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I just recently visited the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. This photo was taken in a section of the national forest near Juneau. The dominant trees here are western hemlock and sitka spruce. Spanning most of Southeast Alaska, the Tongass is the largest national forest in the U.S. and is a fine example of Pacific temperate rainforest.

My first overall impression of Southeast Alaska is that the landscapes and forests appear quite young. In fact, many forests in this region have only become established in recent centuries as glacial ice receded.

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Valley of the Giants

A remote valley in the central Coast Range of Oregon is home to one of the finest ancient temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest.The Valley of the Giants is a protected forest preserve that contains a beautiful old growth Douglas fir forest. One of the common characteristics of an old growth Douglas fir forest that can be seen here is the presence of western hemlock trees of all sizes and ages forming the understory. The western hemlock trees (tsuga heterophylla) are characterized by the smaller, smoother-barked trunks and droopy boughs while the Douglas firs (pseudotsuga menziesii) are the larger trunks that have reddish bark with deep fissures. This is an example of an old growth forest that has entered the later stages of succession in which the shade-tolerant western hemlock trees are slowly replacing the older Douglas firs (see bottom photo).

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Sitka Spruce: Prickly Giants of the Pacific Northwest Coast.

Sitka Spruce (picea sitchensis) is a dominant tree of the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest in low elevation areas along the coastline and on river floodplains near the coast. This tree is often recognized by its prickly needles and its droopy branches. Sitka spruce is a sun-loving species that is among the first trees to seed into a disturbed area. Over time, these trees can grow to massive proportions with diameters exceeding 18 feet! Sitka spruce trees typically live for 400 to 800 years, but some older individuals have been recorded.

Top photo: A colossal old growth Sitka spruce.

Second photos down: A few more examples of giant Sitka spruce. Note the scaly, gray outer bark.

Third photo down: Sitka spruce seedlings often sprout from fallen logs (nurse logs) and eventually form a row of giant trees as the log decays back into soil.

Fourth photo down: An example of a spruce tree that originally sprouted from a stump which then rotted away leaving the exposed roots to support the elevated base of the tree.

Bottom photo: Wind-sculpted spruce trees are a common site along the Pacific Northwest coastline.

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This cathedral-like Douglas fir forest had an impressive density of tree trunks. There is almost no negative space that is not filled with the trunks of more distant trees. What also caught my eye while hiking through this forest is how the back-lighting has brought out the rich brownish-red coloration of the bark in the shadowed areas of the tree trunks.

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Western Hemlock: A Shady Tree

Western Hemlock (tsuga heterophylla) is one of the most abundant conifers in the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest. These trees have high shade tolerance making them a key species in forests that have reached the final stages of succession. After 600 to 1,000 years of forest succession, sun-loving species such as Douglas fir and sitka spruce are slowly replaced by hemlock trees that originally starting growing as an understory species in the shade. Western hemlock grows well in organic-rich soils. In fact, rotting logs, snags and bark on old trees often serve as a growth substrate for these trees. Western hemlock has the densest foliage of conifers in the Pacific Northwest which results in dark, shady forests where few other types of trees can grow.

Top photos: Examples of old growth western hemlock in ancient forests.

Second photo down: The dense and shady forests of western hemlock.

Third photo down: The foliage of a young hemlock and the bark of an old growth hemlock tree.

Fourth photo down: Mistletoe broom that results in these creepy looking branches is typical of old growth western hemlock.

Fifth photos down: Young hemlock trees that have sprouted directly from an old growth Douglas fir and a snag.

Bottom photo: Shade-tolerant western hemlock forming the understory of an old growth Douglas fir forest.

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Western Red Cedar: The Tree of Life

Among the most enchanting trees is the western red cedar (thuja plicata) which is an iconic species of the Pacific Northwest. Some individuals have ages approaching 2,000 years which makes them the longest-lived species in the lowland temperate rainforests of this region. The base of older cedars tend to be fluted and buttressed (second photos down). The J-shaped branches of older trees can often form secondary trunks as seen in the top two photos. Really ancient individuals will have a complex candelabra-like crown that consists of multiple tops that have replaced dead portions of the tree (third photo down).These cedars host entire ecosystems and will have shrubs and other trees growing from their trunks and crowns (bottom photo). Old cedars often have multiple western hemlock trees sprouting from their trunks (fourth photos down).

The western red cedar is the cornerstone of Northwest Coast Native American technology. Some Native American groups referred to the cedar as the 'tree of life' and held the trees in the highest respect for their healing and spiritual powers. In addition, the wood, roots and bark of these trees were all very useful. For the Northwest natives, the cedar tree provided the necessary materials for their homes, clothing, baskets, tools, dishes, fuel, weapons, canoes, totem poles, ceremonial objects, etc. From the cradle to the coffin, the cedar tree always provided for the people.

For me, ancient western red cedars are a source of inspiration and one of my earliest childhood memories is of me approaching one of these giants as if it were calling to me. In the last several years, I have traveled to places where I have encountered many beautiful cedars. That journey will continue during my future summer travels.

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Douglas Fir: Icon of the Pacific Northwest

Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga Menziesii) are a widespread tree in the Pacific Northwest and are recognized as the official state tree for Oregon. The canopy of many old growth forests in this region are dominated by massive, majestic Douglas firs. This species is the largest member of the pine family (pinaceae) and can reach heights comparable to that of the coastal redwoods with the tallest known individuals exceeding 350 feet! Douglas firs with diameters of 15 to 18 feet have been documented. This species is not very shade tolerant and are usually the first conifers to seed in after a disturbance such as a forest fire. These trees typically live for 600 to 800 years and some individuals have exceeded 1,000 years in age.

