"CASTLE ROCK, Wash. -- When Mount St. Helens erupted nearly 30 years ago, it flattened more than 150 square miles of forest, spewed millions of tons of mud and debris, filled the sky with ash and left at least 57 people dead. In the process, it also created an unusual outdoor laboratory where researchers have worked ever since to answer an increasingly urgent question: How do landscapes recover after violent disturbance?"

Cornelia Dean reports for the New York Times August 17, 2009. [2]