Canopy Crane Gondola (IMAGE) University of Washington Caption Researchers ride in the gondola of the 28-story Wind River Canopy Crane being used to study, among other things, tree mortality in an old growth forest in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in southwest Washington state. The crane, operated by the University of Washington since 1997, is in a forest plot that was established for long-term study in 1948 by the Forest Service. Instruments at the crane site have been used to directly measure carbon flows between the forest and atmosphere for 10 years, the longest continuous such record in the Pacific Northwest. Credit Image credit: University of Washington Usage Restrictions Photo credit required License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.