A River Never Sleeps

Conifers dominate the temperate Rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, surrounding us with a dark, green backdrop when we fish the wild rivers that run into the Pacific.

There are enough freezing days in winter, and enough hot and dry spells in summer that flowering plants cannot compete with the hardy conifers. Broad-leaved plants lose their leaves in winter, but conifers retain their narrow leaves all year round and hence can photosynthesize and grow - if somewhat slowly - even in the coldest months.

Conifers also use water more efficiently than do broad-leaved trees, so again they can continue to grow during the summer months when the broad leaved plants cannot.

From primitive North American conifers (gymnosperms) that were present 80 million years ago, the Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar, Sitka Spruce, Western Hemlock, Mountain Hemlock, Amabilis Fir, Sitka spruce, Lodgepole Pine, Yellow Cedar and the Pacific Yew have evolved. Together they make up the greatest conifer forest on Earth.

Each of these tree species is found in most coastal valleys, and each is well adapted to the habitats in which it is found.

Of the conifers, the Sitka is the most water-loving and can be found in the wettest, mildest habitats of a valley. Western red cedar is also water-loving but not to the extent of the Sitka spruce. The hemlock is the most shade-loving species of conifer and typically flourishes on the southern side of the valley under the shade of the mountains. The Douglas fir is a lover of drier fire susceptible areas. Lodgepole pine is found as a pioneer plant species thriving on dry, thin rocky soils. Both the Douglas fir and lodgepole pine are most common in the Eastern part of coastal valleys.

The mountain hemlock is a lover of wet, snow covered mountains.

The Engelmann spruce is ideally suited to high mountain wet sites as are found along streams and subalpine basins. The other conifers (amabilis fir, yellow cedar, subalpine fir) are adapted in various ways to life at the harsher higher elevations. Above 1600 - 1650 metre elevation conifers are not found. The climate is too harsh for even the hardiest of these adaptable conifers.

The conifers which make up the valley bottoms of the Pacific Northwest are amongst the largest and oldest trees in the world. The spruces, cedars, hemlocks and Douglas fir grow to immense proportions, attaining heights of over (90 metres) 150 to 200 feet or more, with tree diameters of 3 to 5 metres (15 feet around) or more. Many can live 400 - 700 years. Five hundred year old trees are not uncommon, and some of the trees are more than 2,000 years old. Although logging has removed most of the prehistoric spruce, cedar, hemlock and fir trees which once occupied the valley bottom of our coastal valleys, pockets of old growth conifers can still be found.

When you are lucky enough to pass through a grove of old growth on a fishing trail, you can’t help but pause and wonder at the sight.

Sometimes you might find a watershed surrounded by these giant trees - and it is a stunning experience. You can drift down a clear river, looking up at the trees towering on both banks - and at times like that it’s sometimes hard to even think about fishing.

Rivers that run through old growth forests are few and far between - and they are getting extremely rare. If you have never experienced one, you might look on the Central Coast of British Columbia, where the world’s greatest remaining, temperate old growth forest can still be found.