The Fraser Experimental Forest is an outdoor research laboratory situated within north-central Colorado’s Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests & Pawnee National Grasslands. Established in 1937, the Fraser Experimental Forest is one of only thirteen other similar sites managed by the United States Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station.

The United States Forest Service defines an experimental forest as “an area administered….to provide for the research necessary for management of the land”. The first experimental forest was established in 1908 and the current network contains eighty forests (with some that are nearly fifty years old). Experimental forests are an important resource for scientists. They serve as living laboratories used by scientists for long-term scientific studies. Much of the research that takes place within experimental forests focuses on ecological studies, water systems, and the forest lifecycle. Scientists also study the effect of wildlife, climate, and vegetation on forests, and experimental forests are integral to this effort. The experiments and research conducted within the forests plays a key role in land management decisions and shapes forest policy. Much of the work done in these areas have produced long-term datasets, as there are many experiments that have been run for decades (or even centuries).

According to the United States Forest Service, “the Forest Service established the Fraser Experimental Forest in 1937 to study the relationship between forest management and water yield in the subalpine zone. Comprising 23,000 acres, this outdoor research laboratory is an ideal location to study water, forests, and other physical and biological processes, and their integration in high-elevation subalpine watersheds”.

Buildings within the Fraser Experimental Forest aid in this research and serve as important centers for housing the information collected during experiments. Because so much of this data is historic in nature, these buildings are integral to the preservation of historic data collected over decades, if not centuries. In fact, some of the Forest Service records known to be held within the facilities include research written on rice paper! The research complex includes a headquarters, cabin living quarters, dormitory-style structures, etc. and serves as year-round lodging for the scientists who collect data and conduct experiments within the forest. Each building is representative of early United States Forest Service architecture design. Their efficient design and layout was taken from the 1938 “Acceptable Plans” book that was used to construct administrative, office, and housing structures across the Forest Service. These buildings were often assembled using materials local to the area and were influenced by design styles common within the region.

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