Since there is so much moisture everywhere in Taiwan, but especially in the cloud forest, there was a lot of moss on the trunks of the trees as well. The moss is not part of the tree. Instead, it is its own plant that calls the tree trunks home. But the trees don’t mind! Moss does not harm the tree and actually makes the ecosystem even happier. The tree bark looks like it is in big, long pieces climbing up the tree, kind of like bumpy string cheese. But don’t peel the bark!
When I stepped off the train and into the forest, I was surrounded by towering trees and I was left speechless. It reminded me of family camping trips I went on when I was growing up. On these trips, we would visit the Hoh Rainforest in Olympic National Park on the peninsula of Washington. The scenery is similar! The types of trees are different but they are still very tall and covered in moss. It made me happy to see somewhere that reminded me so much of home. I was also feeling very grateful that I got to explore such a breathtaking place while on a break from my job in Taiwan. One of the things I really wanted to do with my time in Taiwan was see as much of the island as possible and this was a big item on my Taiwan Bucket List! I felt like I could have stood in that forest for hours just staring up at the trees.
The Taiwan Red Cypress is a special kind of tree because it ONLY grows in the cloud forests of Taiwan! You have to travel to Alishan or another cloud forest on the main island of Taiwan to see them. I feel really lucky to be able to say that I have seen them!
