Get Close to the Forest Floor

This banana slug travels verrrry slooowly across the forest floor.

NPS Photo

A forest is much more than the trees around you. Many different kinds of plants, mushrooms and other fungi, moss, lichens, and invertebrates live on an often overlooked part of the forest: its floor.

Sitka's forest floor changes dramatically from season to season. Low-growing plants, such as deer heart and foam flower, may have leaves, flowers, and fruits depending on the time of the year. Because these plants die back each fall, they may not be noticeable at all in winter. When snow blankets the ground, animal tracks may be noticeable instead.

Twigs, dead leaves, and tree needles on the forest floor become nutrient rich soil after it decomposes. These nutrients are important to the current and future wellbeing of the forest. Cones that have dropped from the Sitka spruce and hemlock trees hold the seeds that may become the future generation of these trees. Downed logs and tree trunks will often be homes for fungi, moss and lichen.

Many of the smaller invertebrates such as bugs and spiders may be hidden under logs, under twigs and dead plant matter, or beneath the surface of the soil. You may find a banana slug—or a slime trail where one has recently been—especially on cool and damp days when they are more likely to be out in the open. There is also a possibility that you may find a red squirrel busily eating the seeds from a spruce cone or scurrying from one place to another.

Even the mud puddles are evidence of recent rains that are also important for the growth of the living things in a rain forest.

Details

Duration

15 Minutes

Activity

Hands-On

There are a number of ways to explore the forest floor:

• Search for as many different organisms as you can find;
• Focus on one aspect, such as the plants growing on a single downed log, or a slug that is crossing the trail;
• Bend down or stretch tall to discover plants and animals from different heights; or
• Compare one part of the forest floor to another.

While it is fun to explore the forest floor, it is also important to do your part to maintain the ecosystem and your own safety. Watch out for plants with spines or thorns on the stems or leaves. Step in places where your footprints will cause the least disturbance to the plants and organisms. If you move a log, rock, or soil, put it back to the way you found it. Lastly, do not eat any berries, fruits, or mushrooms unless you can positively identify them and know they are edible.

Pets Allowed

Yes with Restrictions

Activity Fee

No

Entrance fees may apply, see Fees & Passes information.

Location

Sitka National Historical Park trails

Reservations

No

Season

Spring, Summer, Fall

Time of Day

Day

Find operating hours and seasons on the park website.

Accessibility Information

Two accessible parking spaces are available in the visitor center parking lot. A paved trail with curb cuts leads to the visitor center from downtown Sitka. Accessible restrooms, a lowered water fountain, and an extended picnic table are available outside the visitor center. The trail is generally six feet wide, relatively flat, and paved with crushed gravel.