Title: Mid-Mountain Forest

Main Text
As the road ascends, the change in forest type is clearly visible. At this middle elevation, the trees are smaller than the lush old growth near Nisqually Entrance and Ohanapecosh. Here the vegetation must adapt to fierce winters, heavy snow, intense cold, and a shorter growing season. 

Higher still, at Paradise, the adaptions are even more extreme. Subalpine fir grows in island-like clusters in response to almost perpetual snow. Throughout the park the look of the forest gives clues to climate and elevation - a sense of where you are on the mountain. 

Secondary Text
Pacific silver fir is abundant at this elevation. Here seedlings must be able to survive heavy snow. In areas where fire or blowdown has occured, noble fir may dominate. A mix of forest might also indicate recovery from mudslide or avalanche. 

Some forest adaptions are subtle. Look for the "skirting" effect on trees with stunted upper branches and longer, denser branches near the ground. Harsh winds stunt the higher branches, while snow protects the lower growth. 

Exhibit Panel Description
The main text stretches across the top third of the exhibit panel in a band with a green background. The bottom two-thirds of the panel on the left side is filled with a large photo showing a snow-covered, forested hillside against a blue sky. A label in the upper left corner of the photo reads "Elevation 4,000 ft". Stacked on the right side of the panel are two smaller, slightly overlapping photos, with the secondary text above them. The top photo shows a snowy hillside scattered with clumps of small fir trees. A label in the upper left corner of the photo reads "Elevation 5,400 ft". The bottom photo shows a woman in a red jacket standing next to a huge tree trunk in a dense forest. A label in the upper left corner of the photo reads "Elevation 2,200 ft". A small box in the lower left corner of the exhibit 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 in a pullout along the road to Paradise, about a mile uphill from the Ricksecker Point Road, overlooking the Nisqually River valley. The Paradise Road is open year-round, but closes nightly during the winter.