helppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp read the text The Hoh Rain Forest is part of Olympic National Park in northwestern Washington. It is one of the wettest places in America and one of the largest temperate rainforests in the United States. Temperate rainforests have mild winters and cool summers. The Hoh River carries water from a large glacier through the park and all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Mosses, ferns, and a variety of trees love growing in wet soil. The rainforest also provides a home to a diverse range of animals, from black bears to yellow banana slugs.
Hoh Rain Forest
The National Park Service protects the rare ecosystem of Hoh Rain Forest by preventing anyone from building on the land. An ecosystem is made of interconnected living and non-living parts that depend on each other to survive. For instance, the elk and deer at Hoh need to eat lettuce lichen. The lettuce lichen needs the cool, moist treetops in the forest to grow. The trees need moisture from the rain and nutrients from falling leaves and deer droppings. In a healthy ecosystem, every part works to help other parts. But an ecosystem is fragile. If something bad happens to one part, the other parts can be hurt, too. The unique climate of the park relies on the Olympic Mountains. When rainstorms come from the Pacific Ocean, the Olympic Mountains are the first to get wet. As the dark clouds lift over the mountains, precipitation falls into the forest— an average of 140 inches of rain per year! Most rain falls between October and April. The consistent rain keeps the environment lush and green all year.
Different weather conditions often exist at the same time within Olympic National Park. The low valleys of the Hoh Rain Forest stay at mild temperatures all year. The thick forest canopy keeps the temperature steady year-round and provides a comfortable habitat for plants and wildlife. Summer fog keeps the forest moist and cool. At higher mountain elevations, the weather can be more unpredictable. Temperatures can drop by 10–20 degrees as you climb higher.
The unique climate of the park relies on the Olympic Mountains. The park experiences an immense amount of rainfall each year, the majority of which falls between April and September. Olympic National Park is full of biodiversity, or many types of life. Visitors may discover tree frogs, owls, bobcats, raccoons, and even the largest population of Roosevelt elk in America. Rare animals, like the bull trout and the gray wolf, are protected under the Endangered Species Act. Perhaps the most interesting animal is the banana slug. These bright yellow, slimy creatures are the second-largest land slugs in the world. They can grow up to 10 inches long and weigh a quarter of a pound!
These animals all rely on the rain forest to provide food, water, and shelter for survival. Some species especially need the oldest growing trees in the forest. The old-growth trees are more likely to have holes or broken treetops that animals can use as homes. The northern spotted owl uses tree cavities, or holes, instead of building a nest. A seabird called the marbled murrelet mostly lives in the ocean but uses the trees for laying eggs. Both birds are already in trouble from the loss of other good habitats. The old trees in the Hoh Rain Forest give these special animals a chance to survive. Olympic National Park is famous for these old-growth forests. Sitka spruce and western hemlock trees grow well in the park’s mild climate. They can grow to be more than 300 feet tall and seven feet in diameter. Cedar, spruce, and fir trees here can be hundreds of years old. On the ground, a thick layer of fallen leaves and pine needles accumulates. Underneath, the rich, organic soil feeds nutrients back into the old trees.
The plants here need the rain to survive. Sitka spruce trees only live along the Pacific coast because they need at least three feet of rain a year. The trees in the rain forest are also covered with clumps of hanging moss and ferns. Moss is a special plant that does not have roots or grow in the soil. It grows on tree bark and rocks and gets its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, and fog.
In the Hoh Rain Forest, old growth creates new life. When large trees fall, the opening in the treetops lets sunlight reach the forest floor. The fallen logs provide an important habitat for mushrooms, moss, amphibians, and insects. These “nurse logs” help young tree seedlings grow taller and stronger. The Hoh Rain Forest’s huge rainfall and mild temperatures create a rich forest full of life. Because it is part of a protected National Park, this unique ecosystem can support plants and animals for many years to come.