The mountains to the east also protect the coastal areas from severe weather extremes. Douglas-fir, western redcedar, bigleaf maple, red alder, vine maple, and black cottonwood are also found throughout the forest. Nearly every bit of space is taken up with a living plant.
Some plants even live on others.
These are the epiphytes, plants that do not come into contact with the earth, but also are not parasites. Mosses , lichens and ferns cover just about anything else. Oregon oxalis is also a common ground cover. But because of this dense ground cover it is hard for seedlings to get a start. Many seedlings germinate on fallen, decaying trees.