MicroArk Project Invitation

An interesting comment was left here a few days ago. I am posting it to reach a wider audience because it sounds like an amazing opportunity to imagine and implement projects to make a difference. 

MicroArks! I love the sound of that.

Hi there! 

I'm lucky enough to have access to quite a number of native tree seedlings on an East Sooke property. The ones easiest to transplant are between 1-4 yrs old.

There are Red Cedar, Douglas Fir, Hemlock, Spruce, Alder,and Broad Leaf Maple in various quantities.

Also, Salal, Oregon Grape, Huckleberries, Ocean Spray, Salmon and Thimble Berries,and more.

At a Victoria location there are Garry Oaks, Arbutus, and Snowberries. 

There's also some duff infused with Mycorrhizal fungus and epiphytic moss, lichen and liverworts to innoculate the replanting sites. 

I'd really like to find carefully considered locations for replanting and long term care.

I transplanted about 50-60 with a small group of mostly kids a year ago but a repeat didn't happen due to Covid 19.

I'm hoping to connect with any people interested in some small scale, responsible, replanting collaborations in the next few months. Or even to simply discuss the concepts and processes involved.

I feel we need to establish some "MicroArks" consisting of groups of trees and their associated flora and fauna that are carefully considered and cared for.

They will provide examples to be replicated thus beginning the regrowth of truly natural forests for perpetuity.

Thanks for your interest!

Paul Winstanley

Spectrafocus

20/1/21

paul@spectrafocus.ca 250-899-9285 

Magical Mossy Maples

It's the season of the Moss in the Pacific rain forest

Rolling stones gather no moss, but trees sure do. Now is the best time to see the display of aerial gardens in the Pacific rain forest. These epiphytic plants  hang from the trunks and branches of trees in a display that may only be rivalled by the Fangorn Forest itself.

Especially cloaked in the temperate rain forest are the Big leaf maples.

The climate is mild enough that there are plants growing year round here. Some species thrive in the mild winter temperatures. Included in this category would be a wide variety of mosses and some ferns.

Moss-dripped trees are reminiscent of Tolkien's Fangorn Forest.

During summer droughts moss goes into stasis until relieved by fall rains. Then through the slide
toward the shortest day of the year the moss gains a robust, puffy green that is best enjoyed this time of year.

Big leaf maple also has an association with the epiphytic licorice fern.

The association between moss and the maple trees is mutually beneficial for both. Nature is expert at ensuring such win-win interactions between species.

The moss gets a scaffolding on which to grow and thrive. These "air plants" are able to absorb water and nutrients from the atmosphere, rain, and bits of forest debris. What does the tree derive from this symbiotic relationship?

The Big leaf maple has the ability to grow "canopy roots" from the tops of their branches up into the rafts of moss, thus gaining water and nutrients from them.

Just like in Tolkien's Middle Earth forest, there is magic at work in this world's Pacific rain forest.

Sooke Hills: Parks, Peaks, and Rain Forest

Trees on rock, roots on rock, moss on rock

One of my favourite stretches of forest can be found along the Galloping Goose Trail from Sooke to the trail's northern terminus at the gold mining ghost town called Leechtown. The Goose runs along the western edge of a 12, 000 hectare protected wilderness.

In the vast expanse of wilderness covered by a patchwork of parks, one can find pockets of old growth, as well as individual old growth trees. Along the old rail right of way is no different, plus the access is excellent on the wide, flat, gently sloping trail.

In the area one can also find Roosevelt elk, wolves, black bears, bald eagles, and cougars.

Cedar, Douglas-fir, and Hemlock are major rain forest trees

"The Sea to Sea Green Blue Belt is a corridor of protected wilderness and parkland stretching from Saanich Inlet in the east to the Sooke Basin in the southwest. 

Lands extend from Saanich and Tod Inlets to Sooke Basin (north to south), and from the Sooke Hills Wilderness Regional Park Reserve to the Sooke River (east to west). The protected area covers approximately 11,500 hectares, making it the largest protected area in the CRD. 

It includes provincial, regional and municipal park land, including Gowlland Tod Provincial Park, Goldstream Provincial Park, Sooke Mountain Provincial Park, Sooke Potholes Park, and Sooke Hills Wilderness Regional Park Reserve."

There are many amazing moss species that live here

A variety of peaks, such as Mount Manuel Quimper, afford the energetic hiker amazing 360 degree views of the huge protected area, plus out over the ocean. Mt. Quimper has an old forest fire lookout structure at the summit. It can be handy on a windy or rainy day.

This beautiful hike can be accessed from the Harbourview Road parking lot.

