Forestry and Natural Resources
Unit 13: Forest Ecology
Unit 13: Forest Ecology
Lesson 1: California Forest Communities
Lesson One: 3 Hours
Students will be able to:
1. Identify the major forest communities in California, including their geographic range and
species distribution.
Suggested Learning Activities:
13.4A Field Trip to a State Park or Forest - Have students identify major tree species in the
forest. Students also identify the major flora a fauna, as well as distinctive geographic
characteristics.
Teaching Outline
I. California Woodlands (TM p 24)
A. Foothill Woodlands
1. Ranges from the Central Valley to the lower elevations of the Coast Rangess
2. Characterized by open savanna and dense woodland vegetation
3. Four California natives dominate the landscape
a. Blue oak (Quercus douglasii)
b. Foothill pine (Pinus sabiniana)
c. Valley oak (Quercus lobata)
d. California buckeye (Aesculus californica)
4. Forms a transition zone between the Valley plains and the mountains
B. Northern Oak Woodlands
1. Drier, warmer slopes of the canyon bottomlands
2. Oregon oak (Quercus garryana) dominates
C. Southern oak woodland
1. Southern California woodlands
2. Engelmann oak (Quercus engelmannii), coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), and the
California walnut (Juglans californica) are the dominant species
II. Interior Woodlands
A. Northern juniper woodlands
1. Occurs east of the mixed conifer forests (see montane forests below) and extends
north to the Oregon border
a. Provides a transition between the forested slopes and the sagebrush flats
2. Western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) is the dominant species; often accompanied
by the Oregon oak (Quercus garryana)
B. Pinyon-Juniper Woodland
1. Occurs south of Lake Tahoe
a. Represents the western most stage of a huge pinyon and juniper formation that
extends from the American southwest and northern Mexico
2. Occupies the zone between the huge mountains and the desert scrub of the valleys
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Forestry and Natural Resources
Unit 13: Forest Ecology
3. Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma), California juniper (Juniperus californica),
singleleaf pinyon (Pinus monophylla), and parry pinyon (Pinus quadrifolia) are the
dominant species
III. Montane Forests
A. Mixed conifer forest: located in the Sierra Nevada range; borders the foothill woodland to
the west and the northern juniper and pinyon-juniper woodlands to the east
1. Comprised of a combination of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), incense-cedar
(Libocedrus decurrens), sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana), white fir (Abies concolor)
and black oak (Quercus kelloggii); ponderosa pine usually dominates
IV. Coastal Forests
A. Mixed evergreen forest and Douglas-fir forest: ranges from the eastern edge of the North
Coast Range to Klamath Mountain
1. Pacific madrone (Arbutus menziesii), tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus), giant
chinkapin (Castanopsis chrysophylla), and canyon oak (Quercus chrysolepis)
dominate
B. Redwood Forest: located on the north coast
1. Characterized by the majestic coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and a cool,
moist environment
C. Closed-cone pine forest
1. Scattered along the coast line (Mendocino County and Monterey Peninsula) and the
southern California islands
2. Characterized by very tough growing conditions
3. Shore pine, Mendocino cypress, bishop pine (Pinus muricata), and Gowen pine grow
well in this region
V. Riparian Forests
A. Riparian: vegetation that grows along streams
B. Lower elevations: California sycamore (Platanus racemosa), California boxelder (Acer),
Fremont Cottonwood (Populus fremontii), and several willows (Salix)
C. Higher elevations: bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) and white alder (Alnus
rhombifolia)
D. Valley floors: valley oak (Quercus lobata) and California walnut (Juglans californica)
E. North state: red alder (Alnus rubra), black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa)
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Forestry and Natural Resources
Unit 13: Forest Ecology
Shrubs and Trees of California
Abies concolor
Abies grandis
Abies magnifica
Acer macrophyllum
Acer Negundo californicum
Adenostoma faciculatum
Aesculus californica
Alnus rhombifolia
Alnus rubra
Arbutus menziesii
Arctostaphylos manzanita
Arctostaphylos patula
Artemisia californica
AtriplexBaccharis pilularis
Baccharis viminea
Calocedrus decurrens
(Libocedrus decurrens)
Castanopsis chrysophylla
Ceanothus cuneatus
Ceanothus integerrimus
Ceanothus leucodermis
Ceanothus prostrates
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus
Ceris occidentalis
Cerocarpus betuloides
Chamaebatia foliolosa
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana
Cornus nuttallii
Cupressus macrocarpa
Cytisus scoparius
Eriodictyon spp.
