Douglas Fir, Up and Up
April 26, 2013
Photographer: Ingeborg Evans
Summary Author: Ingeborg Evans
These coastal Douglas firs, known as the Cathedral Grove, stand proud in the temperate rain forest of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The designation temperate rain forest calls for an annual rainfall in excess of 55 in (1,400 mm), an annual mean temperature between 39 and 54 degrees F (4 and 12 degrees C) and a closed tree canopy of 70 percent -- meaning that from the ground 70 percent of the sky is obscured by the canopy. Persistent rain and fog throughout the year permit trees to attain huge sizes. Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii) specimens in Cathedral Grove (MacMillan Provincial Park) may be as old as 800 years, reach heights of 250 ft (75 m) and trunk circumferences of 29 ft (8.8 m). Only coast redwoods attain a greater size. Photo taken on September 15, 2007.
Photo Details: Camera Maker: OLYMPUS CORPORATION; Camera Model: u30D,S410D,u410D; Focal Length: 5.8mm; Aperture: f/3.1; Exposure Time: 0.0050 s (1/200); ISO equiv: 64.