Top photos: Classic old growth Douglas fir towering above the surrounding forest.

Second photo down: Douglas fir cones and needles.

Third down from left to right: Bark of young trees (90 years old); the deeply-fissured, reddish-brown bark of an old growth tree (450 years old); and the red, flaky bark of an ancient tree (900 years old).

Bottom photo: A comparison of the spire-shaped crown of a young Douglas fir in the lower foreground and the craggy, individualistic tops of ancient Douglas firs in the background.

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Twisted Tree

This weathered western red cedar snag exhibits the most extraordinary spiral-grain that I have ever seen for a cedar tree. The angle of the grain is almost completely horizontal near the top! Note that a background cedar has straight grain (top photo). There are different hypothesis for why certain trees develop spiral-grain. Some hypotheses suggest that spiral-grain helps connect roots on one side of a tree to a more healthy productive crown on other sides of the tree. The spiral-grain may also be a response to stress and it can help provide structural reinforcement against the wind. This may be true for leaning and asymmetric trees that are affected by strong winds.

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Friday’s Feature Tree: The Big Spruce at Cape Meares

Tucked away in a patch of ancient forest at Cape Meares is a craggy old sitka spruce (picea sitchensis) that is the current state champion in Oregon. The colossal scaly-barked trunk has a diameter of 15.5 ft and a height of 144 ft. The estimated age of this giant is between 750 and 800 years old which is approaching the upper limit for how long this species can live.

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Deep Forest

The Opal Creek wilderness is home to one of the last remaining expanses of lowland old growth forest in Oregon. This forest contains ancient Douglas firs (pseudotsuga menziesii) with ages approaching 1,000 years. Western hemlock (tsuga heterophylla), pacific silver fir (abies amabilis), and western red cedar (thuja plicata) are slowly replacing Douglas fir in this beautiful old forest.

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Douglas Fir Cathedral

Sunlight streams down into a beautiful open forest of Douglas fir (pseudotsuga menziesii) with a carpet of salal (gaultheria shallon) covering the forest floor. This is a lovely example of a mature Douglas fir forest that will be entering the early stages of old growth.

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Ancient Coastal Rainforest

Both photos are examples of ancient temperate rainforest found along the Pacific Northwest coast. These forests have reached the final stages of succession in which shade-tolerant western hemlock (tsuga heterophylla) and western red cedar (thuja plicata) have become dominant trees in the forest canopy.

Top photo: Avatar Grove near Port Renfrew. The trunks in the immediate foreground are western hemlock while the larger, fluted trunk with burls is an old growth western red cedar.

Bottom photo: Ancient coastal forest in western Washington. Larger trunks are western red cedar trees of various ages and the smaller trees are primarily western hemlock.

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Autumn Woods

Old bigleaf maples (acer macrophyllum) along a lovely wooded path at Finley Wildlife refuge. Bigleaf maple is one of the most abundant hardwood species in the Pacific Northwest. These trees can live for 200 to 300 years.

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One tree is not like the others

An ancient western red cedar (thuja plicata) lurks in a dense forest of smaller western hemlock (tsuga heterophylla) trees. An odd-ball crooked western hemlock is growing from its trunk. One of many cool things that you can spot while hiking through Avatar Grove near Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island.

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Big Conifers of the Pacific Northwest

Here’s a collection of upward shots of 5 different species of old growth conifers found in the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest. From top left to top right: western hemlock (tsuga heterophylla), western red cedar (thuja plicata), and pacific silver fir or amablis fir (abies amabalis). These three species are common in old forests that have entered late stages of succession. The lower two photos are Douglas fir (pseudotsuga menzeisii) on the left and sitka spruce (picea sitchensis) on the right. These two species usually are the first conifer species to get established in a forest after a disturbance such as a forest fire.

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Friday's Feature Tree: The Kalaloch Cedar

This magnificent western red cedar (thuja plicata) is estimated to be more than 1,000 years old. The massive candelabra-like crown resembles the spires of an ancient cathedral and this cedar started its life when the earliest cathedrals were being built in Medieval Europe. The Kalaloch cedar is a testament to the cycle of life and death in the forest. The multiple dead tops show how some sections of the tree die off and are replaced by new trunks. Half of the tree collapsed in recent storm as seen in the top photo. The fallen log will become nutrients for future generations of trees. The remaining section of the tree supports an entire ecosystem including  mature western hemlock trees (tsuga heterophylla) that are growing out of it trunk drawing nutrients from the decaying wood. In turn, their tangled network of root systems appear to be providing structural support for the massive cedar trunk. Soil that has built up on giant burls is supporting a hanging garden of shrubs and ferns. Together, these features provide a wide range of habitats within this one western cedar tree.

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The Magical Forest of Meares Island

Some forests feel like places that are timeless and are enchanted with old magic long forgotten in this modern, busy world. One such place is Meares Island that is home to one of the most ancient expanses of temperate rainforest that I have visited. Massive western red cedars (thuja plicata) dominate this magnificent forest. Some of these cedars started their lives when the Viking Age just got started.

The dominance of western red cedars on this island is due to the swampy soil that these trees are well-adapted for. Ancient individuals will have a complex candelabra-like crown that consists of multiple tops that have replaced dead portions of the tree. These giant cedars host entire ecosystems and will have shrubs and other trees growing out of their trunks and crowns.