Where does driftwood come from?
Some comes from the ocean, from ship fragments and wooden dock pilings. But the majority is from trees that float down rivers, sourced from treefalls or streamside erosion or forestry operations — or that have escaped from logging rafts.
In areas like the rugged shoreline of the Pacific Northwest, huge piles of driftwood, in the form of logs, sticks, and root wads, pile up, willy-nilly, just above the tide line. Many have lost their distinguishing features, but a few retain clues that reveal their species: the orange hues of alder wood, the chunky limbs of spruce, the candelabra tops of western red cedar.
Driftwood supports healthy coastal ecosystems by giving beaches and dunes better stability, where winds and waves cause the sands to shift constantly. And its structures provide safe places for seeds, nesting sites for birds, and resting areas for marine mammals.
Nature’s sorting of driftwood by size and age along shorelines also gives scientists insights into historical water levels. That’s critical in areas where conventional water level measurements don’t exist. It can also provide data about the movements of marine pollutants and plastic litter.
I love driftwood. It’s an example of how trees continue to be useful long after they’ve fallen — and it creates a vibrant and never-ending link between forests and the sea.
