Postcards from the forest - hoping for snow

The clouds begin to gather. The forecast calls for a short burst of moisture this evening, coming late and leaving early. We'll take it. One thing all the life of the forest has in common...it needs water.

Snow, when the temperatures stay cool enough to let it slowly percolate into the ground rather than evaporate or melt all at once, is the most sustaining form of moisture in the high country. The slow release of water downward nourishes aquifers and plants alike. When the soil gets a deep watering form snow, there's water available later in the year for plants when they need it...when the temperatures rise and the relative humidity falls desperately low.

Most of the creeks and seasonal streams in the Angeles depend on the slow release of snowmelt to sustain them. As our climate changes, the sustaining snow level climbs higher into the mountains, and the plants follow it. Throughout California, native plants have shifted their growing elevations, moving higher by roughly one thousand feet over the past 100 years. This can be evidenced when you see historic pictures of the forest. The harvest of lumber had some impact on the distribution of trees, but climate is what truly defines the boundaries of where a certain species can thrive.

These images come to you from the Forest Recovery Project and Redbird, a local non profit foundation with a land base in the Angeles National Forest. We'll keep bringing glimpses of beauty from the forest, and we hope those who enjoy them, and who shop Amazon, will help us during these challenging times by registering with Amazon Smile and choosing to support Redbird when they shop. There is no cost to you; Amazon donates on your behalf when you use Amazon Smile. It's easy! Just click on the link: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/77-0374732

If you'd like to learn more about Redbird, please visit us at https://redbirdsvisions.weebly...