Spring is here and there couldn’t be a better time to get out into the woods and to enjoy a Douglas-fir.  You don’t have to hug a tree, but nobody is going to say anything bad about it if you do. 

Somehow the first hike in the woods, even the first drive into the woods after the snow is gone, is one of the great experiences of the year.  The trees and the undergrowth have a fresh green and the signs of life are everywhere. 

It is a good time to remind ourselves of the wonder and variety of the Douglas-fir ecosystem.  There is always joy and wonder to be found.  I am always surprised to see that each Piliated Woodpecker knows how to carve the same type of rectangular hole, and illustrate the importance of snags in a living forest.  I am always happy to see the lichens doing their part to improve the forest, and to wonder at how the diversity of life in a mature forest all works together to make the system better. 

Look for lichens on the trees and on the forest floor when you hike up to Cone Peak or Iron Mountain to enjoy the start of wildflower season. Or when you hike into Gordon meadows. Or when you look for Dippers or Harlequin Ducks along the rivers.  Our website has some good tips on where you might go. https://www.douglasfirnationalmonument.org/plan%20your%20visit.html