Headwaters Forest Reserve - Nature Shots

This blog is dedicated to the nature of the Headwaters Forest Reserve. I explored what's left of Falk, California in my last blog, but the area these remains lay has some lovely, rich scenery. 

I'll start with some signs at the beginning of the trail that showcases the landscape:

Welcome to the Headwaters Forest Reserve

The Headwaters Forest Reserve (Headwaters) was established in 1999 after a decade-long grassroots effort to protect the world's last unprotected, intact old-growth redwood forest ecosystem. Headwaters is home to unique and sensitive threatened species including coho salmon, the northern spotted owl, and the marbled murrelet. Deep in the heart of the Headwaters old-growth forest are the beginnings or headwaters of the South Fork Elk River and Salmon Creek. This is how the area got its name. Headwaters is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in partnership of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

"A grove of giant redwoods or sequoias should be kept just as we keep a great or beautiful cathedral"

-Theodore Roosevelt 

These two photos go into what the trails look like and some basic rules to follow while on them.

Both directions of a lush, little creek. I believe this was down a slope from that first building I featured in my last blog. There were signs not to go into the water as to not disturb the salmon.

Partners for Preservation: Headwaters Through Time

Coming Together for Conservation

For over a decade local grassroots activists came together for the protection of old-growth forests. They organized rallies and engaged in direct action to protect this area, one of the last privately owned old-growth redwood forests in our region. Their efforts sparked a nationwide awareness for redwood forest protection.

The Community Continues

The dedication to Headwaters continues today through community support, stewardship projects, restoration, monitoring and research. Community support and partnerships are vital to the success and sustainability of Headwaters throughout time.

Achievements of Activism

After years of controversy Pacific Lumber Company sold the largest stand of old-growth redwoods left in private ownership. The decision to preserve Headwaters came down to the wire. The public gained 7,472 acres of land, an area the size of Eureka.

This purchase became Headwaters Forest Reserve, with the purpose to "conserve and study the land, fish, wildlife, and forests occurring on such land, while providing public recreation opportunities and other management needs."

Flourishing ferns up a hillside. Peeking out from under them is a tiny cave. 

Layers Of Life Forest

As you walk through the redwood forest, look for distinct layers, from the tops of trees to the soil beneath your feet. Each layer plays an important role in this diverse complex ecosystem. 

Suspended in Air

Suspended in the tops of the old-growth redwood trees is a unique ecosystem, complete with water, soil, and vegetation. Wildlife has adapted to this specialized habitat. Some animals, such as copepods and wandering salamanders, can spend their entire lived in the canopy without ever touching the ground.

Nursing the Next Generation

The forest floor acts as nature's "recycling center," accumulating organic matter and converting it into nutrients. As they rot, fallen trees add nutrients to the forest floor, providing fertile soil for the next generation of shrubs, large trees, and other plants. 

Entwined

Redwoods can live over 1,000 years and grow more than 350 feet tall. In spite of their height, the root systems are no more than 12 feet deep, spreading out over 50 feet in all directions to form a vast network with nearby redwoods. These trees help hold each other up! The root systems also help them absorb huge amounts of water.

Meeting in the Middle

A wide variety of plants, including huckleberry, western tanoak, ferns, and several kinds of conifers, grow in the shelter of the redwood trees. Bears, deer, birds, and many other species of wildlife depend on this middle layer of forest for cover and food. 

"The great ecosystems are like complex tapestries - a million complicated threads, interwoven, make up a hold picture." - Gerald Durrell, conservationist

The mossy arms of a forest tree.

New growth from the branches of a fallen tree - it's quite beautiful. 

So I'm not entirely sure what this little net is, but it was on multiple baby trees. My best guess is the BLM workers put it on new trees to help protect them in their early stages of growth. I will come back and edit this if I can confirm that or find out the real reason. 

Redwood: Exploring the Ever-Living Evergreen

A Fresh Start: Redwood Regeneration

Redwood trees are one of the longest living organisms in the world. The redwood's Latin name is Sequoia sempervirens meaning "ever-living." They have a special way of passing on their genetics by cloning. Clones are genetic copies and come from burl tissue. When a tree has been injured or cut, the burl tissue sprouts redwood buds. The tree in front of you was cut in 1884 and is still alive today. You can see burls on the tree by looking at the base. Do you notice the young redwood buds emerging?

Down to the Roots

How far down do you think the tree's roots travel? 

Surprisingly, a redwood's root system only reaches about six feet deep, but can stretch over 100 feet from the base of the tree. Beneath the forest floor, roots overlap and fuse with roots from other trees. By linking their roots together redwoods make strong connections helping to keep each other upright. 

This isn't the redwood that the sign above references, but I though it was a good example of a cluster of redwoods. As well as redwood trees growing from a fallen redwood. 

I thought this was an interesting, sizable stump with a hole in it. The second picture is me taking a picture up in it. 

A bridge we walked on over the water. You can see how big the redwoods are on the other side of the bridge. 

