Redwood Forest: Upper Canopy

Flora

The redwood forest community is evidently dominated by redwood trees (Sequoia sempervirens), however, it does share its upper canopy with western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), common Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), big leaf maple (Acer macrophyllum), sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana), California bay (Umbellularia californica), Pacific madrone (Arbutus menziesii), tanbark oak (Lithocarpus densiflorus), red alder (Alnus rubra), California black oak (Quercus kelloggii), western dogwood (Cornus sericea), California torreya (Torreya californica), and grand fir (Abies grandis) (Kricher 1993; Munz and Keck 1973; Shuford & Timossi 1989).

Most tree species find the narrow climatic range of the redwood forest inhospitable--either too arid in the summer for any significant inundation of most north coastal conifers or too damp for many xerophytic species that prefer the drier coastal mountain ranges. Grand fir (Abies grandis) and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) are the only significant species found in this community that are able to compete with S. sempervirens. Most of the other trees listed above tend to occur on the periphery of the redwood forest or closer to the coast. However, S. sempervirens does yield to other tree species where serpentine and acid podzolic soils exist (Bakker 1984; Kricher 1993).

Fauna

The "roof" of the redwood forest is dominated by birds, squirrels and chipmunks. If you spend time listening, as well as looking, you may hear a series of barks and cries from the spotted owl (Strix occidentalis); or the mellow "hooo, hooo" of the northern pygmy owl (Glaudium gnoma); or the deep hoots of the great horned owl (Bubo virginianus). The upper reaches of the redwood forest are not only filled with owls, there is also the opportunity to see and hear the hairy woodpecker (Picoides villosus), Steller's jay (Cyanocitta stelleri), red-breasted sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius), red-breasted nuthatch (Sitta canadensis), brown creeper (Certhia americana), and Swainson's thrush (Catharus ustulatus). Western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus), Douglas squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasii), and Sonoma chipmunk (Eutamias sonomae) are a few of the mammals also likely to be foraging high above the ground (Kricher1993; National Geographic society 1983). With all these large owls, squirrels and chipmunks, what do you think the food chain looks like in the redwood forest? What is the predator and what is the prey?