Guidelines for Researchers
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages researchers to partner with us on research and monitoring projects in the Olympic Experimental State Forest (OESF). DNR also accommodates researchers doing their own research in the OESF, as long as the research is compatible with DNR's management objectives. Although DNR typically does not fund external research, the OESF Research Program Manager (Teodora Minkova) can work with you to find an appropriate site, secure permits, and connect you with the appropriate DNR staff member for data and field implementation.
Advantages of the OESF as a Research Site
The OESF offers many advantages as a research site:
- A large, actively managed forested land base that can accommodate operational-scale experimentation and landscape-level studies.
- A well-maintained road system that provides easy field access.
- Extensive, regularly updated, and non-proprietary datasets that are available for analyses.
- Adjacent federal lands with mature, unmanaged forests that provide opportunities for experimental controls and reference sites.
- An established framework for research and monitoring and prioritized uncertainties (incomplete knowledge) that provide a focus for research.
- Lodging, a conference center, and research labs available at the nearby Olympic Natural Resources Center.
Submit Research Application
Contact the OESF Research and Monitoring Program Manager (Teodora Minkova) about your topic, timeline, and project participants, and then submit a research application form summarizing the study goal, approach, and project lead(s). If the project requires fieldwork by non-DNR staff, submit a site use application form (click here for instructions). DNR will review your project for its potential impact on natural resources, cultural resources, and DNR’s land management operations. The OESF is a working forest, and field work may need to be scheduled around logging activities or road closures. Allow at least four weeks for site-use approval. Projects that involve major manipulations or require an environmental analysis under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) will take much longer to review.
Acknowledge Use of Data or Site
Those who conduct research in the OESF or use DNR data must acknowledge DNR in any resulting publications and presentations. Use the following acknowledgment: “Data were provided by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Research was conducted at the Olympic Experimental Sate Forest managed by Washington State Department of Natural Resources.”
Submit Data and Publications
All data generated through research on the OESF, with complete metadata, must be submitted to the OESF Data Management Specialist (Warren Devine) using DNR’s metadata form.
Please submit, in Adobe PDF format, any publications (for example, journal articles, theses, dissertations, and reports) that include research conducted on the OESF to the OESF Research and Monitoring Manager (Teodora Minkova). Include the full citation in the body of your email.
Use a DNR Logo
Downloadable DNR logos can be found on the right-hand side of the Media Contacts page. DNR logos are registered trademarks of the Washington Office of the Secretary of State. Obtain permissions, and vector files if needed, from DNR Communications.
