Look up from the tide pools to the forest above. If your gaze turns landward, you’ll probably be staring into a spruce forest. No other conifer is as closely associated, in our minds, and in reality, with the Pacific Northwest’s misty wind-buffeted headlands.
Below are three spruce forest perspectives. They frame the shoreline forest of my daydreams.
Sitka doesn’t mind the kiss of salt air
Above the beach the spruce forest looms, brooding
At home on the headlands
Even on distant beaches, not quite so much under Sitka’s spell, you’ll find reminders.
Seed cone, a driftline connection to the maritime forest
Spruce calling card
Whether I’m on my belly in the tide pools or walking the beaches, I’m grateful for the connections between exposed shores and the maritime forests above. If you feel like connecting with an individual Sitka spruce tree, take a moment to look at Octopus Tree, an iconic Oregon spruce and an ally worth knowing.