Alaska, USA rainforest

Temperate rainforest and mist, South East Alaska, USA : Stock Photo
Welcome to Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary! This 40 acre rainforest reserve includes tall stands of spruce, hemlock and cedar trees with a forest floor saturated with mosses, wild flowers and a variety of berries. The sanctuary is located at picturesque Herring Cove, only 8 road miles from Ketchikan. On-site experiences include walking an easily accessible half mile trail in the Tongass, visiting the Alaska Raptor Center's aviary exhibits, watching a Native master totem-pole carver at work, and visiting a historic Alaska sawmill. The Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary is a unique Alaska experience and perfect for the nature lover. Eagle Creek, one of Alaska's richest salmon spawning streams, flows through this diverse ecosystem, into an estuary and then the ocean. A major fish hatchery is located across the creek from the sanctuary boardwalk.

       Everything is green. Even the air looks green. It’s fresh and alive and green – a temperate rainforest. There are two types of rainforests; tropical rainforests and temperate rainforests. The tropical type resides in equatorial regions, whereas the temperate variety is generally found along coasts on just about every continent on earth.
By definition a temperate rainforest receives between 60 – 200 inches of rain annually. The canopy of trees covering the forest excludes 70 percent of the sky. Temperatures range from as high as 80 degrees in the summer to near freezing in the winter. The mean annual temperature is 39 – 54 degrees. Temperate rainforests are coniferous (cone-bearing) or broadleaf forests. That means one will see plenty of Sitka Spruce trees, Douglas fir, Red Cedar and Western Hemlock. The forest floor is covered with ferns, mosses, lichens and small plants. And there is an abundance of flora and fauna – so much so – that scientists say there is more biomass in a temperate rainforest than any other biome on earth. There are, on average, 500 tons of living things per acre – that translates into 206 pounds per square yard.
rainforest-southeast-alaskaThe nation’s largest forest is the Tongass National Forest with 17 million acres – so designated by Teddy Roosevelt in 1917. Nestled inside the Tongass in southeast Alaska is some of the most lush vegetation found anywhere on the planet. It’s part of the largest temperate rainforest region in the world. It stretches from central California to southeast Alaska.
Any itinerary to The Last Frontier should include a trip to the temperate rainforest of southeast Alaska. Excursions can be planned from Bartlett Cove in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve just outside of Gustavus, Alaska. There are guided hikes or independent treks. All hikes are guaranteed to fascinate with forest floors covered with ferns, mosses, lichens and small plants. Red squirrels, porcupine, woodpeckers, maybe even a meandering moose or bear will make an appearance. Trails shrouded in mist with trees wrapped and drenching with moss, it’s a magical – even mystical outing.
Just be prepared for green. Green like you’ve never experienced before.
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