looking for other stories. They wanted to see how the landscape would respond to these enormous disturbances, and they brought along some reasonable hypotheses. But much of what they saw and learned was so radically different from what they expected that their new findings have significantly changed several branches of ecology.

Citation

Goodrich, Charles. 2008. Introduction. In: Goodrich, Charles; Moore, Katheleen Dean; Swanson, Frederick J., eds. In the bast zone: catastrophe and renewal on Mount St. Helens. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University: ix-xvii.