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Olympic National Park Research Paper

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Olympic National Park is a diverse ecosystem with 922,651 acres of wilderness, which include 60 glaciers, 13 rivers, 57 miles of coastline, over 600 miles of hiking trails and the largest herd of Roosevelt elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) in America. Olympic National Park ecosystems include subalpine forest, meadows, temperate rain forest, and the Pacific coastline; making this a diverse ecosystem. Because of the variety of elevations climate will vary, during october to march temperature will average “35ᵒF/2ᵒC to 50ᵒF/10ᵒC” and the rest of the year “55ᵒF/13ᵒC to 70ᵒF/21ᵒC” (Grace Lambert). Annual rainfall also varies from the western and the northeast side of the park. The western side of the park is the wettest side with an average …show more content…

But before that Olympic National Park had a long history of habitation and use from today's native american’s ancestors. This dates back to about “12,000 years ago” (Grace Lambert). There was about “9,000” Indians fishing, hunting and gather food from the forest (Grace Lambert). The foundation for these native people was the Western red cedar (Thuja plicata) because this tree is light, resistant to decay and can easily be split. They make canoes, headdresses, spears and many more items. Today Olympic National Forest is a great place for hiking and a natural habitat for a variety of species. Western red cedar (Thuja …show more content…

These areas are called the Coastal, Lowland, Temperate rain forest, Montane, Subalpine, and Alpine. The most common trees and plant in the Coastal Forest is the Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), Salal (Gaultheria shallon), and the Deer fern (Blechnum spicant). Second, the Lowlands common species are Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Coast Red Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa), and Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa). Third, the Temperate Rain Forest most common trees and plants are Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis), Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), Licorice fern (Polypodium glycyrrhiza), and Oregon Oxalis (Oxalis oregana). Fourth, the Montane Forest includes the Alaska Yellow-Cedar (Chaemaecyparis nootkatensis), Salal (Gaultheria shallon), and Coralroot (Corallorhiza mertensiana). Fifth, the Subalpine Forest trees and plants are the Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana), Blueberries (Vaccinium sp.), and Avalanche Lily (Erythronium montanum). And lastly the Alpine Forest includes only a few common species the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), and Flett’s violet (Viola flettii). The variety of tree and plant seem to change with

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