paul-shannon's Identifications

Photo taken facing 218* SW

Many stressed and dead ferns growing on a steep slope above trail. Ferns were growing onto of bed rock or a large boulder with very shallow soils. Soil was very rocky and filled with baseball sized rocks.

Sword fern die off, old growth forest in north fork skokomish river valley. Valley bottom forest, whole forest is declining, many old growth Doug-fir and young mid canopy western hemlock recently died as well

I am not 100% sure if this is the same thing that is happening in Seward Park or not, but I noticed some sickly, dying, and dead sword ferns in this area recently. It's disturbing in that it's a very rural area without a great deal of human impact. There is an abandoned road grade which elk evidently use in the immediate area; perhaps the elk carried the pathogen in on their hooves.

The worst area (pictured) is about 50' across. There are sickly/dead/dying ferns scattered through the area here and there (not just where pictured). There are no large areas hundreds of feet across with no surviving ferns.