Northern California coastal forests
Encyclopedia
The Northern California coastal forests are a temperate coniferous forests
ecoregion
of coastal Northern California
, USA
.
, and is kept moist by Pacific Ocean storms during the winter months, and by coastal fogs in the summer months. The ecoregion covers 13300 square kilometres (5,135.2 sq mi), extending from Del Norte County
on the California-Oregon
border south to Santa Cruz County
. A few parts of the Santa Lucia Range in Monterey County
have trees associated with this ecoregion. The ecoregion rarely extends more than 65 km inland from the coast. it is a sub-ecoregion of the Pacific Temperate Rain Forests ecoregion, which extends up the Pacific Coast to Kodiak Island
in Alaska
.
in the immediate coastal zone and on hilltops, mixed evergreen forest
of Coast Douglas-fir
(Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii), Tanoak
(Lithocarpus densiflorus), Pacific Madrone
(Arbutus menziesii), and California Bay Laurel
(Umbellularia californica) on drier slopes, and enclaves of closed-cone pine forest
which include Bishop Pine
(Pinus muricata) and Knobcone Pine
(Pinus attenuata).
Some of the rarest forests that occurs in this coastal region are the Maritime Coast Range Ponderosa Pine forests
, an example of which occurs in the Carbonera Creek
watershed of Santa Cruz County, California
.
Temperate coniferous forests
Temperate coniferous forest is a terrestrial biome found in temperate regions of the world with warm summers and cool winters and adequate rainfall to sustain a forest. In most temperate coniferous forests, evergreen conifers predominate, while some are a mix of conifers and broadleaf evergreen...
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
of coastal Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Setting
The ecoregion lies close to the Pacific OceanPacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, and is kept moist by Pacific Ocean storms during the winter months, and by coastal fogs in the summer months. The ecoregion covers 13300 square kilometres (5,135.2 sq mi), extending from Del Norte County
Del Norte County, California
Del Norte County is a county located at the far northwest corner of the U.S. state of California on the Pacific adjacent to the Oregon border. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 28,610. The county seat is Crescent City, the county's only incorporated city. Del Norte is the abbreviated...
on the California-Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
border south to Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...
. A few parts of the Santa Lucia Range in Monterey County
Monterey County, California
Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay. The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County. As of 2010, the population was 415,057. The county seat and largest city is Salinas...
have trees associated with this ecoregion. The ecoregion rarely extends more than 65 km inland from the coast. it is a sub-ecoregion of the Pacific Temperate Rain Forests ecoregion, which extends up the Pacific Coast to Kodiak Island
Kodiak Island
Kodiak Island is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the United States and the 80th largest island in the world, with an...
in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
Flora
The ecoregion is characterized by the Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens); redwood forests are interspersed with several other plant communities, including northern coastal grasslands and northern coastal scrubNorthern coastal scrub
Northern coastal scrub is a scrubland plant community of California and Oregon. It occurs along the Pacific Coast from Point Sur on the Central California coast in Monterey County, California, to southern Oregon...
in the immediate coastal zone and on hilltops, mixed evergreen forest
California mixed evergreen forest
California mixed evergreen forest is an ecoregion, of the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome, that occurs in the Pacific Coast Ranges of southwestern Oregon and California, and in the Coast, Transverse, and Peninsular Ranges in California...
of Coast Douglas-fir
Coast Douglas-fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii, known as Douglas-fir, Oregon Pine, or Douglas spruce, is an evergreen conifer species native to western North America. Its variety Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii, also known as coast Douglas-fir grows in the coastal regions, from west-central British Columbia, Canada...
(Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii), Tanoak
Tanoak
Tanoak, formerly known taxonomically as Lithocarpus densiflorus, was recently moved into a new genus, Notholithocarpus, based on multiple lines of evidence....
(Lithocarpus densiflorus), Pacific Madrone
Pacific Madrone
Arbutus menziesii, commonly known as the Pacific Madrone, is a species of Arbutus found on the west coast of North America, from British Columbia to California...
(Arbutus menziesii), and California Bay Laurel
Umbellularia
Umbellularia californica is a large tree native to coastal forests of California and slightly extended into Oregon.It is the sole species in the genus Umbellularia....
(Umbellularia californica) on drier slopes, and enclaves of closed-cone pine forest
Closed-cone pine forest
Closed-cone pine forest is a plant community of coastal California and several offshore islands. It consists of stands of Bishop Pines, Monterey Pines, and others which rely on fire or strong heat to open their cones and release the seeds.-Closed-cone Pines:...
which include Bishop Pine
Bishop Pine
The Bishop Pine, Pinus muricata, is a pine with a very restricted range: mostly in the U.S. state of California, including several offshore Channel Islands, and a few locations in Baja California, Mexico...
(Pinus muricata) and Knobcone Pine
Knobcone Pine
The Knobcone Pine, Pinus attenuata, is a tree that grows in mild climates on poor soils. It ranges from the mountains of southern Oregon to Baja California with the greatest concentration in northern California and the Oregon-California border....
(Pinus attenuata).
Some of the rarest forests that occurs in this coastal region are the Maritime Coast Range Ponderosa Pine forests
Maritime Coast Range Ponderosa Pine forests
Maritime Coast Range Ponderosa Pine forests are rare temperate forest assemblages associated with a limited range portion of the Santa Cruz Mountains of northern California. There are only three known small forests of this type, all situated in Santa Cruz County, California...
, an example of which occurs in the Carbonera Creek
Carbonera Creek
Carbonera Creek is a watercourse in Santa Cruz County, California, that eventually flows to the San Lorenzo River.The stream rises in the rugged Santa Cruz Mountains and flows in a generally southwesterly direction. The city of Scotts Valley is situated within the watershed of Carbonera Creek and...
watershed of Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...
.
Protected areas
- Redwood National and State ParksRedwood National and State ParksThe Redwood National and State Parks are located in the United States, along the coast of northern California. Comprising Redwood National Park and California's Del Norte Coast, Jedediah Smith, and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Parks , the combined RNSP contain...
- Humboldt Redwoods State ParkHumboldt Redwoods State ParkHumboldt Redwoods State Park is located south of Eureka, California in southern Humboldt County, within northern California. Established by the Save-the-Redwoods League in 1921 with the dedication of the Raynal Bolling Memorial Grove, it has grown to become the third largest park in the California...
- Big Basin Redwoods State ParkBig Basin Redwoods State ParkBig Basin Redwoods State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of California, located in Santa Cruz County, about northwest of Santa Cruz. The park contains almost all of the Waddell Creek watershed, which was formed by the seismic uplift of its rim, and the erosion of its center by the many...
- Headwaters Forest Reserve
- Armstrong Redwoods State ReserveArmstrong Redwoods State ReserveArmstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve is a state park of California, USA, preserving of Coast redwood trees . The reserve is located in Sonoma County just north of Guerneville, California....
See also
- List of ecoregions in the United States (WWF)
- Cedar hemlock douglas-fir forestCedar hemlock douglas-fir forestCedar hemlock douglas-fir forest is a vegetation association in California, USA. This is one of the Kuchler system forest types used to classify California plant communities. As the name implies, dominant tree types are Incense-cedar, Western Hemlock and Douglas-fir. The forest type is classified...