Weekly Journal 4: Changes to the Trail

Weather: Sunny, breezy, warm
Time: 6:30-7:30 pm
Location: Carkeek Park South Trail Bluff
        It's been about two weeks since I've visited my site and during my absence many changes have occured at the site. The tree coverage and leaf cover is similar to the previous weeks and birds continue to flutter about the tall trees. However, the shrubs and small trees at my site have expanding in size dramatically. Areas where i could previously navigate though easily are now cluttered with large shrubery. Signs of spring are everywhere, there are new buds on some flowers and some trees and shrubs have lost their blooms. The Madrone tree at my site has lost most of the small white flowers while small wildflowers like the Western Bleedingheart now have small pink blooms. A new species I identified, the False Solomon's Seal also appears to have small fragrant white flowers which are in full bloom. There are no new blooms on the plentiful Salmonberry, although it appears that many of the shrubs have expanded their size. A cluster of Swordfern fronds which were fresh shoots a few weeks ago are now full, green leaves. The Dull Oregon Grape is starting to produce berries, they are still shades of white and red, but appear to be growing plumper and darker as the weeks progress. The progresssion of these species show how varied the environment at my site can be as seasons change, especially during the springtime where new life is apparent all around.

Weekly Journal 3: Old Growth Forests in the Olympic National Forest

In the old growth forest ecosystem, competition can be seen everywhere between species. Trees in the forest must compete for adequate sunlight to thrive based on their tolerance for different light conditions. Western Hemlocks are shade tolerant and so require less sunlight to survive whereas Douglas Fir trees require more sun. Therefore, trees and plants have mechanisms to compete for light in many ways. Some like the Douglas Fir grow tall to achieve exposure to more sun while smaller species that need sun can grow on fallen snags to gain more sun exposure. These plants are called epiphytes. For example, the Red Huckleberry often grows on other trees.

Disturbance is when an event impacts a forest and changes the forest structure. An example of disturbance that can be seen in the old growth forest is wind gusts which wipe out certain trees in the landscape that are more susceptible to the winds force from many factors, wood rot, lack of maturity, or lack of root support. The resulting forest environment will be spatially complex. Not all trees are affected by the disturbance so there will be patches of fallen snags and patches of unharmed vegetation. The old growth forest we visited on the Olympic National Forest demonstrated this spatial complexity that occurs because of prior disturbances.

There was also evidence of predation in the old growth forests of the Olympic National Forest.

Insects, especially bark beetles, can produce wood rot and damage trees. This is a form of predation because the beetles consume the tree while harming the tree system. However, some species like Douglas Fir have mechanisms to protect them from the destructive effects of insect predators. These trees can produce resin, a thick liquid which rushes to the wounded tree area and heals the afflicted region of the tree, preventing further harm and the death of the tree.

Disturbance events of a forest can also have a ripple effect through the ecosystem when they occur. One example is when branches or mosses fall from taller trees, crushing smaller trees or spatially close trees and restricting their access to growth and light. The destroyed smaller trees will then serve as a habitat for new species to colonize and thrive upon for will decay and return organic nutrients to the soil for use by the whole ecosystem.

Slope aspect has a significant effect of the structure and species seen in old growth forests, as seen by the different vegetation along the Mt. Stormking and Marymere Falls trails. The Marymere trail, the east facing slope receives a lot more moisture than the west-facing Mt. Stormking. As a result moisture-indicating species like Sword Ferns, Maidenhair Ferns, and Devil’s Club are abundant in this region of the forest. Additionally, the area is contains a number of the tree species

like Western Hemlock and Douglas Fir which thrive in these moist forest conditions are prevalent in the area. On Mt. Stormking, the rocky, dryer soil is more suited for wildflowers and trees that thrive in drier conditions. On our walk up we observed small scrubs like Salal and Cascade Oregon Grape as well as a number of wildflowers like Chocolate Lilies and Western Trillium. The trees in this region are also well suited for drier conditions and higher elevations like the Madrones and Subalpine Fir.

This sketch shows an area of the old growth forest where past disturbance events have had a tremendous effect on the landscape. The fallen snags in the foreground are evidence of past disturbance events, like wind gusts or wood rot, which have caused the vegetation to fall to the forest floor. Since these species have fallen, new species like mosses and small shrubs have since colonized the fallen snags. In the center of the sketch there is a tree which has been disturbed by a wildfire, has survived the damage, and is now recovering. The tree has been hollowed at the bottom portion and charcoal coats the interior. By observing this tree I would hypothesize that this is a legacy tree which has survived a wildfire. Wildfires do not hit every tree in the forest, but can damage the vegetation unevenly. Sparse areas around this tree may be evidence that trees were burned during the prior forest fire while many trees like this legacy tree still survive and have managed to recover from the inflicted damage.

