Washington Tree Farm Improves Habitat for Spotted Owl

Port Blakely voluntarily creates 45,000 acres of habitat favorable to the squirrels, voles and mice that spotted owls hunt

Tree 1007 is a western hemlock, gnarled by nature and now girdled by man. A forester chiseled off a 3-inch-wide band of its thick bark, circling the tree to create a deathly halo of exposed cambium layer. Girdling disrupts the flow of nutrients from the roots and creates a pathway for pathogens. The hemlock will be dead in a year.