Old Growth Forests!

Diane and an Old Growth California Douglas Fir 

Pseudostuga menziesii

Haypress Creek Trail

I lucked out and went on three hikes in the last eight days! They all differed from each other in elevation, landscape, and ecosystem, but they all included Old Growth Forests. The old trees were absolutely amazing to see! There were White Firs, California Red Firs, Douglas Firs, Ponderosa Pines, and Incense Cedars. They were all HUGE!  Additionally, it was incredible how straight most of the trees were, and how they barely tapered for the first 50'!  It was hard to capture their size in photographs, because my wide-angle camera lens compresses how the trees look.  Sometimes, their massive size isn't apparent because the trees around them are giants!  My friends Terry and Diane measured one ancient Douglas Fir and it had a diameter of 7' and a circumference of 22'!  WOW!!! 

Old Growth Ponderosa Pine - Pinus ponderosa

We hiked along several miles of forests, sometimes on logging roads and sometimes on a trail until we came to the Old Growth Forest.  It wasn't close to any of the roads we had walked on, but it wasn't that far from them either.  We were so glad that somehow they had never been cut down, even though many areas nearby had been logged.  Probably the USFS has protected them, unlike their policy of not so long ago. The following information describes Old Growth Forests and their history. It is from the website https://www.sierraforestlegacy.org/FC_FireForestEcology/TH_Old-growthForests.php.

"There are a variety of definitions for old-growth forests, but they are generally defined as forests in their later stages of development, Trees sizes for old-growth have been variously defined as trees over 24" to 30" in diameter with medium to high canopy cover; however age is the most important factor, and some ancient trees may not appear huge in girth. Old growth trees are—at the minimum—150-200 years in age. Tree size and age-related structure are a result of growing conditions, species type, elevation, and climatic conditions resulting from the diversity of ecosystems.

There has been an alarming decline in old-growth forest acres and structure in the Sierra Nevada since the 1850's Today, it is estimated that only 12 percent of mixed conifer old-growth forest remains, a staggering loss of approximately 82 percent of the historical acreage of old-growth found in mixed conifer forests.

Much of this loss is from the high-grading (a type of selective cutting where some or all of the biggest and best trees are cut) of large trees, railroad logging, and clear cutting logging practices, which continued up to the early 1990's on Federal land and continue today on industrial timber lands in the Sierra Nevada. During the logging "hey-days" of the 1980's the Forest Service was producing over 1 billion board feet of saw-timber annually from the Sierra Nevada, much of it in large old-growth trees. "

White-headed Woodpecker - Western Bluebird

 Dryobates albolarvatus - Sialia mexicana

We didn't see any mammals, but we did come across three large Mountain Lion scats, and a partial animal skin covered in fur.  Birds were common in the open areas, not so much in the Old Growth Forest.  Luckily we saw White-head Woodpeckers twice, as well as several Western Bluebirds!

"Old-growth trees provide a critical habitat structural component of species like the imperiled California spotted owl, the Northern flying squirrel, Pacific fisher, and pileated woodpecker. Continued degradation of the remaining old-growth in the Sierra Nevada will likewise continue to put pressure on these threatened wildlife species."

Chanterelle  - budding Shaggy Manes

genus/species unknown - Coprinus comatus

Mushrooms were popping up everywhere in the Old Growth Forest, mainly varieties of Russula.  Luckily, Terry found a few Chanterelles and several large groups of Shaggy Manes! We didn't see any flowers in bloom in the forest, but we spotted the leaves of the Rattlesnake Plantain orchid.

"Many rare plants, fungi, bryophytes and lichens are also associated with old forests. Some may take decades to build up complex symbiotic relationships with their conifer hosts before they become established and reproduce. Some examples include a suite of terrestrial orchids including coral root, lady slipper, and rattlesnake plantain. Very little is known about the life histories or ecology of some of these rarely seen forest species.'

We'd taken this 10 mile hike specifically to see the Old Growth Forest in the area. How lucky we were to see these astounding, giant trees! I can't wait to go back again!

Clark's Nutcracker - Nucifraga columbiana

Deadman Peak Hike

The second hike we took was to Deadman Peak. It was a much shorter hike, a little over 4 miles,  but the views were incredible! Rain was predicted, but didn't happen until late in the afternoon, and wasn't heavy at all. It was another glorious day outside in the "wild"!

View to the East toward Sierra Valley

We lucked out and had cloud shadows and sunlight playing on the ridges and forests, and clear, clear air!

Two views of Deadman Peak and Deadman Lake

I had hiked to the base of Deadman Peak, and Deadman Lake, several times many years ago, but had never been to the top of the peak. This year we started higher up and hiked through the woods to the top of the peak. It was a great adventure! 

White Fir Forest and an Old Growth Tree - Abies concolor

As we climbed in elevation, we came to a mixed conifer forest that had many HUGE Old Growth Trees in it.  There were White Fir, Red Fir, Western White Pine, and Jeffrey Pine trees. What a delight it was to come across this beautiful old forest!

