Sitka Spruce Zone
Confined to the coast, this coniferous zone extends from Alaska to southwestern Oregon and has been extensively altered by logging and fire. Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) characterizes the zone although in many places western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) and Douglasfir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) dominate. Red alder (Alnus rubra) often forms patches in disturbed areas and riparian situations, while western redcedar (Thuja plicata) characterizes swampy habitats. Besides stabilized dune communities in which shore pine (Pinus contorta) is a prominent successional species, there are salt marsh communities in estuaries and communities associated with shifting dunes. The Sitka Spruce Zone grades into the Western Hemlock Zone to which it is closely related.