Three specific roles can be defined for the Morrell Nature Sanctuary relating to conservation, environmental education, and recreation. As a protected area, the need to conserve the sanctuary’s biological diversity and ecological integrity is of great importance.

When walking through the forest with a broad tree canopy high overhead and a profuse under-story of shrubs, ferns, and herbs, one rarely considers the ecological interactions taking place beneath the forest floor. Of special interest are the underground connections created by natural root grafts, mychorrhizal networks, and symbiotic nitrogen fixation.

Plant communities typically change over time, with some species disappearing and new ones emerging in response to habitat alteration, ecological succession, and other factors. A comparison of plant species lists compiled in 1975-76 and again in 2018 can give us some insight into such changes at the Morrell Nature Sanctuary.

The Morrell Nature Sanctuary is home to a number of different fern species, including sword fern, licorice fern, deer fern, bracken fern, and lady fern. Ferns are among the oldest groups of plants on Earth, with fossil specimens dating back about 390 million years ago.

A significant concern about climate change is the potential for increased tree mortality due to drought and moisture stress. This report briefly summarizes the implications of climate change for two important tree species in the Morrell Nature Sanctuary; western redcedar and Douglas-fir.

The so-called Gnome-plant is one of the rarest of the monotropoids--the group that includes Indian Pipe. It grows from a rhizome with fragile roots and probably obtains its nutrients by parasitizing fungi because it lacks chlorophyll.

Pinedrops is the tallest species of the mycotrophic wildflowers in the heath family (Ericaceae). It is a root parasite, depending on its association with a mycorrhizal fungus which, in turn, is associated with a conifer tree.

Heterotrophic plants are divided into one of two groups, based upon how they obtain their food. The first of these two groups are parasitic plants. The second of these two groups are mycotrophic ("fungus feeding") plants. These plants obtain their organic carbon from a host green plant by tapping into an intermediary mycorrhizal fungus attached to the roots of the host plant.

Calypso bulbosa, commonly called Fairy Slipper, takes its name from the Greek signifying concealment, as they tend to favor sheltered areas on conifer forest floors. Although the calypso orchid's distribution is wide, it is very susceptible to disturbance, and is therefore classified as threatened or endangered.‍

With the aid of acoustic recorders, researchers from Environment Canada, UBC, and NALT identified five different bat species that made use of the Morrell Nature Sanctuary in July 2022: Big Brown Bat, Hoary Bat, Silver-haired Bat, California Myotis, and Little Brown Myotis.