Weekly Journal 2: Field Sketching

Weekly Journal 2: Field Sketching
Location: Carkeek Park, South Trail Bluff

Time: 7:00-8:30 pm Sunday April 13

Weather: sunny, clear, breezy and warm

                Since visiting my site last week not much has changed on a large scale. The same towering trees can be seen creating a canopy of leaves with similar cover as evident by the amount sky visible through the leaves. One of these trees I am able to identify since our trip to the Ravenna Park lowland forest, it seems to be a Red Alder based on the similar leaves that I observed at my site. The shrubs and small flowering plants seem to be the same approximate higher and width in comparison to the landscape around them.  However, the closer you look subtle changes to the forest environment are more apparent. I spotted several new species this week. The most exciting was a female Pileated Woodpecker which I tried my best to capture in a memory sketch because it was too fast for me to capture with my camera. I also saw several smaller black birds which were hard to identify without a closer look. Hopefully in the upcoming weeks I’ll be able to observe this species from a closer distance. I also observed some new plant growth. It appears that there are new fern leaves which have started to uncurl as they become more mature. These ferns look like young Western Sword Ferns. The Salmonberries at my site have also changed. While their characteristic bright pink flowers are visible in other areas of the park, the flowers which were open at my site last week have since closed and the scrubs do not have many new blossoms. Other flowering shrubs have new buds, so it is likely that I will be able to see them flower in the upcoming weeks. For the majority of the time spent at my location this week, I worked on trying to capture the environment through a series of simple field sketches.

 

Weekly Journal 1: Exploring Carkeek Park

Time: 6:00 pm-8:00 pm
Place: Carkeek Park- South Buff Trail
Weather Conditions: sunny, clear skies, light breeze
           This quarter I will be observing the changes in the natural environment at Carkeek Park on the South Bluff Trail. I chose a location at a high elevation, far from the highly-developed region of the park, yet not far from the walking trail. Carkeek is one of my favorite parks in Seattle. Like Golden Gardens is has spectacular views of the Puget Sound and public space for picnics and events, though Carkeek Park also has accessible streams and wooded areas for hikes and explorations.

          As this was my first adventure on the trails in Carkeek Park, I decided to wander the trails until I found a spot that suited my field study. Not knowing where to start, I climbed the steep stairs to the highest points on the elevation looking for my ideal location of study. I wanted a place that was secluded from visible trails, yet crowded with native species for endless exploration. I landed on a high point along the South Trail Bluff, where there was a variety of tree sizes, scrub types, and evidence of old and new plant growth.

          I observed my space at a spatial scale of one square meter noting the various nonhuman sights and sounds that peaked my interest. The area is largely covered by ferns and small scrubs and the forest floor is littered by forms of detritus, fallen leaves, and forest snags. Several large trees are home to plant, animal, fungi species. The moss, lichen, ferns, birds, and squirrels populate the tree trunks and outstretched branches. Loudly buzzing bees hard at work zipped around pollinating the flowering scrubs and trees. A robin hopped along the forest floor, pecking at the soil and shuffling leaves and branches around it. Buds on the shrubs and trees are starting to bloom revealing bright petals and floral scents. Signs of life at all stages are apparent on this forest trail, showing the complexity of this natural area. At this small scale, I was intrigued by the interactions of the interconnected species in the forest community.
          Observing from large distances shows the variation in species cover, distribution, and stages of growth in different regions of the South Bluff Trail. The steeply sloping landscape shows variety in the species found at different elevations and conditions. There are areas of mostly low shrubbery and small plants and some areas thick with medium flowering trees and tall, sturdy trees. Different species cluster around different habitats. The variety of life observed between the tall tree canopies, dead snags, small bushes, and forest floor will be a focus of my study this quarter.
           Like the species present at my Carkeek Park location, I am native to the Pacific Northwest area. I grew up on the Sammamish plateau on the eastside of Seattle. The prospect of observing this small region over the length of a quarter reminds me of the changes to my home through the observable time in my life. While I will only see this area change over a short period, I’ve experienced a change in the natural environment of my hometown during its growth and development. My early childhood memories are colored by experiences of the small wooded areas and babbling creeks in Sammamish. Yet, every time I visit home I see past childhood hangouts become newly developed suburban super-houses. The loss of these past sacred spaces inspires me to create and appreciate new natural hideaways for me to explore and admire. I hope that my spot along the South Bluff Trail will become one of these special spaces for me to return to not just this quarter, but across greater timescales as well.