Hi, I'm Ranger Jim and I'd like to share with you a few things that have recently been
discovered in the tops of ancient redwood trees in the old growth redwood
forest canopy.
Research in old growth forest canopies has increased dramatically
since nineteen ninety six with the initiation of scientific tree climbing
by doctor Steven C Sillet at Humboldt State University
in Arcata, California.
His research has revealed a previously under-appreciated ecosystem high in the
tops of the trees,
and boreal ecosystem
that's virtually impossible to study from the ground.
As they age over many hundreds of years and in response to wind, fire and other
falling trees redwoods developed very unique in individual crown structures.
Their complicated crowns consist of resprouted or reiterated trunks arising
from the main trunk, other trunks and limbs.
Also over many years these woody structures in the trees crown interact
sometimes rubbing against each other and eventually fusing so that living cambium
and produces sapwood that bridges regions of the crown hydraulically.
All right, here I'm standing next to an example of a huge reiterated trunk
they came crashing down out of this monster redwood here
last winter time.
Fusions, very old limbs and crutches between reiterated trunks form platforms
on which organic soils begin to build from falling leaf litter.
These organic soils in turn provide substrate for epiphytes
or tree dwelling species like leather fern
which forms huge sprawling mats that develop our boreal soils that are over a
meter deep in places.
A set of ferns mats in an old tree crown can weigh over seventeen hundred
pounds dry mass and hold over two thousand gallons of water.
Soils beneath fern mats and decaying wood the inside trunks and limbs store huge
amounts of water
they can sustain drought sensitive organisms high above the ground
throughout the year.
The wandering salamander in our boreal species and the only amphibian dennison
of redwood forest canopies resides in cavities with in fernmats and decaying wood
and feeds on a rich invertebrate community that includes aquatic
crustaceans
called copepods that are also found in local streams.
In addition to huge leather fern mats, redwood forest canopies are home to at
least two hundred and sixty
five epiphyte species (or tree dwelling) species
including lichens and mosses, liver worts, flowering plants, ferns and even
other conifers.
All of the flowering plants found in the canopy are usually found on the forest
floor
including huckleberry, salal berries, tan oak and bay laurel.
Even in the oldest and most complex redwood forest just a very few old trees
provide the majority of our boreal diversity.
because these trees have the majority of gnarly structures available in the
forest.
What amazes me is that we've only begun to investigate the complexity of the
ancient redwood forest canopy
and only about one hundred thousand of the original two million acres is still
ancient forest.
Thanks to our forbearers,
almost half of that is now protected within Redwood National and State
Parks.