334 



General Botany 



U.S. barest Service 



Fig. 206. An alpine meadow in Cascade Forest Reserve. Fir and hemlock forests cover 

 the rocky slopes. The alpine meadows occupy depressions at elevations above 9000 feet. 

 The snow lies on them 8 to 10 months of the year; the soils are composed in large part of 

 wet muck, and many of the plants are the same as those found on the tundra. 



The Puget Sound region, the lower altitudes of southern British 

 Columbia, and the coastal mountains of Oregon are the home of 

 the most magnificent conifer forests in the world. Not only are 

 the trees of great height (200 to 250 feet), but they have trunks 

 8 to 15 feet in diameter and they stand very close together. This 

 great forest is the natural outcome of a moist climate with a rain- 

 fall of about 100 inches, together with mild winters due to the 

 proximity of the Pacific Ocean. It is dominated by the Douglas 

 fir. Western hemlock, and Western arbor vitae. In spite of the 

 thick growth of trees, there is a dense undergrowth of ferns, 

 shrubs, and low-growing trees. 



From Washington north to Alaska the forests on the western 

 slopes are dominated by the Sitka spruce. Southward from 

 Oregon, in the fog-laden valleys of the Coast Ranges to San Fran- 



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