Mt. Rainier National Park Research Paper

Temporal Dynamics of Western Hemlock in Mt. Rainier National Park
Austin Alexander

Mt. Rainier National Park encompasses an ecosystem comprised of a remarkable array of plant species. The park—located in the North Western quadrant of Washington—shows similar ecological characteristics to other Pacific Northwest areas west of the cascade mountain range. Generally Mt. Rainier National Park (MRNP) has cool and wet climate; for most of the year the park remains below 60 degrees Fahrenheit and, like most areas in the Pacific Northwest, the park has a defined rainy season. Summers tend to still be relatively cool but can also become quite dry. Due to the park’s mountainous topological features (Mt. Rainier) microclimate and elevation can vary greatly …show more content…
For example, the higher elevations of the alpine biome nearest the summit of Mt. Rainier, house Pinus Albiaulis (whitebark pine), Cupressus Nootkatensis (Alaskan yellow cedar), Tsuga Mertensiana (mountain hemlock), and Abies Lasiocarpa (subalpine fir); in the low land forests at the base of the mountain, Tsuga Heterophylla (western hemlock), Pseudotsuga Menziesii (douglas fir), and Thuja Plicata (western red cedar) become the most common tree species. These micro changes in climate and elevation are important to note while observing the composition of species and their geographical “patch-work” growth locations around the park. Another key element to this geographical patch-work is disturbance. Mt. Rainier National Park has an interesting history of disturbance due to its geographical location and geological background. Some abiotic disturbances include: windstorms, wildfires, snow avalanches, floods, and volcanic eruptions and lahars. Except for windstorms, each of these disturbances could be catastrophic to tree stands. MRNP has a long history of wildfires which are, therefore, the most well studied and understood disturbance type.

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