Tsitika River Ecological reserve #124 Overview: Physical and Biological

Physical:
The reserve comprises a flat to gently sloping, wet flood plain that has developed thin peat deposits adjacent to the Tsitika River.
Biological:
A variety of bog and fen communities are surrounded by a fringe of forest communities. Bog and fen communities are: (1) Labrador tea -sphagnum moss, (2) shore pine-western redcedar-Labrador tea, (3) sweet gale and (4) deer-grass-cottongrass. The following swamp forests and semi-alluvial communities form a transition to the upland forest: (5) western redcedar -skunk cabbage, (6) red alder-salmonberry-skunk cabbage and (7) red alder- western hemlock-Sitka spruce-salmonberry-ladyfern. Unusual species combinations occur in communities #3,#6 and #7 due to watertable changes brought about by past and present beaver activity. The forest community on better drained sites of the Tsitika River banks is: (8) western hemlock-western redcedar amabilis fir-huckleberry-blueberries.Roosevelt elk have used this wetland area during spring and early summer;pronounced trails are in evidence. Black-tailed deer are frequent and beaver,wolf and black bear are occasionally present.See the Complete  PDF  at Tsitika River ER 124

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