Under the Redwood Canopy

I feel fortunate to be living in so close to so many diverse ecosystems. Where the ocean meets the land, sand dunes and tide pools are created. Serpentine rocks and soil produce uninhabitable conditions for plant growth, and yet there are species that have adapted to these environments and are able to thrive. Where fires have become a common disturbance, the redwoods have grown ancient and extraordinarily tall.

During their visit, Dad, Nancy and I took a trip to Jedediah Smith State Park to see the California redwoods. I knew that I would love it there even before we went.

It's unbelievable to think that forests like those used to cover much of the Pacific Northwest. The footage from the planet where the ewoks live in Star Wars (VI) was filmed near Jedediah Smith State Park. I was told, however, that the stand that is featured in the film has since been logged. I can't believe that anyone would want to destroy such beautiful trees. Do they not understand that once all of the old growth has been cut it will take hundreds or thousands of years for them to grow to such a size? They should be protected, and viewed with admiration and respect. Enough ranting though.

Later that week we went to the Oregon redwood trail for work. Clint is planning to reintroduce a plant that was eradicated from the state with the logging of the redwoods. The plant is, ironically, called Clintonia and is found just a few miles South of the Oregon redwood trail in California. We walked the trail looking at other species found under the redwood canopy.

We also went off the trail to scout out sites to transplant some of the Clintonia. It made me wish that my legs were longer. At one point I ended up straddling a huge log and my little stubby legs were too short to push my all of the way over. I came out of the forest pretty scratched and dirty.

One thing that I thought was interesting is that the layer of needles, dead branches, etc. (the duff or litter) that have accumulated over the many years that the stand has been growing might actually be a problem when trying to get the plants to establish. This layer will have to be cleared for the plants to be able to reach the soil. In the past fire would have paved the way for understory plants. Fire is generally prevented in stands like the redwoods to protect the trees, but this has left little space for plants that rely on fire for their survival.

The ferns don't seem to be having this problem!


It was exciting to explore off of the trail and find places that not many other people have seen. The picture below, for example, is a natural redwood bridge over a creek. I don't think that the photo does this tree justice, it was about as wide as a sidewalk!