Pack Forest 3/31/12
Coordinates: Lat. 46.8389367746
Lon. -122.2951426191
Weather: 40 degrees F. Despite completely overcast skies, it is not raining. The threat looms, but we stay dry for the entirety of our time outside. In the forest there is no wind.
First walk: approx. 11am-12pm--
Pack forest is easily distinguishable as a second growth forest dominated by tall and skinny Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). The trees are mostly uniform, indicating that they all probably were planted or began growing around the same time. Thanks to the trees' incredible height and the concentration of their branches at the very tops of the trunks, there is quite a bit of light that streams onto the forest floor. The forest, especially the area closest to the cabins feels split--the canopy is very high and the forest floor is springing into life with new green buds, while the middle (eye-level) is comparatively empty. Is this characteristic of a young forest? Many of the eye-level deciduous shrubs have yet to leaf out, except for the Indian Plum (Oemleria) which is the main contributor to the soft/bright green color of the forest. Little leaves are really exploding out of the Indian Plum branches and many white drooping flowers accompany these leaves, though not on all the plants.
As we continue slightly deeper into the forest ,the floor becomes very damp, actually run over with tiny streams of water that turn the earth to mud. In this section the trees are predominately Red Alders (Alnus rubra). There are many fallen trees, perhaps left from the winter's harsh winds and snow. It could be that the ground is too soggy here to support the roots. Why is it that alders grow in marshy areas like this as opposed to conifers? Does it have to do with the nutrient-content of the soil?
Some of the downed trees (especially conifers) display 3m tall root balls that are covered in plants growing up and around them. We learn that winter wrens often build nests in such root balls, and indeed after I stare at one for a few minutes and tiny brown bird emerges from a whole at the bottom, bouncing off into the ferns surrounding the root ball. Winter wrens have a very impressive song, consisting of over 200 notes!
The tiny streams are lined by Fringe Cups (Tellima grandiflora).
Second Walk: approx. 1-2:30pm--
I should note that the lichen here is impossible to ignore. It truly takes over the forest, I have many photographs displaying the many-colored shag the trees are wearing. In other forests, perhaps at lower altitudes, I have noticed huge quantities of moss, but here it is particularly lichen that grabs the attention. During this walk, we follow an old logging road that starts next to a field and continues back to meet up with the forest path from our previous walk. The road is lined with an alder stand, but once again many of the trees and their long branches have been downed, creating a jungle of low, lichen-covered branches. The ground is thickly covered in decomposing leaves with small shoots of delicate green emerging every few centimeters. Rustling among the leaves, we find a Long-Tailed vole with tiny black beads for eyes. It hardly notices our presence even as we lean in with our cameras to photograph it. It appears to be chewing on a few leaves, including Fringe Cup, and doesn't run away until he comes in contact with my knee and shuffles away into the underbrush.
Species List:
Trees--
Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
Red Alder (Alnus rubra)
Big-leaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum)
Shrubs--
Indian Plum/Osa Berry (Oemleria cerasiformis)
Scot's Broom (Cytisus scoparius)
Red Currant (Ribes sanguineum)
Snow Berry (Symphoricarpos albus)
Himalayan Blackberry (Rubus discolor)
Salmon Berry (Rubus spectabilils)
Trailing Blackberry (Rubus ursinus)
Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum)
Oregon Grape (Mahonia nervosa and Berberis aquifolium)
Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
Ground covering plants--
Fringe Cups (Tellima grandiflora)
Woodland Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)
Licorice Fern (Polypodium glycyrrhiza)
Horse Tail (Equisetum hyemale)
Herb Robert/Stinky Bob (Geranium robertianum)
Sweet Colt's Foot (Petasites frigidus)
Fungi--
Early Morel (Verpa bohemica)
Vertebrates--
Long-tailed Vole (Microtus longicaudus
American Robin (Turdus Migratorius)