Forest Conditions in Central Sierra Nevadas 31 



trees were often abundant and in good stands at an elevation of 

 7,000 feet, occasionally reaching an altitude of 7,200 feet. Al- 

 though this type is more common on south and west slopes, the 

 cleanest and heaviest stand observed during the summer was 

 situated on a northeast slope The Jeffrey Pine (Pinus jeffreyi 

 "Oreg. Com.") is the most important tree of the type, not only 

 as a timber tree but also in relative abundance as compared with 

 other tree species. The White Fir (Abies concolor (Gord.) 

 Parry, while almost as abundant as the pine, is an inferior spe- 

 cies for mill timber. The Sugar Pine (Pinus lambertiana 

 Dougl.), an important timber tree, often covers very limited 

 areas with a nearly pure stand, but seldom extends over a suf- 

 ficiently large area to require type classification. The California 

 Red Fir (Abies magnified Murr.) is generally found in the 

 upper limits of this type where the Red Fir transition begins. 

 Other species scattered through the forest of this type are 

 Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta Loud.), Incense Cedar (Libo- 

 cedrus decnrrens Torn), Western Yellow Pine (Pinus ponder osa 

 Laws.), Western White Pine (Pinus monticola Dougl.), and 

 Western Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis Hook). 



The Jeffrey Pine seldom grows in dense stands, but tends 

 to retain a more open character with considerable undergrowth 

 of dense brush consisting of the species mentioned under the 

 Brush Type. In many localities the mature trees have not been 

 permitted to deteriorate from old age, as they, especially Jeffrey 

 and Sugar Pines, have been heavily logged. This destructive 

 logging has brought about a serious change in the composition 

 of the forest. The White Fir, which reproduces quickly 

 and well, has come in and crowded out the two more valuable 

 species, Jeffrey Pine and Sugar Pine. Although the original 

 type had a reproduction of Jeffrey Pine as great as that of any 

 other species, the stand of poles and saplings which are now- 

 found in the area are about as follows : White Fir 65 per cent, 

 Jeffrey Pine 20 per cent, while the species of lesser importance 

 make up the remaining per cent. The administration of the 

 forest is at present endeavoring to change this percentage of 

 reproduction so that the future forest may be composed largely 

 of Jeffrey and Sugar Pines. Most of the timber of this type 

 has, in past years, been seriously burned, especially the bases 

 of the older trees. The decreased reproduction of Jeffrey Pine 

 is probably due to fire. With proper care in the future, this 



