Flora Of The Olympic Peninsula

The Olympic Peninsula. This remarkable and isolated corner of Washington State is a land where snowy peaks tumble down to a mist-shrouded coast and majestic rainfores lies only 34 miles from dry oak savanna. Within its borders grows a remarkably diverse flora, with nearly the same number of vascular plants as the British Islesan area 30 times larger. Rugged and remote, the Olympic Peninsula is a place where naturalists can still experience the thrill of discovering aspecies previously unknown to the area.This book is the first comprehensive inventory of the Peninsula's flora, bringing together the results of nearly a century of botanical explorations by the authors. With it's inclusion of recent changes in plant names, this text is also a crucial taxonomic reference. It is an essential tool for anyone involved in the study, restoration, preservation, or enjoyment of native plants and their habitats on the Olympic Peninsula.

Renowned for its old-growth rain forest, wilderness coast, and glaciated peaks, Olympic National Park is a living laboratory for ecological renewal, especially as the historic Elwha River basin regenerates in the wake of dam removal. In this classic guide to the park, Tim McNulty invites us into the natural and human history of these nearly million acres, from remote headwaters to roadside waterfalls, from shipwreck sites to Native American historical settlements and contemporary resource stewardship, along the way detailing the park’s unique plant and animal life. McNulty reminds us that though “the mountains and rivers remain ‘timeless,’ our understanding of the lifeforms that inhabit them—and the effects our actions have on their future—is an ongoing, ever deepening story.” Color photographs Practical advice on how to make the most of your visit Handy flora and fauna species checklists Inspiring descriptions of endangered species recovery Detailed look at Elwha River restoration after dam removal

National Parks are part of the heritage of America, and this title examines one of the most compelling parks in the country, Olympic National Park. Students will examine the ecosystems, geology, and the flora and fauna that makes Olympic National Park unique. Readers will learn this park's history from early human habitation through its designation as a national park, and examine the conflict between conservation and tourism that challenges efforts to preserve this national treasure for future generations. Includes original photos from award-winning author/photographer John Hamilton. ABDO & Daughters is an imprint of ABDO Publishing Company.

This study brings together decades of research on the modern natural environment of Washington's Olympic Peninsula, reviews past research on paleoenvironmental change since the Late Pleistocene, and finally presents paleoecological records of changing forest composition and fire over the last 14,000 years. The focus of this study is on the authors’ studies of five pollen records from the Olympic Peninsula. Maps and other data graphics are used extensively. Paleoecology can effectively address some of these challenges we face in understanding the biotic response to climate change and other agents of change in ecosystems. First, species responses to climate change are mediated by changing disturbance regimes. Second, biotic hotspots today suggest a long-term maintenance of diversity in an area, and researchers approach the maintenance of diversity from a wide range and angles (CITE). Mountain regions may maintain biodiversity through significant climate change in ‘refugia’: locations where components of diversity retreat to and expand from during periods of unfavorable climate (Keppel et al., 2012). Paleoecological studies can describe the context for which biodiversity persisted through time climate refugia. Third, the paleoecological approach is especially suited for long-lived organisms. For example, a tree species that may typically reach reproductive sizes only after 50 years and remain fertile for 300 years, will experience only 30 to 200 generations since colonizing a location after Holocene warming about 11,000 years ago. Thus, by summarizing community change through multiple generations and natural disturbance events, paleoecological studies can examine the resilience of ecosystems to disturbances in the past, showing how many ecosystems recover quickly while others may not (Willis et al., 2010).