Wind River Field Station flux tower site is located in the T.T. Munger Research Area of the Wind River Ranger District in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Protected since 1926, the T.T. Munger Research Natural Area (RNA) is administered by the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station and Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The Douglas-fir/western hemlock dominant stand is approximately 500 years old and represents end points of several ecological gradients including age, biomass, structural complexity, and density of the dominant overstory species. A complete stand replacement fire, approximately 450-500 years ago, resulted in the initial establishment. No significant disturbances have occurred since the fire aside from those confined to small groups of single trees, such as overturn from high wind activity and mechanical damage from winter precipitation.

Research and monitoring objectives are to 1) Describe the estimation of CO2 exchange from the oldest forest ecosystem (500 years old) in the AmeriFlux network, based on eddy covariance, using accepted AmeriFlux correction techniques for low friction velocities and turbulence levels, and related advection calculation methods; 2) Examine the CO2 exchange response to diurnal, seasonal, annual, and interannual variations, and relate the exchange to meteorologic variables such as photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and soil and air temperatures; 3) Relate measurements to ecosystem physiological processes and identify when the forest is a source or sink in relation to these processes; 4) support collaborative efforts with other ecological studies.