California

California Register of Big Trees http://www.ufei.org/BigTrees/ The California Register of Big Trees is a program of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) and the Northern and Southern California Societies of American Foresters (NorCal SAF). It maintains records for the largest specimen of each native and naturalized tree species growing in California. The register seeks to recognize and sustain these living landmarks. Not all champions are literal giants like the General Sherman Giant Sequoia. The National Champion Smoke Tree, for example, is a mere 17 feet tall, with a crown spread of 12 feet and circumference of 48 inches.

Muir Woods National Monument http://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm "This is the best tree-lovers monument that could possibly be found in all the forests of the world," declared conservationist John Muir when describing the majestic coast redwoods of Muir Woods. Until the 1800's, many northern California coastal valleys were covered with coast redwood trees similar to those now found in Muir Woods National Monument. The forest along Redwood Creek in today's Muir Woods was spared from logging because it was hard to get to. The National Monument preserves the last old growth coast redwood forest in the San Francisco Bay Area. The cool moist forest supports a surprising abundance of plant and animal life, from the coast redwood (the tallest type of tree on Earth), to the slimy banana slug, from the amazing Coho salmon to delicate trilliums. This forest refuge welcomes visitors from all over the world to experience the magic of the redwood forest.

Redwood National and State Parks http://www.nps.gov/redw/ Redwood National and State Parks are home to some of the world's tallest trees: old-growth coast redwoods. They can live to be 2000 years old and grow to over 300 feet tall. Spruce, hemlock, Douglas-fir, berry bushes, and sword ferns create a multiple canopied understory that towers over all visitors. The parks' mosaic of habitats include prairie/oak woodlands, mighty rivers and streams, and 37 miles of pristine Pacific coastline.

Jeremiah Smith Redwoods State Park - photo courtesy of the US National Park Service

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park - photo courtesy of the US National Park Service.

Yosemite National Park http://www.nps.gov/yose/ Yosemite National Park embraces a spectacular tract of mountain-and-valley scenery in the Sierra Nevada, which was set aside as a national park in 1890. Highlights of the park include Yosemite Valley, and its high cliffs and waterfalls; the Mariposa Grove, which contains hundreds of ancient giant sequoias, the world's largest living things.; Glacier Point's (summer-fall) spectacular view of Yosemite Valley and the high country; and Tuolumne Meadows (summer-fall), a large subalpine meadow surrounded by mountain peak. Massive and ancient giant sequoias live in three groves in Yosemite National Park. The most easily accessible of these (spring through fall) is the Mariposa Grove near the park's South Entrance, off of the Wawona Road (Highway 41). Two smaller--and less visited--groves are the Tuolumne and Merced Groves near Crane Flat.

Yosemite National Park - photo by US National Park Service

Sequoia National Park - photo by US National Park Service

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks http://www.nps.gov/seki/index.htm These parks are home to giants: immense mountains, deep canyons, and huge trees. Thanks to their huge elevational range, 1,500' to 14,491', these parks protect stunningly diverse habitats. The Generals Highway climbs over 5000 feet from chaparral and oak-studded foothills to the awe-inspiring sequoia groves. From there, trails lead to the high-alpine wilderness which makes up most of these parks. Beneath the surface lie over 200 fascinating caverns. Grant Grove houses the General Grant Tree, which is the Nation's Christmas Tree and our only living national shrine, commemorating those Americans who lost their lives in war. The Lodgepole Visitor Center provides information for visitors to Giant Forest and the northern section of Sequoia National Park, our country's second oldest National Park. General Sherman Tree: The General Sherman Tree is 274.9' (83.8 meters) tall, and 102.6' (31.3 meters) in circumference at its base. Other trees in the world are taller: the tallest tree in the world is the Coast Redwood, which averages 300' - 350' (91.4 - 106.7 meters) in height. A cypress near Oaxaca, Mexico has a greater circumference, 162' (49.4 meters). But in volume of wood, the Sherman has no equal. With 52,500 cubic feet (1486.6 cubic meters) of wood, the General Sherman Tree earns the title of the World's Largest Living Thing.

Joshua Tree National Park http://www.nps.gov/jotr/ Two deserts, two large ecosystems whose characteristics are determined primarily by elevation, come together at Joshua Tree National Park. Below 3,000 feet, the Colorado Desert encompasses the eastern part of the park and features natural gardens of creosote bush, ocotillo, and cholla cactus. The higher, moister, and slightly cooler Mojave Desert is the special habitat of the Joshua tree. In addition to Joshua tree forests, the western part of the park also includes some of the most interesting geologic displays found in California’s deserts. Five fan palm oases also dot the park, indicating those few areas where water occurs naturally and wildlife abounds.