View from Mt. Quimper looking south east over the park and Juan de Fuca Strait

In the early days the rail line went all the way through to the Lake Cowichan area. It hauled equipment and supplies from Victoria in to towns and lumber camps, then turned around and hauled huge logs out.

In spring seasonal brooks are full, as is the thick, spongy moss

Along this route there are many individual old growth trees that escaped the saws that took most of their contemporaries years ago.

While there are no record-breaking trees here that I know of, there are some nice sized Douglas-fir, Western red-cedar, and Western Hemlock. Sitka spruce can be found along the ocean, and along valley bottoms closer to the sea.

Moss and lichen cling to everything, including a Western red-cedar

Any time is a good time to hike or bike into the Sooke Hills Park rain forest. Whether you are cycling the Galloping Goose Trail, or hiking up Harborview Road, there are enough parks, peaks, and rain forest areas to keep you exploring for a lifetime.

Mossy Maples

Moss covered Bigleaf Maples, Sooke River

Every season is a good one to be out in the forest. Right now, for example, with winter solstice just days away, the temperate rain forest is moss-puffy perfection.

With Bigleaf maple tree's branches leafless and visible, the green glowing moss is available for inspection. Of the thousands of different life forms in the forest, only a few have ever been seen and recorded.

Scientists inspecting in the canopy of the old growth forest of Carmanah Valley have found invertebrates, mosses, lichens, fungi, algae, protozoa, and soil bacteria previously undiscovered. 

Many of the species discovered only thrive in forests over a hundred years old.

Winter is a good time for a hike in the temperate rain forest of Vancouver Island

Under the moss on the branches of the maple lies a layer of soil that provides a rich environment for a variety of living things. It is estimated that there are 4 times more species of bacteria in one handful of soil than the number of species of higher plants in all of British Columbia.

Bigleaf maple branches send roots from the top of the branches into this soil and moss layer. The moss and soil give nutrients to these roots in return for the favour of the tree's scaffolding. Both benefit.

With winter rains and no deciduous leaves (except underfoot), now is a great time to take a hike in the forest and enjoy major moss at the peak season for growth and viewing.

Major Moss In B.C.'s Coastal Forests

This giant Douglas-fir snag makes a perfect scaffold for the moss

Fluorescent green flashes catch my eye whenever I am out in the forest. It is not surprising as anything that doesn't move in the coastal forest gets covered in deep, luxurious moss. Actually, I can say that even things that roll grow moss in the rain forest - my vehicle is slowly turning green. If left long enough it would disappear entirely, as would I if I ever fell on a hike and couldn't get up.

Detail of tree above showing a Western hemlock seedling growing out of the moss

British Columbia possesses the richest diversity of mosses, or bryophytes, in Canada. The amazing diversity of this large group of special non-flowering green plants is due to the varied terrain  of the province, as well as historical developments that led to holdovers surviving from before the last ice age. B.C.'s huge collection of mosses is greater than the combined mosses of all of the U.S. west of the Rocky Mountains. That's major moss.

The moss on big trees can be several centimetres thick, and cover the bark completely

This time of year the mosses are hydrated and at their colourful best. Moss can hold a whopping 25 times its own weight in moisture. They are efficient sponges which can add tons of weight to the limbs of an old tree, making them more susceptible to wind damage.

Old Bigleaf maple branches grow a covering of moss and ferns

Mosses are a special kind of green plant because they are non-vascular, meaning they do not have xylem or phloem (tissues that transport water and nutrients) like trees and other vascular plants. The Bryophytes are sometimes referred to as "lower" plants because they evolved earlier in the history of green stuff on the planet.

Winter, when trees don't have leaves, is a good time to see the full extent of the moss

The mosses shown here are all epiphytes, meaning that they do not harm the trees they are growing on. The base of trees provide a scaffold for the moss, but the moss derives all its nutrients from the air and rain, not from the tree. Mosses do not have true roots, only root-like threads called rhizoids. In the summer, mosses can dry right out. They survive by lowering their metabolism until the rains come again to fluff up the green cushions.

Could it be Amblystegium serpens, or Creeping feather moss?

Sometimes moss seems like it is from a different planet. Mosses are a varied, wonderful, and ubiquitous part of the coastal forest. So many different types of moss growing in so many different shades of fluorescent green. Just remember to keep moving out here or you may find yourself turning green.

Resources

For a good introduction to B.C. mosses see:

Schofield, W. B. 1992. Some Common Mosses of British Columbia. Royal BC Museum Handbook. Queen's Printer, Victoria, BC. 394 pages. Illustrated.

