Forests op the Pacific Coast 



In California the height of the mountain ranges 

 and their distance from the sea determine the degree 

 of rainfall, and influence the temperature. The main 

 forests are thus limited to definite bands on the 

 main mountain ranges, between which intervene 

 valleys and foothills destitute of forests or wood- 

 lands, or characterized only by scattered oak or 

 fringes of trees along the streams. 



The alluvial plains of the Sacramento and San 

 Joaquin valleys, while in the main treeless, may take 

 on, in places, the aspect of park-land by reason of 

 the presence of the valley oak (Quercus lobata). 

 This is a fine tree 50 to 80 feet high, its Droad crown 

 giving rise to pendulous cord-like branchlets which 

 may sometimes be so long as to sweep the ground. 

 Near the coast this species gives place to the coast 

 live oak (Quercus agrifolia), an evergreen tree with 

 low broad crown and holly-like leaves, or on the 

 floors of the Coast Range valleys these two species 

 may frequently be associated. 



The main forest on the western slope of the 

 Sierra Nevada is about five hundred miles long and 

 twenty-five miles in breadth. The densest median 

 part of the strip is principally composed of five 

 species: Western yellow pine, sugar pine (Pinus 

 lambertiana), white fir, red fir (Abies magnifica), 

 incense cedar (Libocedrus decurrens), and big tree 

 (Sequoia gigantea), while silver, or little sugar pine 

 (Pinus monticola), lodgepole pine, here a less 

 slender tree than in the Rocky Mountains and 

 now known as tamrac pine, and black oak 

 (Quercus kelloggii), are secondary species on 

 the upper or lower borders of the main forest. All 

 the principal components of this forest have their 

 greatest development in the Sierra Nevada, and 

 with two exceptions range little beyond its borders. 

 In the foothills scattered trees of the digger pine 

 (Pinus sabiniana) with thin crowns and branched 

 axes, and of blue oak (Quercus douglasii) with 

 white trunks and bluish foliage, give character to 

 the landscape. 



Of greatest historical interest is the Big Tree. 

 North of Kings River it is found at middle altitudes 

 in eight "groves" of very restricted areas buried 

 for the most part at widely separated intervals in 

 the remote depths of the main forest. South of 

 Kings River it occurs in twenty-three larger areas 

 (or "forests") which are less widely separated or 

 are nearljr contiguous. 



The historical grove, the one visited by early 

 travelers and the first discovered, is the Calaveras 

 Grove. The tide of travel in this day, however, 



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