A western hemlock that fell across a park trail about three years ago. Fungi are already at work. Western hemlocks are shallow rooted and shade tolerant when young. They would eventually become the climax forest relying on each other for support in strong wind. But sometimes the wind wins. #thicktrunktuesday #trees #forest #nature #PNW #washingtonstate #westernhemlock

#Nature is so cool. While I'm feeling sad for the big #WesternHemlock that fell the other day, today I stumbled into a little grove with dozens and dozens of saplings. Baby trees make my heart so happy and full of hope.

These guys will crowd each other and not all make it, so maybe I'll try to transplant some to other areas that got beat up by the storm.

It was hard to get pictures that captured just how many saplings are growing, so I tried to highlight some in green.

I'm devastated! One of my favorite trees in my little patch of forest just fell. 😭 [sobbing emoji]

It's hard to get a sense of the scale in photos, but this was a huge, straight, tall, #WesternHemlock #tree. It was home to so many critters. I've sat under it and had squirrels yell at me and bats swoop around my head. I knew it's position was precarious, being right on the edge of a steep ravine cut by a seasonal creek, but being near the creek is part of what made it a great place to sit (and probably for the animals, part of what made it a great place to live).

I had hoped that the roots would be strong enough to hold it as long as it was alive, but with the amount of rain we've gotten and the wildly fast winds, I guess it was too much.

I know trees fall, that's just part of it, but I find it difficult not get into a cycle of #ClimateDespair when things like this happen. Is #ClimateChaos going to bring more of these irregular, heavy rains instead of our usual consistent, gentler rain, making more trees die and/or fall, furthering the disaster?

Maybe I'm unreasonable, but I just get really bummed out when things happen to trees.