Northern California coastal forests

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Northern California coastal forests
Mediterranean (Csb)
Conservation
Conservation statusCritical/Endangered[2]
Habitat loss4.6828%[1]
Protected15.76%[1]

The Northern California coastal forests are a

temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of coastal Northern California and southwestern Oregon
.

Setting

The ecoregion covers 13,300 square kilometres (5,100 sq mi), extending from just north of the California-Oregon border south, to southern Monterey County. The ecoregion rarely extends more than 65 km inland from the coast, narrower in the southernmost parts of the ecoregion.

The ecoregion is a sub-ecoregion of the

Pacific temperate rain forests ecoregion, which extends up the Pacific Coast to Kodiak Island in Alaska. The ecoregion lies close to the Pacific Ocean, and is kept moist by Pacific Ocean storms during the winter months, and by coastal fogs in the summer months. These factors keep the ecoregion cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, as compared to ecoregions further inland. The ecoregion is also defined by the distribution of the Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), with isolated groves located in protected canyons as far south as Redwood Gulch, in southern Monterey County. The greatest concentration of remaining Old-growth forest are in the northernmost portion of the ecoregion, primarily within Humboldt and Del Norte
counties.

Major urban centers located within this ecoregion include the montane portions of various cities of the San Francisco Peninsula, Fort Bragg, Eureka, and Brookings.

Habitats

Redwood forests are interspersed with several other plant communities throughout this ecoregion.[citation needed]

Coastal redwood forests

The dominant forest type in this ecoregion is the coastal redwood forest. These are the tallest forests on Earth, with individual redwood (

Blechnum spicant), sword fern (Polystichum munitum), and leathery polypody (Polypodium scouleri
). [3]

  • Notholithocarpus densiflorus, with Coast Douglas-firs Pseudotsuga menziesii subsp. menziesii and Coast Redwood behind in Sunset Trail, Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Santa Cruz Mountains, California.
    Coast Redwood
    behind in Sunset Trail, Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Santa Cruz Mountains, California.
  • Forest of Coast Douglas-firs Pseudotsuga menziesii subsp. menziesii
    Forest of Coast Douglas-firs Pseudotsuga menziesii subsp. menziesii

Mixed evergreen forests

Mahonia nervosa), and poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum) are typically found.[4]

Closed-cone conifer forests and woodlands

pygmy form. Lichens and mosses are diverse and can be abundant.[5]

Maritime chaparral

Maritime chaparral is composed of a variety of shrubs that grow in the fog belt.

Rhamnus californica), buckthorn (Rhamnus crocea), and coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia). This habitat is often found near closed-cone conifer forests and woodlands.[6]

  • Ceanothus oliganthus in chaparral in the Santa Monica Mountains
    Ceanothus oliganthus in chaparral in the Santa Monica Mountains
  • Eriogonum fasciculatum on Mount Wilson, San Gabriel
    Eriogonum fasciculatum on Mount Wilson, San Gabriel

Coastal grassland

Deschampsia caespitosa), prairie Junegrass (Koeleria macrantha), tall trisetuem (Trisetum canescens). Common forbs include Douglas iris (Iris douglasiana), western blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), hairy gumplant (Grindelia hirsutula), and footsteps of spring (Sanicula arctopoides).[7]

Coastal scrub

Rhamnus californica), oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor), salal (Gaultheria shallon), cow parsnip (Heracleum maximum), and western sword fern (Polystichum munitum). Coastal grassland succeeds to coastal scrub in the absence of fire, and coastal scrub succeeds to mixed evergreen forest under further absence of fire.[8]

Riparian woodlands and shrublands

Riparian woodlands and shrublands are a mosaic of tree-dominated plant communities and open shrublands found along rivers. Species composition varies with elevation, slope, floodplain width, and flooding history. Nevertheless, common trees include white alder (Alnus rhombifolia), red alder (Alnus rubra), box elder (Acer negundo), Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii), red willow (Salix laevigata), coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii), California sycamore (Platanus racemosa), coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), and bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum). Common shrubs include sandbar willow (Salix exigua) and arroyo willow (Salix lasiolepis).[9]

Live oak woodlands and savannas

Live oak woodlands and savannas are dominated by coast live oak (

Heteromeles arbutifolia), and poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum) are common in the understory.[10]

Ponderosa pine forests

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. These forest are dominated by ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa).[citation needed
]

Protected areas

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Atlas of Global Conservation". The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  2. ^ "Northern California coastal forests | Ecoregions | WWF". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  3. ^ "Comprehensive Report Ecological System - California Coastal Redwood Forest". NatureServe. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  4. ^ "Comprehensive Report Ecological System - Mediterranean California Mixed Evergreen Forest". NatureServe. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  5. ^ "Comprehensive Report Ecological System - California Coastal Closed-Cone Conifer Forest and Woodland". NatureServe. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  6. ^ "Comprehensive Report Ecological System - California Maritime Chaparral". NatureServe. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  7. ^ "Comprehensive Report Ecological System - California Northern Coastal Grassland". NatureServe. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  8. ^ "Comprehensive Report Ecological System - California Northern Coastal Scrub". NatureServe. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  9. ^ "Comprehensive Report Ecological System - Mediterranean California Foothill and Lower Montane Riparian Woodland and Shrubland". NatureServe. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  10. ^ "Comprehensive Report Ecological System - California Coastal Live Oak Woodland and Savanna". NatureServe. Retrieved November 26, 2012.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Northern_California_coastal_forests&oldid=1221357144"