| Area | Forsythe Creek |
| Topic | Tour: Forsythe Creek and Mill Creek Watershed Vegetation |
This photo shows vegetation patterns above Forsythe Creek and Walker Valley looking west off Highway 101 south of Willits. The north facing slopes in the distance have coniferous forest mixed with oak woodlands. Large redwoods stand on the valley floor adjacent to Forsythe Creek below center right. Madrone trees frame the photo which was taken from a sun-facing slope. Photo contributed by Patrick Higgins. June 10, 2002.
This photo was taken from the same location and is in roughly the same direction as Picture #1 but zoomed in. Slopes are split roughly 50:50 in terms of hardwood and conifer forest ratio. The conifers on the nearer hill side appear much smaller and less mature than the redwoods on the Forsythe Creek valley floor at lower right. Photo contributed by Patrick Higgins. June 10, 2002.
Much of lower Forsythe Creek is in Central Belt Franciscan Formation mélange terrain looking west off Highway 101. The large landslides shown here are in part a result of naturally high erosion risk, although human impacts can also trigger activation or re-activation of such features. Unstable slopes in mélange terrain are often covered with grasslands as opposed to forests. Photo contributed by Patrick Higgins. June 10, 2002.
This photo is a closeup of the large slide along Forsythe Creek at the same location as Picture #1. The blue soil is characteristic of shear zones in Franciscan melange terrain sub-soils and is often a very poor growth medium for plants. The grass, shrubs and small trees colonizing the slope are indicative that it is beginning to be stabilized. Photo contributed by Patrick Higgins. June 10, 2002.
This photo was taken off Reeves Canyon Road looking south or downstream on Mill Creek. Grasslands dominate the slopes in the foreground and in the distance with forests in uplands with hardwoods and conifers. Photo contributed by Patrick Higgins. June 10, 2002.
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