After a recent trip to Alaska's Temperate Rainforest, I was enthralled with the relationship between the rocks and the trees. Since the rocks are a predominate part of the landscape, the trees have little soil in which to plunge their delicate roots. I was amazed as I rode up a very steep mountain side to a boardwalk that wound through the delicate rainforest. The trees seemed to grow right out of the rocks as you look at them! Amazing...I had the pleasure of talking with a Tlingit guide while I was in part of the Tongass National Forest which is part of the largest temperate Rainforest in the world. My guide spoke with great knowledge and passion about the rainforest as we maneuvered carefully down the steep mountain trail. She pointed out the different stages of the forest, as the trees went from new to old and then after they had fallen, lived on in a way as a nursery tree, supporting the life of a new tree!
My guide told us that the trees depended on each other during the winds that plague the area. Without their neighbors, the trees would fall easier in the winds since their roots are shallow. In the rainforest, the trees intertwine their roots and grow close to each other to help keep each other strong. As a tree ages, its roots spread over more and more of the forest, reaching out to more and more trees.
Reminded me of how we have to live our lives, interacting with others and supporting each other. When we face a challenge alone, we are not strong enough. But with friends and family, and of course our God, we can face any obstacle. Even in death, the forest gives back life, just as we do when we leave our legacy for others to follow.
Please help the Audubon Alaska Group, Alaska Sierra Club, the Alaska Wilderness League and others keep our temperate rainforest free from logging. Each time one of the old growth trees is cut down, part of the forest dies. These trees cannot be replaced. The forest starts to dry out and we, as citizens of the USA as well as the world, loose something precious and vital to our survival.
