Even though the trees here are very large, this was a grassland during the gold rush. At that time, this area was too close to the water for a forest to establish itself. This forest is not yet mature. Looking around, you’ll see Sitka spruce, hemlock, cottonwood, and lodgepole pine, but, when this forest reaches maturity, the dominant tree will be the shade-tolerant western hemlock. This series of changing plant life is called succession.
