Diet And Travel

After doing my post below about how much old growth forest has been lost in the USA due to clearing for the old time homesteading and mostly for logging.  I decided to make a new post for Mosaic Monday  and  Sally's Blue Monday with my archive shots of the various parks we visited where we saw these huge Redwood Trees. A few people commented that the Olympic National Park also has the old growth forest. Their comments brought back memories of our visit to the Hoh rainforest in the Olympic National Park.




The first mosaic shows my son Brian in his younger days ( he is 18 yrs old now) running around all in blue in the Hoh Rainforest in the Olympic National Park. If I knew then what I know now I would have never let Brian as close to this tree. The frequent rain in the Hoh rainforest contributes to the lush canopy of both the coniferous and deciduous trees. Mosses and ferns also add to the enchantment of the Hoh Rainforest. The National Park protects what is the largest remaining old growth forest and temperant rain forest in the lower 48 states.

I am link up with Scenic Sunday  with some pic's of the Rockport State Park and its old growth forest.

Being married to a tree hugger visiting the Rockport State Park during our North Cascades trip last fall was a must do. The Rockport State Park is an old growth forest and is 670 acres located along the lower Skagit River. The park has over 600 acres of old growth timber and has an ecosystem that has never been disrupted. It is a natural forest with a canopy so dense that only minimal sunlight penetrates to the ground.

 I am not positive but it seems that only the western states have the old growth forest. If anyone knows where we can find some more old growth forest on the east coast, hubby and I would love to visit. Since being married I have visited the tall Redwoods National Park, Sequoia National Park, I believe there were some old growth trees located in Yosemite when we visited and this last visit to the North Cascades National Park.

Walking along the trail, we saw these beautiful ferns and the gorgeous trees. It was a quiet place with only sounds of birds and sometimes the sound of water could be heard.

 

I have found a website showing the loss of old growth forest over the years and found it to be very alarming and sad. Here is a link Old growth forest. Looking at the map my state of Maryland does not show any old growth forest. It is no surprise the Forestry managers of Md seem to like the idea of clear cutting. You can click on the link to find your own state to see if there any old growth forest.

My photo below does not really show the size of this downed tree, but walking along next to it I felt small. Even dead trees provide shelter for mammals, birds and insect species.

I am one of the few who love these old forest and would hate to loose them all. I read that in the Pacific Northwest 80 percent of the forest are slated to be logged.  Old growth trees provide crucial resources that younger forest can not provide. From the canopy to the fallen decomposing trees old growth forest sustain a web of life from soil building organisms all the way up the food chain. What old growth forest are left in the USA need to be conserved.

I loved this early morning foggy Skagit River scene. The Pacific Northwest is beautiful area to visit.