Fraxinus latifolia
Fremontodendron californica
Heteromeles arbutifolia
Juglan californica
Juniperus californica
Juniperus occidentialis
Lithocarpus densiflora
Lonicera interrupta
Lupinus albifrons
Lupinus arboreus
Mahonia aquifolium
Minulus aurantiacus
Nicotiana glauca
Picea sitchensis
Pinus attenuata
Pinus coulteri
Pinus Jeffreyi
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White Fir
Grand Fir
Red Fir
Big-leaf Maple
California Box-elder
Chamise
California Buckeye
White Alder
Red Alder
Pacific Madrone
Common Manzanita
Greenleaf Manzanita
California Sagebrush
Coyote Brush
Mule Fat
Incense Cedar
Golden Chinquapin
Buckbrush
Dearbrush Ceanothus
Chaparral Whitethorn
Squawcarpet Ceanothus
Blue Blossom Ceanothus
Western Redbud
Mountain Mahogany
Sierra Mountain Misery
Port Orford-cedar
Pacific Dogwood
Monterey Cypress
Scotch Broom
Yerba Santa
Oregon Ash
Flannel Bush
Toyon
California Black Walnut
California Juniper
Sierra Juniper
Tanbark-oak
Chaparral Honeysuckle
Silver Lupine
Tree Lupine
Oregon-grape
Northern Monkeyflower
Tree Tobacco
Sitka Spruce
Knobcone Pine
Coulter Pine
Jeffery Pine
Forestry and Natural Resources
Unit 13: Forest Ecology
Pinus Lambertiana
Pinus Monophylla
Pinus Monticola
Pinus muricata
Pinus Murrayana
Pinus ponderosa
Pinus radiata
Pinus sabiniana
Pinus torreyana
Plantanus racemosa
Polystichum munitum
Populus fremontii
Populus tremuloides
Prosopis spp.
Pseudotsuga menziesii
Pteridium aguilinum
Quercus agrifolia
Quercus chrysolepsis
Quercus douglasii
Quercus kelloggii
Quercus lobata
Quercus wislizanii
Rhamnus californica
Rhododendron californicum
Rhododendron occidentale
Rhus diversiloba
Rhus ovata
Ribes spp.
Ricinus communis
Rosa californica
Rubus parviflorus
Rubus spp.
Salis spp.
Sambucus caerulea
Schinus molle
Sequoiadendron giganteum (Lindl)
Sequoia sempervirens
Taxus brevifolia
Thuja plicata
Torreya californica
Tsuga heterophylla
Tsuga mertensiana
Umbellularia californica
Vitis californica
Woodwardia fimbriata
Yucca spp.
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Sugar Pine
Single-leaf Pinyon Pine
Western White Pine
Bishop Pine
Lodgepole or Tamarack Pine
Ponderosa Pine
Monterey Pine
Digger Pine
Torrey Pine
California Sycamore
Sword Fern
Fremont Cottonwood
Quaking Aspen
Mesquite
Douglas-fir
Bracken Fern
Coast Live Oak
Canyon Live Oak
Blue Oak
California Black Oak
Valley Oak
Interior Live Oak
Coffeeberry
Coast Rhododendron
Western azalea
Poison Oak
(Toxicodendron diversilobum)
Sugar Bush
Gooseberry and Currants
Castor Bean
California wild rose
Thimbleberry
Wild Blackberry
Willos spp.
Blue Elderberry
California Pepper Tree
Giant Sequoia
Coast Redwood
Western Yew
Western Redcedar
California Nutmeg
Western Hemlock
Mountain Hemlock
California Laurel
California Wild Grape
Giant Chain Fern
Yucca
Forestry and Natural Resources
Unit 13: Forest Ecology
Poisonous Plants
Common Name
Botanical Name
Death Camas
Halogeton
Western Water Hemlock
Poison Hemlock
Mountain Larkspur
Menzies Larkspur
Locoweed
Lupine
Mexican Milkweek
Woolypod milkweed
Zygadenus spp.
Halogetonglomeratus
Cicuta douglasii
Conium maculatum
Delphinium glaucum
Delphinium menziesii
Astragalus spp.
Lupinus spp.
Asclepias fascicularis
Asclepias eriocarpa
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Forestry and Natural Resources
Unit 13: Forest Ecology
National Forests in California
Six Rivers
Klamath
For information on facilities and
Modoc activities in the National Forests
of California, contact:
National Forest Headquarters
630 Sansome Street
Lassen
San Francisco, CA 94111
And request their recreation guide
Plumas to National Forests in California.
ShastaTrinity
Tahoe
El Dorado
Toiyabe
Menodino
Stanislaus
Inyo
Sierra
Sequoia
San Bernardino
Los Padres
Angeles
Cleveland
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