Furry trees

H.R. Waller
Date: 18 October, 2008
Time: 1445
Weather: Overcast, a bit chilly, 56 degrees
Location: Silver Falls hike

Today I went on a hike with my mom and dad as part of the parents weekend activities. Walking along the trail was like a jungle safari filled with perfectly unruly branches and vines shooting out in every direction. One of the common traits I noticed among many of the trees on the hike was that the trunks all the way up to the end of each branch were covered in a furry looking moss that hung down off of the tree like green satin sleeves that are too loose for the arms. I don't know enough about moss to know if this is a symbiotic relationship, or a parasitic one for the trees. I also have rarely seen moss cover a tree like this so completely. I wonder if it does this so much here because of the increased humidity, both in relation to the rest of Salem, because there are two large waterfalls nearby, and in relation to Montana, where we have little to no humidity most of the year.