Hagan Research Natural Area Willamette National Forest , USFS West Cascades, Oregon Ecoregion Cell(s): Western hemlock/salal/twinflower with white-flowered hawkweed and common prince's pine if possible Western hemlock/salal-Oregon grape Western hemlock/dwarf Oregon grape/twinflower

Access by trail and road (south boundary access is forest road; north boundary access is private road - get usage permission from Guistina Brothers, Eugene, OR)

The 456 ha Hagan RNA lies in the Willamette National Forest, and is located 56 km east of Eugene in Lane County, Oregon. Many steep slopes dissect the topography of the tract, and elevations range from 463m to 1070m. The area contains first to third order streams that form the headwaters of the north fork of Hagan Creek. The vegetation of the RNA, which lies in the Western Hemlock Zone, consists of coniferous forests dominated by Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) that originated after a sequence of fires that occurred between 1855 and 1895. Other species present include giant chinkapin (Castanopsis chrysophylla), sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana), Pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia), and bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum). Although western red cedar (Thuja plicata) trees are very rare in the tract, cedar logs and snags can be found, suggesting that this species was more common before the fires in the 1800's. Common understory shrubs include salal (Gaultheria shallon), dwarf Oregon grape (Berberis nervosa), Pacific rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum), vine maple (Acer circinatum) and red huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium). Herbs common to the area are sword fern (Nephrolepis), Oregon oxalis (Oxalis oregana), beargrass (Nolina) and bracken (Pteridium). In addition to the upland vegetation discussed above, this natural area has an extensive riparian vegetation zone. Typical riparian tree species include red alder (Alnus rubra) and black cottonwood (Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa). Douglas fir is beginning to overtop the riparian overstory in some areas, indicating that this area is probably in transition from hardwood-dominated to conifer-dominated systems. The riparian understory consists of a shrub layer of stink currant (Ribes bracteosum), Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) and devil's club (Oplopanax horridus), as well as a rich herbaceous layer including many fern species.

A series of permanent sample plots has been established along transects that run across the slopes in this RNA.