A neat-looking tree formation.

Another neat-looking branch formation. They're growing down. When I first saw this I thought they were sticks purposely placed down to make a shelter, then I saw they were a part of the tree. Has a bit of a Blair Witch vibe to it.

Saving Threatened Species Habitat & Home

The Headwaters Forest Reserve is home to many fish and wildlife species protected by the federal Endangered Species Act. Management of the Reserve is designed to preserve and restore the habitat necessary for these species to thrive. 

Returning Home

In wintertime along the trail, listen for spawning salmon splashing in Elk River. The Headwaters Forest Reserve is the "headwaters" of the South Fork Elk River and Salmon Creek, both of which provide habitat for threatened populations of coho salmon, Chinook salmon, and steelhead trout.

Several factors - including sedimentation, loss of habitat, and ocean conditions - have led to the decline of salmon populations throughout their range. 

The Night Shift

Northern spotted owls nest in the cavities and platforms of the Reserve's old-growth trees. They come out at night in search of small mammals, such as red tree voles, wood rats, and flying squirrels. They tend to be creatures of habit, mating for life and remaining in the same area each year. 

North spotted owls are listed as threatened due to the loss of habitat throughout their range. They also currently face increasing competition with the barred owl. 

From the Forest the the Sea

Imagine a marbled murrelet leaving its redwood nest at sunrise, traveling several miles to the sea, stuffing its beak full of anchovies, then returning to feed its chick. 

Between March and September, marbled murrelets nest high in the canopy of the old-growth trees. Unlike other seabirds that nest on the ground near the ocean, these birds nest in the forest up to 50 miles inland.

Marbled murrelets are threatened in part because of 95 percent of the old-growth redwood nesting habitat has been harvested, leaving only small islands of intact habitat, like those in the Headwaters Forest Reserve.

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." - John Muir, naturalist

Sea to Soil: Discovering the Salmon-Redwood Connection

You are standing at the edge of the South Fork Elk River. This watershed is vital habitat for steelhead, Chinook salmon, and Coho salmon. Do you know why salmon are critical to Headwaters' redwood forest?

Fertilizing the Forest

Although they spend their lives in the river and ocean, salmon fit into the larger forest ecosystem. After a Pacific salmon spawns, it dies and becomes food for forest wildlife. Wildlife spread the salmon's remains, rich with marine nutrients on the forest floor. Salmon act as conveyor belts for nutrients. Born in forest streams, they travel to the ocean, and ultimately return to "their home" river to spawn, delivering nitrogen and phosphorous from the sea to the forest.

Reliance on Redwoods

While salmon lay their eggs in streams below the redwood canopy, the Marbled Murrelet reproduces on branches high above. The Marbled Murrelet is an endangered species that only nests in old-growth forests and is one of the primary reasons Headwaters is protected. These seabirds lay their single egg high up in the redwood canopy. Each day they fly to the ocean bring back anchovies to their chick, which also provides vital nutrients to the forest.

Here are some critters I saw when I went. The banana slug was unique to me because it had brown splotches on it. The chipmunk matched the redwood bark perfectly. And the snail was maroon! My guess is that it evolved to be blend in more with the color of redwood bark, giving it the reddish tint. Feel free to fact check me on that though. 

A little mushroom that looked like a dollop of sour cream. 

I put these two photos in because I loved seeing the native flowers growing all around the trail. It gave me a magical feeling to look at.

The Old Growth Redwoods

I went on the ten-mile hike to go see the old-growth redwoods. If you haven't read my blog about Falk, California, I encourage you to do so. Many of the old-growth redwoods were cut down by the old lumber industry of the area. To see the remaining old-growth redwoods, I had to hike up five miles. Once I hit the marker for "mile three," then the rest of the hike was uphill.

This was the last bridge before the uphill climb to the top.

Once I got to the top of the mountain, there was a loop trail that went around the rest of the old-growth redwoods. Above is a picture of a sign, and below that is a picture of a general map of the trail I took somewhere along the way. 

I'm featuring some photos of the old-growth redwoods here. 

The root of an old-growth tree.

Here are the redwoods that the town of Falk didn't get to cutting down. They're beautiful and magnificent. They're the giants of our area.

Visionaries Grove

Dedicated to the visionaries and activists who sacrificed countless days, months, and years to protect the Headwaters Forest Reserve. And to the future generations who will help steward their legacy in Headwaters and beyond.

50 Redwood Seedlings Planted June 19, 2015

I'll end this blog here on that note. Growing up in this area, I grew up assuming all people had this ecosystem of giant redwoods and abundant nature. Moving away to the East Coast for four years, driving cross country three times, and living in three separate areas on the East Coast, I realized that wasn't the case, so I'm featuring it here to highlight for others. Whether you're in this area or not, go out and take a walk in nature - get to know your own, local ecosystem. Take some pictures and write about it for others to enjoy as well! I hope anyone reading this is staying well during these mad times. Go out and explore your local nature - try to forget about the world for awhile.