 | | | |  | |  |  | Ancient Forests of the United States | |
| Bristlecone Pine | |  | Great Basin National Park, Nevada |
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Bristlecone pine is the oldest of the old. A 4,600-year-old Great Basin bristlecone pine in the White Mountains of California is the oldest known living tree. These trees are remarkable for their great age and their ability to survive harsh growing conditions. These ancient trees grow slowly, one branch at a time. Even their needles can live up to 40 years. Often, a tree will appear nearly dead, with only a thin strip of living tissue clinging to a gnarled, naked trunk. Ordinary trees would decay under those conditions, but bristlecone wood has a high resin content that prevents rot. Instead, wind and ice crystals erode the wood like a stone.
While the bristlecone pine range includes the California's White and Inyo Mountain Range (there are trees in Inyo National Forest) perhaps the best place to see them is at Great Basin National Park, which has the three largest surviving stands.
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| Coastal Redwoods | | | Redwood National Park, California |
Coastal redwoods luxuriate in the cool, misty coastline of northern California and southern Oregon. Just 200 years ago they covered 2 million acres up and down the coast. Today, only 80,000 acres of that ancient forest remain and of that, Redwood National Park preserves 40,000 acres - a goodly half.
Besides preserving the biggest contiguous chunk of old growth, Redwood National Park also preserves the worlds tallest trees — up to 370 feet. Options for getting close to these enormous trees in the park range from friendly, accessible nature trails to strenuous backpacks. And don't miss out on the park's wilderness coast while you're there.
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Douglas Fir | | | Opal Creek, Willamette National Forest, Oregon |
Opal Creek is not far from Portland, Oregon, deep in the heart of Douglas fir country."Doug" fir is the predominate species of the Pacific Northwest. They create multilayered canopies and an eventful forest floor with many fallen logs and "snags," which are standing dead trees. In the 1980s, Opal Creek was the object of a fierce campaign to save it. Out of that struggle grew an innovative program to maintain the forest and educate the public about the value of ancient forests. The Friends of Opal Creek maintain an education center at an old camp called Jawbones Flats, in the Detroit Ranger District of Willamette National Forest.
Mossy and bumpy forest floor
Photo courtesy of Friends of Opal Creek
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Ponderosa Pine | | | Gila National Forest, New Mexico |
If you imagine the primeval forest as a dark and mysterious, an old-growth Ponderosa pine is pleasant relief. Ponderosa pine is these really open, sunny, grassy forests as opposed to the dark canyons. Two places to see it are the Gila Wilderness, the first wilderness in the United States, and the Blue Primitive Area, where the Mexican Gray Wolf has been reintroduced.
The north rim of the Grand Canyon in Kaibab is another, plus you have those great views into the canyon.
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Temperate Rain Forest | | | Tongass National Forest, Alaska |
The largest temperate rain forest in the United States, indeed in the world, is also the least protected. President Clinton recently declared a moratorium on roadbuilding in all the extensive roadless areas of the national forests — all, that is, except for the Tongass. This leaves a 17-million-acre sleeping giant, vulnerable to massive clear-cutting and irreparable erosion.
The forest really is a trackless wilderness, with only a modest 600 miles of trail, much of that hardly used. Most of the trails can be found near the small communities along the Inside Passage. Perhaps the forest is best experienced on the coastal islands. The Kootznoowoo Wilderness on Admiralty Island is a good pick to experience the spruce-hemlock rain forest with pockets of boggy muskeg.
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