Perry Creek Research Natural Area Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest , USFS North Cascades Ecoregion Cell(s): Alaska yellow cedar-mountain hemlock-Pacific silver fir forest Red mountain heather-blueleaf huckleberry dwarf shrubland Western cassiope-red mountain heather dwarf shrubland

Access by trail

The 943 ha Perry Creek RNA is located in central Snohomish County, Washington, and encompasses most of the Perry Creek drainage basin. The topography is extremely rugged, and elevations range from 585 m to 1779 m. One of the distinguishing features of Perry Creek RNA is its diverse and rich assemblage of fern species, including several rare species such as lance-leaved grape-fern (Botrychium lanceolatum), moonwort (Botrychium lunaria), mingan moonwort (Botrychium minganense), mountain moonwort (Botrychium montanum), northern grape-fern (Botrychium pinnatum), and little grape-fern (Botrychium simplex). Most of the fern habitat is found at the valley bottom where disturbance forces and climatic conditions have produced unique micro-environments. Hardwood communities in these areas are generally composed of bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) and red alder (Alnus rubra), with a mixture of shrubs, herbs and mosses in the understory. In areas where disturbance is frequent, deciduous shrub communities, including vine maple (Acer circinatum), Rocky Mountain maple, redosier dogwood, red alder, red elderberry, and associated ferns, exist. Areas of even more frequent disturbance, on wet talus, are composed of herbaceous species and small shrubs. Other vegetation communities are present in the RNA with coniferous forests dominating the basin. Species in these forests include Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), western hemlock, western red cedar (Thuja plicata), Pacific silver fir (Abies amabilis), Alaska yellowcedar. Non-forested areas are also present in areas of high disturbance frequency or harsh environmental conditions.