Inyo National Forest, US Forest Service http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/ Located in California's beautiful Eastern Sierra, the Inyo National Forest offers clean air, crystal blue skies, mountain lakes and streams, challenging trails, high mountain peaks, and beautiful views. With over two million acres, the Inyo National Forest is home to many natural wonders, including Mt. Whitney, Mono Lake, Mammoth Lakes Basin, and the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, as well as seven Congressionally-designated Wildernesses, comprising over 650,000 acres of land.

GORP - Inyo National Forest Page http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_national_forest/ca/see_iny1.htm "Of the many scenic wonders found within the Inyo National Forest, one of the most amazing is the ANCIENT BRISTLECONE PINE FOREST, located between 10,000 and 11,000 ft. in the White Mountains, east of the Sierra Nevada. These trees (Pinus longaeva) are the oldest known living trees on earth. Here in the White Mountains, the ancient trees have survived more than 40 centuries, exceeding the age of the oldest Giant Sequoia by 1,500 yrs."

White Mountains, Inyo National Forest, AMWest Travel http://www.amwest-travel.com/awt_bristle.html In an obscure mountain range in eastern California the world's oldest living inhabitants, the bristlecone pines, have resided for millenia. Ancient bristlecone pine forests exist in several western mountain ranges but the oldest trees live in California's White Mountains. The oldest living inhabitant of this earth, as far as is known, is a bristlecone pine named "Methuselah", dated by it tree rings to be a fantastic 4,770 years old (in 2004).

Old Growth on the Middle Fork Ranger District http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/willamette/forest/oldgrowth/ There are four basic forest types on the Middle Fork district, Douglas-fir dominated (with some western hemlock and western redcedar), mixed conifer (which contains Douglas-fir, grand fir, sugar pine, incense cedar, and ponderosa pine), Pacific silver fir, and mountain hemlock. These are general categories; all tree species often occur as minor components in other types. A group of Forest Service and university researchers developed a very specific definition for Douglas- fir dominated old growth in 1986 with a publication entitled “Interim Definitions for Old Growth Douglas-fir and Mixed Conifer Forests in the Pacific Northwest and California”. This publication indicates that an old- growth forest has at last eight trees per acre larger than 32 inches in diameter, at least 12 trees per acre greater than 16 inches in diameter of species such as western hemlock and western redcedar which are tolerant of the shade produced by the larger trees, more than four dead standing trees per acre greater than 20 inches in diameter and 15 feet tall, and more than four dead trees per acre greater than 24 inches in diameter and 50 feet long lying on the ground. On the Middle Fork District, stands with these characteristics may take as long as 250 + years to develop.

Friends of Gualala River http://www.gualalariver.org/forestry/haupt.html Logging Old Growth on the Haupt Creek. After denying a plan to log 44 acres of old growth forest for lack of required environmental information (see below), the Department of Forestry (CDF) exempted 890 acres of old growth from environmental review to permit logging of "dead, dying and diseased" trees. The landowner submitted an application for an exemption on June 22, 2004. CDF responded the next day that they had accepted the exemption, and assigned it exemption number 1-04EX-237-SON. Friends of the Gualala River (FoGR) is concerned that this unregulated logging activity in an old growth redwood forest -- the last major stand of its type in Sonoma County -- will have serious adverse environmental impacts.

Campaign For Old Growth http://www.ancienttrees.org/ "We are using that power to make a law that will preserve California's heritage trees for future generations."

Sierra Nevada Forest Protection Campaign http://www.sierracampaign.org/ http://www.sierracampaign.org/OldGrowth.html The Sierra Nevada Forest Protection Campaign is a coalition of conservation organizations, individual activists, scientists, businesses and spiritual leaders fighting for the protection of old growth forests, sensitive watersheds and threatened wildlife in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

California Wild Heritage Campaign http://www.californiawild.org/ The California Wild Heritage Campaign is a broad based coalition with only one goal - to preserve California's unprotected wilderness and wild rivers for future generations to enjoy. To achieve this goal, we need your help! Read on to find out how you can help save the last wild places in California.

GORP - California Wilderness http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_wilderness_area/az.htm Green forests and tumbling rivers; small mountain lakes tucked behind towering peaks; desert vistas stretching as far as the eye can see. These scenes and a multitude of other sights greet visitors to the Areas of California.