Florence Harbor
What is a forest? We hear terms like primary, old growth, second growth, new growth. How do these fit into our experience in the Southeastern Alaskan rainforest? What is unique about the forests we have visited on our expedition so far? We had a great chance to discuss and possibly learn the answers to these and other questions as we explored Florence Harbor and Sitkoh Bay on Chichagof Island.
The winds were light so the kayaks were launched for a paddle around the idyllic bay, also a Zodiac was offered to find bird life such as mergansers, eiders, and even an eagle rebuilding a nest for the coming breeding season.
But it was the walks amongst and along the forest that told us the story of this place. As we walked on a road specifically built to help remove lumber from the area we could see the changes that have been brought by our insatiable need for wood products. There were two distinct phases of timbering that could be seen along and above the road. One a few decades back and the other more recent. Speaking of along the road, the presence of very tall alder trees told us the age of the original cut for the road: decades. Some of the stumps told the story of historic hand cut logging through old growth, which is an arduous way to log. Other patches showed more recent industrialized chainsaw and cable drag methods which are more efficient at removing all trees in vicinity. It wasn’t just forest removal that we witnessed but forest renewal. Small trees, regrowth, second growth and even the site of old growth trees that were left behind to oversee a new generation of the habitat we call temperate rainforest. It was an amazing way to see all aspects of a forest.
