Hoh Rainforest

Hoh Rainforest is one of the largest temperate rainforests in the U.S., located on the Olympic Peninsula in western Washington state.^[1] It includes 24 miles (39 km) of low elevation forest 394 to 2,493 feet (120 to 760 m) along the Hoh River. The Hoh River valley was formed thousands of years ago by glaciers.

Bigleaf maples in the Hoh Rainforest

Within Olympic National Park, the forest is protected from commercial exploitation. Between the park boundary and the Pacific Ocean, 48 km (30 mi) of river, much of the forest has been logged within the last century, although many pockets of forest remain.

Climate

Hoh Rainforest is the wettest forest in the Contiguous United States, receiving 129 inches (3,300 mm) of rain per year. It is an Oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb), with a much higher rainfall during the winter.

Climate data for Hoh Ranger Station, Olympic National Park, Washington
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	54 (12)	62 (17)	69 (21)	86 (30)	87 (31)	93 (34)	94 (34)	93 (34)	88 (31)	71 (22)	58 (14)	53 (12)	94 (34)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	40.8 (4.9)	44.3 (6.8)	47.1 (8.4)	54.8 (12.7)	61.1 (16.2)	63.9 (17.7)	71.6 (22.0)	71.5 (21.9)	66.6 (19.2)	55.2 (12.9)	46.3 (7.9)	40.2 (4.6)	55.3 (12.9)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	33.5 (0.8)	33.0 (0.6)	34.0 (1.1)	37.1 (2.8)	42.6 (5.9)	47.4 (8.6)	50.7 (10.4)	51.2 (10.7)	47.4 (8.6)	41.2 (5.1)	36.0 (2.2)	32.7 (0.4)	40.6 (4.8)
Record low °F (°C)	12 (−11)	20 (−7)	23 (−5)	28 (−2)	26 (−3)	31 (−1)	39 (4)	38 (3)	37 (3)	27 (−3)	18 (−8)	17 (−8)	12 (−11)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	24.86 (631)	11.70 (297)	14.45 (367)	10.27 (261)	6.30 (160)	3.72 (94)	2.60 (66)	3.67 (93)	7.07 (180)	10.12 (257)	20.88 (530)	14.27 (362)	129.91 (3,298)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	7.7 (20)	7.6 (19)	2.7 (6.9)	0.7 (1.8)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	2.3 (5.8)	6.5 (17)	27.5 (70.5)
Source: [2]

Hoh Rainforest, Washington (U.S. State)
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     631     5 1     297     7 1     367     8 1     261     13 3     147     16 6     94     18 9     57     22 10     80     22 11     162     19 9     257     13 5     530     8 2     362     5 0 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm Source:
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     25     41 33     12     44 33     14     47 34     10     55 37     5.8     61 43     3.7     64 47     2.2     72 51     3.1     71 51     6.4     67 47     10     55 41     21     46 36     14     40 33 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Flora

Young western hemlock growing as an epiphyte on an older tree in the Hoh Rainforest

The dominant species in the rainforest are Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla); some grow to tremendous size, reaching 95 meters (312 ft) in height and 7 m (23 ft) in diameter. Coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii), western red cedar (Thuja plicata), bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum), red alder (Alnus rubra), vine maple (Acer circinatum), and black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) are also found throughout the forest.

Many unique mosses and lichens are also present in the rainforest, such as lettuce lichen (Lobaria oregana), which "requires the cool, moist conditions found under the canopy of old-growth forests" and is consumed by deer, elk, and other animals.^[3]

Fauna

Much native fauna also makes the Hoh Rainforest their home, including the Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla), northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina), bobcat (Lynx rufus), cougar (Puma concolor cougar), raccoon (Procyon lotor), Olympic black bear (Ursus americanus altifrontalis), Roosevelt elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti), coyote (Canis latrans), Cascade red fox (Vulpes vulpes), and black-tailed deer (Odocoileus columbianus). Recently, naturalists have been planning on reintroducing fishers to the forest and surrounding forests due to their almost extirpated population in Washington and the introduced Virginia opossum is beginning to make way to the region in and around the forest.

The area is also home to the banana slug (Ariolimax columbianus), which has recently been threatened by the encroachment of a new species of slug, the black slug (Arion ater), an invasive species from Northern Europe.^[4]

Sights

The Hoh Rainforest is home to a National Park Service ranger station, from which backcountry trails extend deeper into the national park.

Near the visitor center is the Hall of Mosses Trail, a short trail—0.8 miles (1.3 km)— which gives visitors a feel for the local ecosystem and views of maples draped with large growths of spikemoss. There is also the Spruce Nature Trail (1.2 miles (1.9 km)), which includes signs that identify various trailside trees and plants.

Gallery

See also Media related to Hoh Rainforest at Wikimedia Commons

• 
  Lobaria oregana on the forest floor
• 
  National Park Service sign at the entrance of the park
• 
  The Hoh River that runs through the forest
• 
  A herd of elk grazing at the forest
• 
  A banana slug
• 
  A nurse log providing nutrients for other growing trees

References

1. "Visiting the Hoh Rain Forest". Olympic National Park. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2013-09-30. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
2. "HOH RS, WASHINGTON (453710)". Western Regional Climate Center. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
3. Bolen, E.G. (1998). Ecology of North America. John Wiley & Sons. p. 346. ISBN 0-471-13156-3.
4. Cowie R. H., Dillon R. T., Robinson D. G. & Smith J. W. (2009). "Alien non-marine snails and slugs of priority quarantine importance in the United States: A preliminary risk assessment". American Malacological Bulletin 27: 113–132. PDF.

External links

• Visiting the Hoh Rain Forest at the National Park Service
• Temperate Rain Forest at the National Park Service
• The Hoh River Trust Archived 2016-10-15 at the Wayback Machine, founded by the Wild Salmon Center and the Western Rivers Conservancy

47°51′41.2″N 123°55′28.8″W