Hello!
Welcome to Canyonlands National Park. I'm
Ranger Tim
Ranger Tim.
All of our National Parks have surprises
to offer, and Canyonlands is no exception.
I'm standing at Shaffer Canyon Overlook
and with a keen eye
you can see one of the surprises that
this park has to offer
amidst all this sandstone and high
desert vegetation.
Tucked into that alcove about a mile
tucked into that alcove about a mile behind me,
is what is known as a relict stand of
Douglas fir trees.
These trees are a remnant of a much
larger forest
better represented on the cool slopes of
the La Sal Mountains
about 20 miles away to the east.
How do these trees survive in such a
challenging location? Well, several
thousand years ago
at the tail end of the last glacial
period, this was a much wetter
and cooler location. As the climate
warmed
and dried, that alcove behind me
and dried that alcove behind me became the last place they could survive
in Canyonlands National Park.
This north-facing alcove and a
substantial spring in the Navajo
Sandstone
provides a relatively cool and damp
micro environment.
The Colorado Plateau is experiencing
the colorado plateau is experiencing accelerated warming and drying
associated with global climate change.
The climate trend may mean that even
this refuge
is not enough to sustain these trees
but, for now, we can enjoy these
but for now we can enjoy these ambassadors
from a cooler and wetter time.