Horsebridge Wood: Vancouverian

All the way up the Pacific coast, from central California into Alaska, there's a continuous belt of coniferous forest. It thrives because the warm ocean currents just offshore make for mild winters and humid air, with plenty of rain, mist and fog. Some of the tallest and most massive trees in the world grow here, the coast redwoods, Douglas fir, sitka spruce and western hemlock.

Coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervivens) are among the world's tallest trees, with the tallest currently living being some 112 m (367 ft) high. However, some of the south-western Australian mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans) also grow to 100 m and more. Records from 1880 have a surveyor in Victoria measuring a standing tree at 114.3 m (375 ft) and another a trunk of a fallen tree at 132.6 m (435 ft) - possibly the tallest tree ever measured. It is usually agreed that Eucalyptus regnans are the tallest broad-leaved trees and Sequoia sempervivens are the tallest conifers.

Look out for bat boxes at the start of the Vancouverian planting. Bat boxes don't have front entrances like bird boxes. Looking at the back-plate shows there are cross-cuts like a ladder, which the bat climbs up to slip through a tiny slot at the base of the box.

Continue the tour

Back up to: Woodland Zone

Carry on to: Horsebridge Wood: Gulf & South Coast