Most People Don’t Know Some Of The Oldest Trees In The World Are Found In Alaska
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Megan McDonald
Author
Alaska is a state filled with natural history. You can see the eons in the beautiful mountain ranges, the glaciers dripping down the mountain sides and into the valleys, and the old growth trees in the Tongass National Forest. The Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska is the largest remaining coastal temperate rainforest in the world!
It is almost 17 million acres of temperate rainforest located all along the Inside Passage and Alaska’s panhandle. The forest is almost 500 miles wide and encompasses mountains, thousands of islands, and beautiful valleys.
The old growth are primarily made up of western red cedar, sitka spruce, and western hemlock. These trees provide an important habitat for our beautiful Bald Eagles.
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It includes many towns, and is home to over 70,000 people, including all the residents of our capital, Juneau. The forest itself provides a habitat for salmon, grizzly bears, wolves, and more!
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You can find interesting and delicious mushrooms like the Chicken of the Woods growing on some of these amazing trees. Because the area is so remote and remains mostly undisturbed, the Tongass National Forest is actually home to many rare and endangered plants.
Of the 10 million acres, over 5 million of those are considered productive old growth trees! Of this number 70% of old growth areas are federally protected in reserves and will never be logged.
This allows people from all over the world to come and experience some of the most magical of landscapes. This will also help wildlife populations stay intact!
You can visit this beautiful rainforest at any of the towns on the Inside Passage. Stop off in Juneau, Hyder, Sitka, and more to truly experience this incredible forest.
Have you ever been to see these old growth trees in the Tongass National Forest? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!
If you’re headed out to the Tongass National Forest, check out Why This One Little Town Is Alaska’s Best Kept Secret.
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