Upper Goldstream Trail Old Growth Trees

There are 17 provincial parks within 50 km of British Columbia's capital city, and shady, mossy Goldstream Park is one of them. It occupies the Goldstream River valley 16 km north-west from Victoria. Yet, once immersed in the forest, you are transported back to a time when monumental trees were common. Goldstream is one of the most accessible spots to get up close and personal with Vancouver Island's famous big trees.






Goldstream Park is one of the Capital Region District's most popular parks. Thousands of visitors a year come to see the fall salmon run, and the eagles that gather in the hundreds to prey on their spawned out carcasses.

Others come for the 700 year old trees, and a taste of the grandeur of an ancient forest.





Upper Goldstream Trail is in the campground side of the park, and passes through some of the biggest and oldest trees. This easy 30 minute hike parallels the Goldstream River, and is surrounded by a high density of old growth trees. Huge conifers such as Douglas-fir, Western red-cedar, and Hemlock dot the small valley. Broad-leafed trees such as Big leaf maple, Arbutus, and Black cottonwood are also represented in the park.





It was very hot the day I walked through the park approaching the Upper Goldstream trail head. The trail winds its way up the river valley alongside Goldstream River, which is criss-crossed by huge fallen trees. Large ferns cover the forest floor, and lichens drip from ancient branches. Sunlight penetrates the dark of the forest in brilliant shafts, nurturing the saplings that will eventually replace the old trees.






The temperature dropped several degrees after I entered the forest. All around the forest looked shaggy, drippy and green. Moss and lichen hung everywhere.



Some of these massive trees are 600 - 700 years old. It is an amazing feeling to be surrounded by these sky scraping monuments. The vertical scale is all out of whack.




What is it about these ancient entities that draws us to them? Somehow their stillness, strength, and defiance of temporal boundaries works its magic on us. We are humbled at the base of their wide, wrinkly trunks. We love them, admire them, and are astounded by them.



Increasingly we are able to recognize their irreplaceable importance, too. That someone in the past thought that this forest was worth protecting is a boon to all of us now. The old growth forests we save today will be appreciated and enjoyed by future generations.



Large diameter woody debris lay all around, and enormous standing snags provide feeding stations and bird condos 20 stories tall. In this forest all ages of trees are represented, from seedlings to seniors. It is here that we find the greatest diversity of life - it just does not compare with second growth tree plantations that are all one age of trees, and are sprayed with herbicide to make the fiber farms more 'productive' and profitable.


The Douglas-fir and Western red-cedar are the largest trees along the trail. Along with Hemlock, the hiker will find enough old trees to keep you looking up and astounded.







No proper Vancouver Island old growth trail would be complete without the 'walk through the fallen log' feature, and the Upper Goldstream trail does not disappoint.







Eventually the trail leads to Goldstream River Falls. Cool, fresh water rushes and tumbles down the steep valley. Florescent green moss covers everything, and ferns luxuriate in the wet, humid micro-climate. It is this clean, cold water that keeps the salmon run going after thousands of years.







Upper Goldstream Trail is the most accessible old growth forest closest to Victoria. While in this forest you get the illusion that you are in an ecologically intact area - an area where nature and the forest rule. Alas, though, Goldstream Park is surrounded by development and encroachment continues unabated. This valley is unfortunately much smaller than it initially feels.





Although I didn't see anyone the day I hiked, this trail is heavily used. The forest floor has been trampled by visitors that know not the importance of staying on the designated path. However, it remains an impressive remnant of old forest and gives the visitor a good idea of what it must have been like on the south island before 98% of the Coastal Douglas-fir zone was razed in massive clear cuts.

Need a retreat from the city? Goldstream Provincial Park is a good place to get away from it all, just minutes from downtown. If you squint a bit, and pretend there aren't houses just up over there, you can get lost for a while in this lush, green place.

Getting There

Goldstream Provincial Park is located about 16km from Victoria. To get to the Upper Goldstream Trail head follow Highway 1 (Trans Canada Hwy.) north. Take the Westshore Parkway turnoff to Amy Road, then Sooke Lake Road to Golden Gate Road, which descends into the campground section of the park. There is only pay parking in the park so I park at the top across the street from the pub and walk in.

The entrance to the day use area is further along Highway 1, then turn right at Finlayson Arm Road. There are nice Western red-cedar here, as well as huge Black cottonwoods along the Goldstream River. Note: The access to the park's day use area is along busy Highway 1. Exercise extreme caution when entering and leaving this busy area.

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Moss, Mushrooms, And Massive Trees

This mossy mushroom patch was on the shake roof of a gazebo. The photograph was taken at Francis King Regional Park, Saanich B.C., on the Elsie King Trail. The 750m accessible trail makes a beautiful loop through the tall trees.

Across the road reside some of the largest Douglas fir in the region, one of which is listed as the 13th largest in BC. Bring your camera.