Closed-cone pine forest
Encyclopedia
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and several offshore islands. It consists of stands of Bishop Pine
Bishop Pine
The Bishop Pine, Pinus muricata, is a pine with a very restricted range: mostly in the U.S. state of California, including several offshore Channel Islands, and a few locations in Baja California, Mexico...
s, Monterey Pines
Monterey Pine
The Monterey Pine, Pinus radiata, family Pinaceae, also known as the Insignis Pine or Radiata Pine is a species of pine native to the Central Coast of California....
, and others which rely on fire or strong heat to open their cones and release the seeds.
Closed-cone Pines
The most widespread naturally of the closed-cone pines is Bishop PineBishop Pine
The Bishop Pine, Pinus muricata, is a pine with a very restricted range: mostly in the U.S. state of California, including several offshore Channel Islands, and a few locations in Baja California, Mexico...
(Pinus muricata), which can be found along the coast from Humboldt County, California
Humboldt County, California
Humboldt County is a county in the U.S. state of California, located on the far North Coast 200 miles north of San Francisco. According to 2010 Census Data, the county’s population was 134,623...
in the north to the northwestern corner of Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
in the south. Knobcone Pine
Knobcone Pine
The Knobcone Pine, Pinus attenuata, is a tree that grows in mild climates on poor soils. It ranges from the mountains of southern Oregon to Baja California with the greatest concentration in northern California and the Oregon-California border....
(Pinus attenuata) forests can occur further inland, on dry, rocky soils. Monterey Pine
Monterey Pine
The Monterey Pine, Pinus radiata, family Pinaceae, also known as the Insignis Pine or Radiata Pine is a species of pine native to the Central Coast of California....
(Pinus radiata) was once limited to the Monterey Peninsula
Monterey Peninsula
The Monterey Peninsula is located on the central California coast and comprises the cities of Monterey, Carmel, and Pacific Grove, and unincorporated areas of Monterey County including the resort and community of Pebble Beach.-Monterey:...
, two other sites in central California, and Guadalupe
Guadalupe Island
Guadalupe Island, or Isla Guadalupe is a volcanic island located 241 kilometers off the west coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula and some 400 kilometers southwest of the city of Ensenada in Baja California state, in the Pacific Ocean...
and Cedros Island
Cedros Island
Cedros Island is a Mexican island in the Pacific Ocean....
s off the coast of Baja California, but has now been introduced elsewhere in California and around the world. Most of these trees have an average life-span of around 50-90 years
Climate
The weather of these forests is quite mild in both winter and summer. Temperatures rarely go below freezing or grow uncomfortably warm. Closed-cone pine forests of Californian are located in cool-summer Mediterranean climateMediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
regions along the coast with cool wet winters and foggy, dry summers. Despite the fact that the summers are dry, the air is consistently humid due to frequent coastal fog brought in by interior heat. The fog also supplies irrigation when it passes through the conifer needles of the pines. The moisture is caught this way and drips to the forest floor. Thus, drought is avoided by up to 40%. In the autumn fog is less frequent and it is during this season when occasional heat waves are possible. This is when fires are most likely. Precipitation ranges from 20 to 60 inches a year, depending on the locale.
Other Flora and Fauna
Coast Live Oak
Quercus agrifolia, the Coast Live Oak, is an evergreen oak , native to the California Floristic Province. It grows west of the Sierra Nevada from Mendocino County, California, south to northern Baja California in Mexico. It is classified in the red oak section Quercus agrifolia, the Coast Live Oak,...
often accompany them. Due to the relatively short lifespan of closed-cone pines, many dead trunks and snags are available and attract a whole host of wildlife ranging from woodpeckers, titmice
Oak Titmouse
The Oak Titmouse, Baeolophus inornatus, is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. The American Ornithologists' Union split the Plain Titmouse into the Oak Titmouse and the Juniper Titmouse in 1996, due to distinct differences in song, preferred habitat, and genetic makeup.The Oak Titmouse is a...
, chickadees
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
The Chestnut-backed Chickadee is a small passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae....
, warblers, squirrels
Western Gray Squirrel
The Western Gray Squirrel is an arboreal rodent found along the western coast of the United States and Canada.In some places, this species has also been known as the Silver-gray Squirrel, the California Gray Squirrel, the Oregon Gray Squirrel, the Columbian Gray Squirrel and the Banner-tail...
, chipmunks, raccoons, mountain lions, deer
Mule Deer
The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
and many others. The lush undergrowths, typical of the forests, are excellent habitat as well. Blackberries
Rubus
Rubus is a large genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae. Raspberries, blackberries, and dewberries are common, widely distributed members of the genus. Most of these plants have woody stems with prickles like roses; spines, bristles, and gland-tipped hairs are...
, wild roses, wood mints
Stachys bullata
Stachys bullata is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name California hedgenettle.-Distribution:It is endemic to California, where it is known from the Central Coast Ranges, the Transverse Ranges, and other coastal mountain ranges in the central and southern parts...
, California honeysuckle, currants, and others are common. The flora and fauna varies from area to areas, especially the southern and northern closed-cone pine regions.
External Links
See also
- Fire ecologyFire ecologyFire ecology is concerned with the processes linking the natural incidence of fire in an ecosystem and the ecological effects of this fire. Many ecosystems, such as the North American prairie and chaparral ecosystems, and the South African savanna, have evolved with fire as a natural and necessary...
- Conifer forest
- California montane chaparral and woodlandsCalifornia montane chaparral and woodlandsThe California montane chaparral and woodlands ecoregion covers , including the mountains of the Transverse, Peninsular, and Santa Lucia Ranges of California. It is part of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, with cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers...
- (subecoregion') - California interior chaparral and woodlandsCalifornia interior chaparral and woodlandsThe California interior chaparral and woodlands ecoregion covers in an elliptical ring around the California Central Valley. It occurs on hills and mountains ranging from to . It is part of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, with cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers...
- (subecoregion)