Admiring a HUGE Western White Pine - Pinus monticola

Without a doubt, this was the biggest Western White Pine that any of us had ever seen!  WOW!!! I had no idea how old any of the Old Growth Trees might be so I looked it up in the field guide, "Trees and Shrubs of California" by John D. Stuart and John O. Sawyer. Below is a list I compiled from this book, of the most common Old Growth Trees and their ages.

Red Fir - 300+ years old

White Fir - 300+ years old

Canyon Live Oak - 300+ years old

Jeffrey Pine - 500 years old

California Black Oak - 500 years old

Incense Cedar  - 500+ years old

Sugar Pine - 500+ years old

Ponderosa Pine - 600 years old

Western White Pine - 600 years old

Douglas Fir - 750+ years old

It is SO amazing that these trees are SO old! They have survived wind, rain, snow, drought, smoke, fires, insects, disease, and fungus for centuries!  WOW!!!

Deadman's Peak and its east face at 7, 493' in elevation

On the way to the top of Deadman's Peak, there were several rocky outcrops that afforded incredible views!  It was here that we saw three delightful Clark's Nutcrackers checking us out, and perching in nearby trees! We only occasionally see these amazing birds at the higher elevations in the Lakes Basin. The following information was from the website allaboutbirds.org at the Cornell Lab.

"High in the mountains of the West, gray-and-black Clark’s Nutcrackers swoop among wizened pine trees, flashing white in the tail and wing. They use their dagger-like bills to rip into pine cones and pull out large seeds, which they stash in a pouch under their tongue and then carry away to bury for the winter. Each birds buries tens of thousands of seeds each summer and remembers the locations of most of them. Seeds they don’t retrieve play a crucial role in growing new pine forests.

The Clark's Nutcracker feeds its nestlings pine seeds from its many winter stores (caches). Because it feeds the young on stored seeds, the nutcracker can breed as early as January or February, despite the harsh winter weather in its mountain home."

Deadman's Lake at 6,680' in elevation

The water line at Deadman's Lake looked fairly low as we looked down from the top of Deadman's Peak.

View west to the Sierra Buttes

There was a lovely view to the west, of the Sierra Buttes, from the top of Deadman's Peak.  We lingered there and ate our lunch, until the rain and cold winds came in. Then we headed back down through the forest to our cars, filled with beauty from another incredible day!

Canyon Live Oaks and California Black Oaks in the river canyon 

Quercus chrysolepis - Quercus kelloggii

The Halls Ranch to Fiddle Creek Trail

 

The third hike we took, was the Halls Ranch to Fiddle Creek Trail.  Every year I love to hike this trail in the Fall, when the deciduous trees are brilliant in their Fall colors. This year it is exceptionally beautiful!  The hike is a bit hard, being 9 miles long with a gain of 2,105' in elevation.  You start around 2,400' and climb up to approximately 4,000' within the first two miles!  Then you head downhill for a bit until you come to the next ridge which you hike up. This pattern repeats itself, up and down, as you hike the trail. 

Lots and Lots of California Black Oaks! - Quercus kelloggii

Along the way there are glimpses as well as expansive views of the North Yuba River Canyon below.  Such BEAUTY!!!

Backlit California Black Oaks and the shaded ridges across the River Canyon

Quercus kelloggii

The sun lit up the color-filled oak trees, and created a dramatic contrast with the shadowed distant ridges.

California Black Oaks and Canyon Live Oaks in the river canyon

 Quercus kelloggii - Quercus chrysolepis

Highway 49 follows the curves of the North Yuba River.

Old Growth Ponderosa Pine - Pinus ponderosa

Once we got to the ridge top, we began to come across HUGE Old Growth Trees!!!  There were California Black Oaks, Canyon Live Oaks, Sugar Pines, Ponderosa Pines, and Douglas Fir trees!  There weren't lots of them, but we came across them intermittently for the entire duration of the hike.  If you compare the size of the two trees in the front, to the ones in the background, you can get a sense of how huge they are!

Old Growth Canyon Live Oak - Quercus chrysolepis

 

This beautiful oak seemed so strong and healthy in its "old age"!

Hairy Woodpecker - unknown mushroom

Dryobates villosus - genus/species unknown

We didn't see a lot of birds or mushrooms, except for a male Hairy Woodpecker and the fungi pictured above.  It was a quiet peaceful day in the woods, without a hint of a breeze!

Big-leaf Maple - Acer macrophyllum

The Big-leaf Maples were also in full glorious color in the forest, even more brilliant than the oaks!  We walked the last part of the trail as the sun went over the western ridges, and a chill filled the air from the damp woods.  We were surrounded by beauty even as the daylight dimmed.  It had been another incredible day outside with nature, as always! How lucky we are!!!

First snowfall on the Sierra Buttes 10/26/23

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

What's happening on the North Yuba River?

Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!

Your questions and comments are always appreciated! Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!