On the 557 acres of Ellsworth Creek Natural Resources Conservation Area (NRCA) in Pacific County are tree stands ranging in age from young to old growth (more than 200 yrs old). Elkhorn Creek and Smith Creek cross the site which is dominated by western red cedar, western hemlock, and sitka spruce.
While very large (up to 8 feet in diameter) western red cedar and sitka spruce are common at Ellsworth Creek NRCA, natural forests like this type are now rare in the Willapa Hills of southwest Washington. The old growth forests on this site also have a great diversity of amphibians, and provide important breeding habitat for the marbled murrelet, listed federally as a threatened species.
It is one of the many areas we are celebrating during Natural Areas Appreciation Week (May 7 – 14).
Here’s a list of the Natural Areas Appreciation Week events this week.
DNR manages two types of natural areas for long-term conservation: Natural Resources Conservation Areas (NRCAs), which have high conservation values and include sites with outstanding scenic values (such as Ellsworth Creek); and Natural Area Preserves (NAPs) for the highest protection for scientifically important sites, such as the Two-Steppe NAP in Douglas County.
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