Mushrooms grow under sheltering trees from spores that squirrels and mice have inadvertently planted. Below ground, a mutually beneficial exchange occurs between the entanglement of tree roots and these fungi. High in the forest canopy, lichens pull nitrogen from the atmosphere and drop it as fertilizer. Leaves form cups for holding water. The lush vegetation sparkles with morning dew as sword ferns, sorrel, and rhododendrons edge the trails.
Snags open a sun path to new seedlings and offer homes for wildlife.
There is no better place to feel at peace and to connect with the spirit of all life. The Pacific Northwest temperate rain forest is not just trees, but a web of life that supports more than 200 wildlife species and more than 1,500 types of invertebrates. One old-growth tree is home to a hundred different plant species, and these forests bring more breeding birds to the Northwest than to any other part of North America. The northern spotted owl is only an indicator of the forest's health, like the canary that served miners. Remember as you explore, however, that it is easy for wildlife to hide in this forest.