OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — A free guided hike to see six of the world’s largest trees is planned in the Quinault Valley on Saturday, June 9.
A silviculturist — silviculture being the study of forests — will lead the walk from 9 a.m. until about noon.
The hike will visit the closest giant specimen trees and “get up close and personal the essence of old-growth forest,” said Sandra Miller, activities supervisor at Lake Quinault Lodge.
“Species identification, management practices, reforestation and harvesting will be discussed,” she said.
“You will see the impact of nature when she gets angry, and view man’s efforts to treat the Earth right while extracting needed resources.”
The six trees that are the largest of their species are, according to the National Forestry Association:
— A Western red cedar on the north shore of Quinault Lake, which is Washington state’s biggest tree, the nation’s third largest record tree and the recorded world’s largest cedar.
— A Sitka spruce on the south shore of Lake Quinault, which is the world’s largest Sitka spruce tree, and the nation’s fourth largest record tree.
— A coastal Douglas fir that is one of two largest of their species in the world.
— A yellow cedar that is the nation’s largest, 7 miles up the Skyline Trail in the upper reaches of Quinault Valley.
— A Western hemlock, located about 2 miles past the Enchanted Valley Chalet at the head waters of the Quinault Valley Rain Forest, which is the largest in the United States.
— A mountain hemlock, found in the Enchanted Valley about 13 miles up the trail, which is the largest in the world.
The Lake Quinault Lodge, built in 1926, is an historic getaway located on the shores of Lake Quinault in the Olympic Rain Forest. It is owned by the Aramark Corp.
For more information, contact Miller at 360-288-2922 or Miller-Sandra2@ararmark.com.