Category: Abies lasiocarpa

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Conifer Forests of Whistler, BC

Subalpine fir in the high elevations of the Coast Mountains near Whistler, BC

Exploring the unique high-rainfall, glacially sculpted forests of the southern Coast Mountains

Whistler, British Columbia is famed for its mountains, but just as magnificent are the ancient forests draped across their flanks—wet, wild, and woven with a diversity of conifers that whisper of deep time. Tucked in the southern Coast Mountains, the forests surrounding Whistler are shaped by a cool maritime climate, abundant precipitation, and a legacy of glaciation that has carved basins, ridges, and deep alluvial valleys. These physical forces, coupled with nutrient-rich colluvial and glacial soils, give rise to complex plant communities where conifers reign.

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Engelmann Spruce and Subalpine Fir in California

Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir form one of the most common forest associations in the Rocky Mountains and parts of the Cascades. In California, this is one of our rarest subalpine forest vegetation alliances. These two species occur in only a few places in the state–often not even together unlike in the rest of their range. We recently visited the Russian Wilderness for a trail working trip and I became re-familiarized with these two wonderful tree species.

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Subalpine Fir in the Red Buttes Wilderness

Original Publication Date: 8/8/2010

In 1969 Dale Thornburgh and John Sawyer discovered the first subalpine fir in California and also in the Klamath Mountains. This discovery was made in the vicinity of Russian Peak in what is now the Russian Wilderness. Since that time the species has been found in a total of eight locations in California’s Klamath Mountains and twice in Oregon’s Klamath. One of those Oregon locations is near Mt. Ashland and the other was recently discovered by Frank Callahan to the east in the Red Buttes Wilderness. This second location, in an isolated cirque on the north side of Tannen Peak was my destination–with Frank Callahan as my guide. Continue reading “Subalpine Fir in the Red Buttes Wilderness”