Coniferous Trees of the Sierra Nevada Mountains
The Sierra Nevada Mountains, located in the eastern portion of California, are the home of several species of trees. Canyon live oak, aspen and alder trees are common, as well as many conifers. According to the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service website, among these coniferous evergreen species are the white fir, the knobcone pine and the Rocky Mountain Douglas fir.
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White Fir
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The white fir (Abies concolor) grows to its highest in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, states the National Forest Service, with a world-record tree there measured at 192 feet high. The four largest specimens of white fir are from this part of the nation, even though the white fir is a tree of mountainous areas throughout the West, with its range extending from Idaho through New Mexico. The white fir averages between 125 and 150 feet tall, with trunk diameters from two to four feet. White fir has flat bluish-green needles that are from two to three inches in length. The three- to five-inch-long cones of white fir are oblong and vary in color, with some purplish and others olive-green. The largest of the white firs are in Yosemite National Park in the Sierras, near the eastern end of a body of water called Merced Lake.
Knobcone Pine
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The knobcone pine (Pinus attenuata) grows in the northern sections of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It exists on the western slopes at elevations between 1,500 and 4,500 feet, states the Gymnosperm Database website. The tree has thin but stiff green-yellow needles up to five inches in length, growing in bundles of threes from the branches. Knobcone pine averages from 40 to 75 feet high and has a trunk diameter of one to two feet. The prickly cones are narrow and as long as five inches. The cones remain in clusters on the limbs and stay closed for as long as 20 years. However, in the event of a fire, the heat will cause the cones to open and disperse the seeds. The bark of the knobcone pine displays between a purplish-brown color and a very dark shade of brown and it possesses scaly ridges.
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Douglas Fir
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Two subspecies of a conifer called Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) exist, with the Rocky Mountain Douglas fir growing in the Sierra Nevada. The Coastal Douglas fir can grow to fantastic heights, as tall as 330 feet in one documented instance, says the Forest Service website. Those growing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains do not reach nearly that tall, but can extend as high as 150 feet with a four-foot-wide trunk. Douglas firs feature a thick crown of branches shaped like a cone, covered with blue-green needles as long as an inch and a quarter. The tree grows rapidly and is a vital lumber species in the U.S. The species also has uses as Christmas trees, as an ornamental for landscaping purposes and as a tree to reforest large areas of land.
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