McRae Creek NEON - United States of America

DEIMS.iD

https://deims.org/ed52a7dd-be16-4edd-ba35-cabf015e1036

This record was created automatically using information from the:
Basic Information
Site Name
McRae Creek NEON
Short name
MCRA
Country
United States of America
Web Address
https://www.neonscience.org/field-sites/mcra
Site Manager
Ben Vierra
Site Description
McRae Creek (MCRA) is an aquatic NEON field site located within the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, 80 km (50 mi.) east of Eugene, OR in the Western Cascade Mountains. It is a third-order stream that drains a 3.93 km2 (970 acre) old-growth coniferous forested watershed. H.J. Andrews is a 64 km2 (15,800 acre) ecological research site that is administered by Oregon State University, the USDA Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station, and the Willamette National Forest. It has been a part of the National Science Foundation’s Long-Term Ecological Research Program since 1980. It mainly consists of dense forests filled with cedar, hemlock, and Douglas fir trees, many of which are at least 300 years old and can grow as high as 75 m (250 ft.). MCRA is located in NEON's Pacific Northwest Domain (D16), which is bounded by the Pacific on the west and Canada on the north. It includes the eastern halves of Washington and Oregon and parts of northern California. The Domain hosts three other field sites: one additional aquatic and two terrestrial.
Last modified
2025-09-18 10:09:42

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General Characteristics and Status
Site Status
Operational
Year Established
2017
Observed properties
Affiliation and Network Specific Information
Affiliation
GERI✔This site is a verified "GERI" member.
NEON✔ (MCRA)This site is a verified "NEON" member.
Photos
MCRA McRae Creek
MCRA McRae Creek
MCRA McRae Creek
MCRA McRae Creek
Geographic
View in site map
Centroid/Representative Coordinates

Latitude: 44.2596 Longitude: -122.16555

Size
ca. 566.00ha
Elevation (average)
876.00msl
Elevation (min)
550.00msl
Elevation (max)
1250.00msl
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Site information [.json]

Centroid/representative coordinates [.shp] [.kml] [.geojson]
GEO-BON Biome
Fresh water rivers
Biome
Evergreen Forest
Ecosystem Type
Forest
Evergreen Forest
Rivers
Fresh Water Rivers
Air Temperature: Average Annual
8.80°C
Precipitation Annual
2188.00mm
Geology
The geology of H.J. Andrews is characterized by miocene aged undifferentiated flows and clastic rocks of basalt and andesite. The substrate within the creek is dominated by boulders, with some patches of cobble.
Vegetation
The Western Cascades eco-region is almost exclusively covered in dense coniferous forests, with dominant tree species changing with elevation. Below 4,000 feet, Douglas-fir and western hemlock are the most common trees. As elevation increases, Pacific silver fir, mountain hemlock, and subalpine fire begin to dominate. Above 7,000 feet, alpine parklands and dwarf shrubs become dominant as conditions become too harsh for tree growth. [3] The riparian area adjacent to McRae Creek consists of mature Tsuga heterophylla (western hemlock) and Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas fir) dominating the over-story canopy. Groundcover consists of Acer macrophyllum (vine maple), Taxus brevifolia (Pacific yew), Cornus nuttallii (dogwood), and Alnus rubra (alder). Most mature trees are 200-300 feet tall, while groundcover is often thick in areas adjacent to the stream.
Hydrology
The flow regime of McRae Creek is considered stable and dominated by groundwater input: base discharge typically increases in the fall, remains high during the winter, peaks in spring due to snowmelt and decreases to annual lows during the summer dry season. Winter storms and snowmelt create high discharge events, with very rare zeroflow days in the summer months.
Site Type
Non-stationary land-based site
Design of Experimentation
partly experimentation
Scale of Experimentation
catchment scale
Design of Observation
mainly observation
Scale of Observation
entire catchment
Accessible All Year
Yes