History of the Priest River Experiment Station

Book excerpt: In 1911, the U.S. Forest Service established the Priest River Experimental Forest near Priest River, Idaho. The Forest served as headquarters for the Priest River Forest Experiment Station and continues to be used for forest research critical to understanding forest development and the many processes, structures, and functions occurring in them. At the time the Forest was created, Idaho had been a State for only 11 years. The early Forest Service leaders, such as Gifford Pinchot, Raphael Zon, and Henry Graves, were creating a new department and making decisions that would impact the culture, economics, and history of not only the State of Idaho and the Northwest, but the nation. The location of the Forest, in a remote section of northern Idaho, was due partly to the need for research on tree species within the Pacific Coast forest region, but also because it contained large amounts of western white pine, the prized tree species for construction. Since the Forest's establishment, numerous Forest Service researchers, educators from colleges and universities across the nation, and State and private forestry personnel have used the Forest to solve problems impacting forests and economics, not only locally and regionally but also worldwide. Researchers such as Bob Marshall, Harry Gisborne, Richard Bingham, and Charles Wellner made enormous contributions to the forestry industry. Due to the importance of the research still being conducted, it continues to attract dedicated scientists today.