Rainforest

We drove to the Olympic National Park Hoh Rainforest today.  I asked the ranger what makes a forest a rain forest.  She basically said if the forest gets about 100 inches of rain a year.  The Hoh Rainforest typically gets a total of 140 to 170 inches (or 12 to 14 feet!) of precipitation each year. The result is a lush, green canopy of trees. Mosses and ferns that blanket the surfaces add another dimension to the enchantment of the rainforest.  The most common tree in the rainforest are the Sitka spruce and western hemlock.  Some grow to tremendous size, reaching over 300 ft in height and 23 ft in diameter.  While we were in the rainforest, we saw a Barred Owl hanging out on one of the mossy tree branches.

Hoh Rainforest

Hoh Rainforest

Barred Owl

A nurse log is a dead tree that provides nutrients for other growing trees.

While driving to the rainforest, we drove through Forks.  The town is famous as the setting of the "Twilight" series of books and movies.  Bella and Edward lived there.  Bella's father was a policeman in the town.