Olympic NP Rain Forest

We explored Olympic National Park from Port Angeles. There is a GS park about 15 miles from Port Angeles on 101 that was pretty handy. The rain forest is really awesome and notice the elevation.

Here is a short history of what happens to trees in a "blow down". During winter storms trees are blown down and of course die. Eventually the dead log becomes covered with mosses and liverwort becoming a nurse log for tree seedlings. I hope you can see the small trees growing on the log.

In time the young tree's roots reach the ground and start to grow rapidly. Soon surviving trees grow in a line along old trees, forming a colonade.

Years later when the nurse log decays .... tunnels thru the buttressed bases mark where the old log laid.