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Educational
May 26 2022

Moss

May 26 2022/Educational


Like a botanical Clark Kent, these unassuming plants are hiding superhero qualities. Not only does moss have the ability to absorb liquids up to 20 times their weight, but they also act as insulation for soil and tree roots – either keeping it cool or warming it up. They help to colonize areas affected by deforestation and wildfires, and in extreme temperatures, they can go dormant in order to survive. 

 

Mosses date back 450 million years, with up to 25,000 known species. They are found on every continent, even the frigid wastes of Antarctica! They are non-flowering plants, and instead of roots, they have rhizoids, which are like tiny hairs that fix the moss to surfaces such as soil, tree bark, or rock.

 

On the BC coast, Bigleaf Maples – like the ones found in Mossome Grove and Mossy Maple Grove – can harbour enormous amounts of moss on their branches due to their calcium-rich bark, which is one of five minerals needed for moss to grow. This relationship is symbiotic, as the maples deploy aerial roots to access nutrients in the soils that develop under these moss mats.

 

Another important function of moss is as a Marbled Murrelet’s nest. Marbled Murrelets are a species of seabird found in coastal BC. They don’t build conventional nests, rather, they find a wide branch with thick moss high in an old-growth forest to lay their egg. Because only giant old-growth trees have branches large enough to support the huge cushions of moss that murrelets require for nesting, murrelets are dependent on the vanishing old-growth forests for their survival.

 

Next time you’re walking in an old-growth forest, remember that you’re walking among superheroes.

 

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https://ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/0-Mossy-Maple-Zone.jpg 1000 1500 TJ Watt https://ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/cropped-AFA-Logo-1000px.png TJ Watt2022-05-26 09:45:152024-07-30 17:19:23Moss
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Ancient Forest Alliance

The Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) is a registered charitable organization working to protect BC’s endangered old-growth forests and to ensure a sustainable, value-added, second-growth forest industry.

AFA’s office is located on the territories of the Lekwungen Peoples, also known as the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.
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  • Our Work
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  • Ancient Forests
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    • Old-Growth 101
    • Old-Growth Forests in BC: FAQs
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  • Recent News
    • Recent News
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    • Educational
  • Photos & Media
    • Map of Gallery Regions
    • Themes
      • Biggest Trees
      • Biggest Stumps
      • Low Productivity Old-Growth
    • Videos
    • Inland Rainforest
      • Ancient Forest/ Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park
      • Parthenon Grove
    • Mainland
      • Echo Lake
      • Kanaka Bar IPCA Proposal
    • Haida Gwaii
    • Sunshine Coast
      • Day Road Forest
      • Mt. Elphinstone Proposed Park Expansion
      • Roberts Creek Headwaters
      • Stillwater Bluffs
    • Sunshine Coast: Powell River
      • Eldred River Valley
      • Mt. Freda Ancient Forests
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      • Climbing the Largest Spruce in Carmanah
      • Carmanah Research Climb
      • Klanawa Valley
      • Koksilah
    • VI South: Caycuse Watershed
      • Before & After Logging – Caycuse Watershed
      • Before and After Logging Caycuse 2022
      • Caycuse Logging From Above
      • Lower Caycuse River
      • Massive Trees Cut Down
    • VI South: Mossy Maples
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      • Mossy Maple Grove
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      • Avatar Boardwalk
      • Avatar Grove
      • Big Lonely Doug and Clearcut
      • Bugaboo Ridge Ancient Forest
      • Eden Grove
      • Exploring & Climbing Ancient Giants
      • Fairy Creek Headwaters
      • Granite Creek Logging
      • Jurassic Grove
      • Loup Creek
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