Title: Crowded Out the Competition

Main Text
In the middle canopy, younger, smaller trees compete with each other for the little sunlight that filters through the thick green roof of the upper canopy. Here, plants must be able to tolerate shade or reach the canopy to thrive. When a fallen tree creates a gap in the canopy, nearby trees grow rapidly, racing to fill it.

Secondary Text
Many trees are draped with layers of mosses and lichens in every shade of green. These are epiphytes - "air plants" that grow on other plants. Epiphytes rely on host trees for support but not nutrients. They get their nourishment from air, falling rain, and the compost that lies on tree branches.

Exhibit Panel Description
The main text stretches across the top third of the exhibit panel against a solid green background that fades into a large background photo filling the bottom two-thirds of the panel. The background photo shows a forest with young trees growing out of a moss-covered fallen log in patches of sunlight. On the right side of the exhibit panel, two smaller photos set at an angle slightly overlap. The one on the left shows a detail of pale green-grey nubbly growths and is labeled "lichen". The photo on the right, labeled "moss", shows a detail of bright green moss draping over a log. A small box in the lower right corner of the panel reads "User Fee Project. Your Fee Dollars at Work. Entrance fees were used to produce this exhibit".

Visit This Exhibit Panel
This exhibit panel is located along the Carbon River Rainforest Trail, which begins at the Carbon River Entrance. The Carbon River Entrance is open year-round. NOTE: The Carbon River Rainforest Trail has been damaged by fallen trees and sections are closed. Please travel with caution.