Landscape Old Soldiers

[ShipleyNW]

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There's a state park I've been going to lately on the western foothills of the Cascades. It sees a bit of weather up there and if you go to any forest around here you'll see downed trees that were lost to storms.

So I'm used to stepping over snags and the park service does their best to keep the trails clear. But this place is different, as a park service sign I noticed today explained (I paraphrase):

In the 1300s a huge fire swept through this mountain valley and wiped out all the habitat. Most of the trees at this spot now, hemlocks, I believe, were born in the immediate aftermath of that fire. 700 years later, they're all coming to the end of their natural lives. They've just started keeling over.

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It's been happening long enough that new trees grow from the stumps of fallen trees.

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[TwoWheeler]

Most of the trees at this spot now, hemlocks, I believe, were born in the immediate aftermath of that fire. 700 years later, they're all coming to the end of their natural lives. They've just started keeling over.

That’d be something to see. I’m only about an hour out of the Adirondacks which, once upon a time was old growth hemlock and I often wonder what it must have been like before they clear cut the whole damned thing. A fair amount of hemlock was just dropped and left to rot because they only wanted the bark - for tanning furs.

 

[Photofarmer]

Number two is dreamlike love it love em all actually

 

[THXGEEK]

What beautiful photos! Perfect lighting. These are very nicely done!

I really need to get out to the NW.

 

[ShipleyNW]

Number two is dreamlike love it love em all actually

This spot is by a river I used to fish in occasionally. Just this year I rediscovered it with a camera and I keep going back. It is, indeed, dreamlike.

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