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TEXTBOOK OF BOTANY 



forest southward for nearly 2000 miles. Because of this distribution it is 

 often called tidewater spruce. At higher elevations and in the more 

 mature forest western hemlock is dominant in the Puget Sound region; 

 both these trees attain heights of over 200 feet. The spruce has trunks 

 up to 15 feet in diameter, but the hemlock is more slender and the 

 maximum diameter is about 8 feet. In Washington and Oregon, Douglas 

 fir is by far the most abundant species. Its greatest recorded height 

 is near 400 feet. It grows rapidlv and overtops other species, is long- 



FiG. 408. The Monterey cypress is the characteristic tree on the coast of 

 Monterey Bay, California. Many of the trees are distorted by wind and salt spray. 

 Photo by U. S. Forest Service. 



lived and but little injured by fire. Other important species in these 

 forests are the western arbor vitae, a cedar, and several firs — all large 

 trees. 



From southwestern Oregon the redwood becomes the dominant tree 

 of the moist, fog-laden slopes. It grows to a height of 340 feet, and the 

 trunk is usually 10 to 15 feet, rarely 20 feet in diameter. The coastal 

 forest not only contains these giant trees, but is noted for the luxuriance 



