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Station 1-2  Plants  Soils Station 3-5  Management  Litter Hurts  Rotten Log Station 6-8  Plant Succession  The Living Forest  Witches Broom and Bark Beetles Station 9-11  Effects of Trailing  Wildfire  Radio Viewpoint Station 12-14  Forest Habitat  Abandoned Prospect  Columbus Tree Station 15-16  Douglas-Fir Stand    Summit Station 17-19  Pit Excavations  Fire Scar  Habitat Contrast Station 20-22  Snags  Root System  Silver Tip Viewpoint Other Area Hikes  Beauty Bay  Blackwell  Crystal Lake  Crystal Lake 2  Delaney Cr  Fish Lake  Gamlin Lake  Little Lost Lake  Lookout Mountain  Lost Lake  Mirror Lake  Summary

Forest Plants Station 1 Diverse, lush vegetation is the first thing you probably will notice about this forest habitat. The basic requirements for plant growth are mineral nutrients, water, carbon dioxide, light, a medium to grow in such as soil and a tolerable temperature range. With these requirements met, plants manufacture chlorophyll, grow, and reproduce. Trees compose the overstory and shrubs and ground cover plants such as forbs, grasses, moss and lichens compose a vegetation understory. The primary tree species you will notice are ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir. You should be able to see each of these species from this location.  Ponderosa Pine Ponderosa pine is native to North America from British Columbia to Mexico and is the most widely distributed pine in the United States. The species often forms park-like forests and is tolerant of drought as evidenced by its ability to grow on dry sites. Larger trees, often referred to as yellowpine, have thick, scaly bark making them somewhat fire resistant. Bark is brownish-black on younger trees and is cinnamon-red colored on mature trees. Needles are in bundles of threes or twos, and are 5 to 11 inches long. A tiny bristle is found on each scale of the cone. It is the most important commercial pine in western North America and is second only to Douglas-fir in total timber production.  Douglas-Fir Douglas-fir is native to western North America from Canada to California. Although it is most abundant on moist sites, the tree is drought-resistant and often found on dry sites with ponderosa pine. Bark on older trees is gray and rough with deep cracks. Cones are about 3 inches long with thin scales. They have little wing-like protrusions from the underside of the scales called bracts. Some people think the bracts look like a mouse crawling into a hole. Needles are short, about one inch long, blue-green, flattened and stand out from all sides of the twig like a bottle brush. When crushed, the needle has a strong, fruity fragrance. Douglas-fir ranks first in the United States for timber production; its strong, durable wood has many uses. Common understory shrubs along the trail include ocean-spray, snow-berry, ninebark and wild rose. As you proceed to the next few stations, try to find an example of these four shrubs. Ocean Spray Usually found with ponderosa pine or Douglas-fir, ocean-spray has a panicle, or flower cluster, of creamy colored blossoms in the spring. The seed pods persist through winter and spring. Leaves are alternate and doubly serrated. Individual plants can grow over 10 feet tall. The seeds of this shrub were eaten both raw and cooked by native Americans. Snowberry Snowberry has small, opposite, smooth-edged leaves and produces small white berries in the fall. The shrub is 3 to 7 feet tall. Although it is found with ocean-spray, snowberry prefers areas with a little more shade. Wild Rose Three different species of rose grow here. Leaflets ofits compound leaves are serrated. Blossoms are pinkand produce fruits called hips, which are red andfleshy. Various sizes and amounts of thorns arepresent depending on the species. Rose hipsprovide food for birds. Ninebark Ninebark is not plentiful but easily distinguished by its distinct shreddy bark. Leaves are alternate, lobed and serrated. The plant has clusters of white flowers and prefers sunny, open hillsides. Ninebark is a medium-sized shrub that can grow 2 to 7 feet tall. Over 100 plant species have been identified on Mineral Ridge. They are not all described in this website, but the Plant Checklist can help you keep a record of those that you do find and identify. Use the plant list with any of the various plant field guides commercially available. If you make a positive identification of a species not included on the list, let us know. Soils Station 2 Soils are weathered rock fragments combined with decaying plant and animal remains. Wind-blown loess and volcanic ash can also form part of the soil. Soil furnishes support, food, water and air for growing plants. In return, the soil is held in place and protected from erosion by plant roots. When the plants die, minerals are returned to the soil by bacterial decay and decomposition. As organic matter decomposes, carbon dioxide is released, which combines with water to form a weak acid solution. This acid reacts chemically with some of the soil minerals to further break down rock and soil particles. Decomposition is a basic forest process that will be discussed more as you continue  your hike.                                                                                         Soil Profile 1) HUMUS: a decomposition layer of plant/animal material 2) TOPSOIL: contains more organic matter than subsoils andappears darker in color; coarse texture; larger pore spaces allow for more water absorption, so plant roots concentrate here 3) SUBSOIL: lighter in color than topsoil layer; finer textured;lacks organic matter 4) PARENT MATERIAL: composed of fractured rock;lacks organic matter 5) BEDROCK