772 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



Some Washington Palms 

 a group of washington palms in palm canyon on the angeles national forest. the absence of other 

 tree growth and the scanty char^acter of the chaparr.\l int3icates the extreme hardiness of these 

 trees, and their ability to survive unt5er extreme contritions of drought, from which they also 

 derive the name of desert palm. even under these unfavorable conditions they are the largest 

 native palms growing within the borders of the united states 



huge, knotty tops, is left in ruins for 

 tremendous fires that kill every tree 

 within their range, great and small. 

 Still, the species is not in danger of 

 extinction. It has been planted and is 

 flourishing over a great part of Europe, 

 and magnificent sections of the abori- 

 ginal forests have been reserved as 

 National and State Parks — the Mari- 

 posa Sequoia Grove, near Yosemite, 

 managed by the State of California, 

 and the General Grant and Sequoia 

 National Parks on the Kings, Kaweah, 

 and Tule Rivers, efficiently guarded by 

 a small troop of United States Cavalry 

 under the direction of the Secretary of 

 the Interior. But there is not a single 

 specimen of the redwood in any National 

 Park. Only by gift or purchase, so far 

 as I know, can the Government get 



back into its possession a single acre of 

 this wonderful forest." 



These historic and notable trees have 

 been described and pictured until 

 familiar to everyone. Within a few 

 hours horseback ride of some of the 

 Sequoias, is found another extreme in 

 the timber-line trees at the higher 

 altitudes in the Sierras. Several species 

 which attain commercial size on the 

 intermediate and lower slopes, become 

 small and stunted as the higher altitudes 

 are reached. Others, notably the white 

 bark pine, have their natural habitat 

 on the upper slopes at altitudes of 6,000 

 to 8,000 feet; while still higher up 

 towards the zone of perpetual snow or 

 barren rock are other trees which exist 

 only in the harsh environment to which 

 the endless struggle for existence has 



