4. Conifer Canopy
There is a heavy bryophyte load in the old growth forest canopy because the upper branches are more exposed than the lower branches. By far the most abundant canopy species is Antitrichia curtipendula, which is why it is known as "high branch moss" in some areas. The marbled murrelet nests in thick mats of this moss in Coast Range old growth.
Antitrichia curtipendula . This is the moss that contributes most of the biomass at the top of old growth conifers. The marbled murrelet nests in this moss mat.
Frullania nisquallensis. This is also frequent on hardwood shrubs inland.
Isothecium stoloniferum. Not just in the canopy but abundant on branches all the way down. This is the primary moss that gives the coastal rainforest its character.
Porella navicularis. Between the abundance of this in canopy of conifer forests to its frequency on drier hardwood forests, this is the most widespread leafy liverwort in the Pacific Northwest. There is even a form that grows on sand at the coast.
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