baumzaehlen - Primeval Forests & Their Trees

Prairie Creek Valley is probably the only place on earth where three species growing side-by-side reach 90 metres in height. They are Sequoia sempervirens (coast redwood), Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii (coast Douglas-fir) and Picea sitchensis (Sitka spruce). ¹ Many of the largest S. sempervirens individuals are located in this park, while the tallest trees are located further from the coast ² . However, the three tallest measured P. sitchensis specimens are found here, the tallest being 96.68 m ² . S. sempervirens dominates throughout the park. Besides the three mentioned species, Tsuga heterophylla (western hemlock) is a common species reaching the canopy. Tree species diversity is low and most are easy to identify. Annual precipitation is 2000–2800 mm ¹ and average annual temperature at the coast 11.5–12°C. Summers are foggy but rainfall low. Due to the moist climate, historical fire-return interval was 500-600 years ³ . Prescribed burns are not used ⁴ . Some parts of the forests, e.g. those right on the coast, were logged before the establishment of the park.

Off-trail hiking is fun but challenging, due to the dense undergrowth and the many steep slopes. Unfortunately, there is a road running through the best groves. Camping is allowed only on designated sites.

References:

1 Van Pelt (2001): Forest Giants of the Pacific Coast. Global Forest Society.

2 http://www.landmarktrees.net/

3 Sawyer, J. O. et al. (2000): Redwood Trees, Communities, and Ecosystems: A Closer Look. In Noss, R. F. (ed.): The Redwood Forest . Island Press.

4 Thornburgh, D. A. et al. (2000): Managing Redwoods. In Noss, R. F. (ed.): The Redwood Forest . Island Press.

Official site:

http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=415