Old-Growth Coastal Redwood Forests Of Muir Woods National Monument (Northern California)

Recently, I visited Muir Woods National Monument, one of the last surviving old-growth coastal redwood forests in the world. I’ve been fascinated with old-growth forests since I was an Artist-in-Residence for the National Park Service at an old-growth Douglas fir forest in southwestern Oregon.

The monument was named for John Muir, an American conservationist, and a personal hero. Coastal redwood forests like this boast the world’s tallest trees. The tallest redwood in the park is a mere 258 feet. That’s over three blue whales (our largest animal) stacked end-to-end.

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Residency | Oregon Caves National Monument AiR: Old-Growth Forest [Part 2]

In May, I got to be an Artist-in-Residence for the National Park Service for the second time. I spent two weeks writing poetry about Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve’s old-growth forests and stunning cave formations.

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The preserve is situated in the Klamath-Siskiyou ecoregion, a world biodiversity hotspot that boasts nearly 70,000 species.

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Old-Growth Forest in Cook Forest State Park (Pennsylvania)

This month, I got to spend a day hiking through some incredible stands of old-growth white pine in Cook Forest State Park in the Forest Cathedral area. This is without a doubt the finest forest in the Midwest.

The largest trees range from 250-450 years old and are upwards of 200 feet tall. These are the tallest trees in the Midwest.

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