I need to start by clarifying something: in last post about a giant Canyon Oak, I mentioned that I was not a big tree hunter. This post, a few days later, is about a big tree. I think I have become a big tree hunter…
Every day for the better part of the last two weeks, I have been walking through the San Gabriel Mountains getting to know Bigcone Douglas-fir as part of a project with the Angeles National Forest and the California Native Plant Society. I’ll post more about that in the near future. For now, lets look at the white alder (Alnus rhombifolia) I measured in the Pleasant View Ridge Wilderness within the San Gabriel Mountain National Monument while working on that project. Stats on the past record tree can be found HERE.
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San Gabriel Tree
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| Circumference |
127′
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151′
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| Height |
90′
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91′
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| Crown |
46′
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31′
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| Points |
228.5
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250
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Turns out this tree is a record for California, but not a national champion. That record is currently in Oregon–but I bet a bigger white alder can be found in the sunny San Gabriel Mountains!
Resources:
- Fryer, Janet L. 2014. Alnus rhombifolia. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer).
- Urban Forest Ecosystem Institute — Alnus rhombifolia
- Wikipedia — Alnus rhombifolia
- California Registry of Big Trees
I always look forward to your posts. I did not know Alder got that big, in Minnesota we have a species Alnus incana that typically grow in a very wet environment and do not get much beyond 20′. Thanks for writing and photographing about your travels and the ecosystems surrounding you, a world apart from the region I live in.
Thanks Steve! How did you find the blog? Have you explored any western forests?