Olympic National Forest, Washington, USA Photograph by John Morrison   Western North America: Western United States into Canada Temperate Coniferous Forests   28,500 square miles (73,700 square kilometers) -- slightly smaller than South Carolina Critical/Endangered

· From Sandy Beaches to Rocky Cliffs
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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From Sandy Beaches to Rocky Cliffs

A mosaic of habitats ranging from grassy balds to Douglas fir forests characterize the Central Pacific Coastal Forests ecoregion. Few forests can match the size of the trees and grandeur of this ecoregion’s old growth forests. The region also provides excellent habitat for migrating shorebirds, elk, and black-tailed deer, as well as many rare and endangered species such as spotted owls, hoary elfin butterflies, and California wolverines.

Special Features

The diverse habitats of this ecoregion include coastal headlands, salt marshes, estuaries, and many different forest types. Fog from the Pacific Ocean helps make these forests very wet and productive.

	These forests have the largest mass of both living and dead wood of any forests on Earth. Dead wood acts as habitat for an incredible variety of decomposers and other species.

Wild Side

In the forests of this ecoregion grow some of the last stands of old-growth fir, hemlock, and western red cedar in North America. The branches of these massive trees, as well as the forest floor beneath them, are blanketed with a luxuriant growth of ferns, lichens, and mosses. Spotted owls and marbled murrelets nest high in the trees, while black bears and black-tailed deer forage for food far below. And within the forests, swamps of cedar and alder trees--habitats that result from the damming of streams by beavers--are filled with the sounds of thrushes and hermit warblers. Along the coast, forests are dominated by giant Sitka spruce, which are able to tolerate a spray of sea salt created by the high winds and pounding surf. Migrating shorebirds land in Gray's Harbor, a popular stopover point abundant with crustaceans and clams. Many invertebrate species with small, localized distributions have found refuge in these ancient forests.

Cause for Concern

Most of the Central Pacific Coastal Forests ecoregion was once forested, but now only about four percent of it is considered to be intact habitat -- unaffected by logging or other human uses. The only protected habitats remaining are found in national and provincial parks. Some areas have been permanently altered by roads, agriculture, and development. And some habitat types have almost been destroyed, including coastal temperate rain forests that once existed in Oregon. In addition to logging, the ecoregion faces continued threats from pollution, grazing, burning, introduced species, road building, and excessive recreational impact.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.