Trail of the Shadows: Structural Support Exhibit Panel

Old-growth forest borders the Longmire Meadow along the Trail of the Shadows.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Trail of the Shadows, Longmire

Amenities

1 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

Title: Structural Support

Main Text
Trees are the bones of an old-growth forest. Your bones support your body, protect your organs, and store minerals. Trees provide the structure and support for multiple habitats. They protect the landscape and store nutrients.

Secondary Text
Protection – Fallen trees may remain on the ground for hundreds of years protecting the soil from erosion. Decaying dead wood continually renews the soil with tons of organic matter, which helps to keep the forest healthy and resilient.

Support – The life cycle of this old-growth forest generates multiple layers of trees. Each layer, from the canopy down, supports the habitats of thousands of animal and plant species.

Structure – Alongside the tall trees, snags (standing, broken, dead trees) are an essential structural component of an old forest. Still rooted in the ground, snags are platforms for birds and mammals to move up and down through the forest. They provide habitats and protect the soil from eroding

Storage – Tall trees collect and process the sun’s energy through photosynthesis. Energy and nutrients are stored in the trees and eventually recycled back into the ecosystem. Healthy forests also store carbon by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, reducing the effects of climate change.

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” – John Muir

Exhibit Panel Description
A close-up photo of Western red cedar bark, grey with long reddish cracks in the bark, fills the exhibit panel and serves as a background. The main text is in the upper left corner, with the Muir quote in the bottom right corner. Stretching in a diagonal from the lower left to upper right are four smaller photos each with an associated section of secondary text next to it. In the lower left corner of the panel is a photo of several fallen tree logs covered in moss, next to the “Protection” block of text. Above it is the “Support” photo showing a forest of tall trees and a section of forest floor covered in plants. To the right in the middle of the panel is the “Structure” photo of two tree snags, with a few tree saplings growing out of their broken tops. Above it is the final photo in the upper right corner of the panel. Labeled “Storage” the photo looks up tall tree trunks towards the forest canopy.

Visit This Exhibit Panel
This exhibit panel is located in Longmire along the Trail of the Shadows, a short trail that starts across the street from the National Park Inn. Longmire is open year-round.