Subalpine fir is especially well adapted to the heavy snows and cold temperatures experienced here. Its spire-like shape sheds snow. It also extends its lower branches under the snow, often putting down roots from them where they touch the ground. When the snow melts the trees may be surrounded by skirt-like arrangements of longer, lower branches. Increasing elevation causes even more severe climatic conditions.
Trees become fewer, shorter, and more misshapen.
Trees may be mere shadows of their cousins living lower down the mountain. Eventually tree line is reached, beyond which trees do not grow, but a profusion of wildflowers often rewards your eye in a vivid display that is an effective foil to the scenery below, now visible because the trees no longer block the view. From seashore to mountaintop Olympic is blessed with an incredibly rich plant community created by varying environments. The temperate rain forest in the valleys of the Quinault, Queets, and Hoh rivers are protected and contain some of the most spectacular examples of the Sitka spruce community. The mountains to the east also protect the coastal areas from severe weather extremes.