By Lucas Holmgren, For The Mountain Times
The river systems in the PNW, west of the Cascade crest, are home to some of the most diverse forests in North America. Even those of us that have lived here for decades can’t help but be awestruck by the majesty of 150 ft. Douglas firs, Western Red Cedar, and western hemlock that line our pristine rivers. Not to mention the lush red alders, Bigleaf maples and willows that can grow all the way to the river’s edge.
The dominant trees generally are coniferous evergreens that can commonly reach ages of 500 – 1,000 years or more. There are also many common species of both deciduous and evergreen broadleaf trees and shrubs that contribute to the lush beauty of our riparian forests. Some of these trees can harbor over a thousand species of other species of plant life, such as mosses and lichens.
These trees and shrubs are vital to the abundant wildlife that inhabit the forest throughout the year. They provide both food and shelter for everything from birds and rodents to deer, elk, bears and cougars.
No attempt to describe the beauty of the forests of the Pacific Northwest could possibly complete without mentioning the hidden jewels of the forest floor and the stunning decayers on the dead and dying wood that are a vital part of the completion of the circle of life. They are a necessary element in the continued survival of our magnificent forests. They are the mushrooms. The PNW is second only to the predominantly hardwood forest of the Great Smokey Mountains, approximately 3,000 miles to the east, in the number of mushroom species that can be found anywhere in the continental United States.
They can be gloriously delicious or fatally toxic, stunningly beautiful to downright ugly, range in color from black to bright white, from miniscule to relatively large. Certain specimens weigh 100 pounds or more. Just remember there is one cardinal rule about wild mushrooms: never eat any wild mushroom unless you are absolutely certain it has been correctly identified.
On the days when the Steelhead are ghosts and the Coho that were in the river yesterday just ain’t there, take a break and go for a walk in the fore – and then get out there for that next push of chromers.