Conifers of Pine Mountain
A diverse array of plants can be found along Pine Mountain thanks to its unique topography. The east-west running ridge has distinct north and south facing slopes with differing microclimates—perfect for variuos ecosystems such as the magnificent old-growth conifer forests found across much of the mountain. In fact, this area is home to more conifer species than anywhere else in Ventura County. Keep reading to learn more about all of the wonderful coniferous trees that grow here.
Jeffrey (and Ponderosa) Pine
Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi) is by far the most prevalent pine species on the mountain. Ponderosa pine (P. ponderosa) is a very similar species and differentiating the two can be difficult. Ponderosa cones are smaller and often more prickly, and there are slight differences in the color of the foliage. One of the best ways to tell them apart is by smelling the bark—in California, Jeffrey pine bark has a sweet vanilla-like or butterscotch scent while ponderosa bark has no fragrance (though oddly it does smell sweet outside of California). However, ponderosa is much less common here and more generally across southern California compared to northern California, the Sierra Nevada, and the rest of western North America. On Pine Mountain, the Jeffrey pine is king. Unlike other pines on the mountain, the leaves of both of these species are relatively long and occur in bundles of three. The bark of older trees looks like it’s made up of large orange-red, armor-like plates. The thick bark helps protect the tree from wildfire.
Mature Jeffrey pine in mixed-conifer forest on Pine Mountain.
Jeffrey pine foliage with dwarf mistletoe (orange clumps). Needles or leaves occur in bundles of three.
Jeffrey pine cones are generally larger than cones of the similar ponderosa pine.
Pollen cones are much smaller than the more recognizable seed cones.
Jeffrey pines often have a flat top.
The bark of Jeffrey pine is very similar to that of ponderosa pine. In fact, this species was once thought to be a subspecies of ponderosa.
Drier forest sites on top of the mountain are dominated by Jeffrey pine.
Sugar Pine
Sugar pines (Pinus lambertiana) are interspersed among Jeffrey pines throughout much of the forested areas of Pine Mountain, even becoming dominant or co-dominant on some sites. They are easily identified by their long limbs that often droop at the ends, weighted down by massive cones that hang from the tips of branches. Sugar pine leaves are short compared to Jeffrey or ponderosa pine and they occur in bundles of five. If you find very long cones on the ground, chances are you’re standing under some sugar pines.
Mature sugar pine towering above other species. The sugar pine is the largest and second-tallest pine species on Earth.
Sugar pine needles are relatively short compared to Jeffrey and ponderosa pine and they occur in bundles of five.
Sugar pines also have the longest cone of any pine species.
The long, droopy branches make sugar pines stand out among the Jeffrey pines and white firs.
There's nothing quite like seeing a mature sugar pine with cones.
Young sugar pine bark is smooth and white, which may cause confusion with young white firs.
Sugar pines occasionally have flat tops that make them look more like a Jeffrey pine from a distance.
Singleleaf Pinyon Pine
Singleleaf pinyon pine can only be found at lower elevations, especially across the western end of the ridge where it grows alongside shrubs in the chaparral. This species is much more adapted to arid conditions, and it can be found growing abundantly north of Pine Mountain around the Cuyama Badlands, Lockwood Valley, and on the slopes of the San Emigdio Mountains. It is relatively short and has short, unbundled leaves. The cones are also small compared to other pines on the mountain, but their seeds are large and wingless.
Singleleaf pinyon pine found at lower elevation on Pine Mountain.
These pinyon pines are unique as they do not have bundled leaves.
This species tends to have a forked trunk, unlike the other pines of Pine Mountain.
Singleleaf pinyon pines sometimes blend into the chaparral landscape on Pine Mountain.
These trees are easy to see up close at lower elevations along Pine Mountain Road.
Cones are small, numerous, and full of large, delicious seeds.
Singleleaf pinyon pine bark is often caked in oozing pitch or hardened resin.
White Fir
This particular conifer (Abies concolor) likely looks similar to what you envision when you hear the word “conifer.” It looks quite different from most pines when you look closely despite the fact that both pines and firs are in the same plant family. You can find white fir growing alongside Jeffrey and sugar pines on top of the ridge and especially across the north-facing slopes. The eastern end of the logging project area even has a large old-growth stand of white fir that looks like something you might see in the Sierra Nevada. White fir is one of only two species of true firs that can be found in the Los Padres National Forest (the other being the Santa Lucia fir in the Big Sur area).
White firs are often cone-shaped with a pointed tip.
You may notice that many white firs on Pine Mountain host bollean mistletoe, a native parasitic plant that creates prominent "witch's brooms" and provides food and nesting habitat for some birds.
The tree's needles or leaves are pale green and even look bluish sometimes. They're relatively flat, blunt-tipped, and do not occur in bundles. They are also intensely fragrant.
Rather than hang like pine cones, the cones of white firs stand straight up on the branches toward the top of the tree. They slowly break apart after ripening while still on the tree, which is why you don't often find white fir cones on the ground.
White fir is named so because of its white bark that's easy to see in younger trees or in new growth on older trees.
Mature white firs develop fairly thick, rough grayish bark around the base of their trunks where you can usually find bright yellow-green wolf lichen growing.
You may notice other lichens growing in rings around younger trunks where branches once grew. The bark of these whorls is more conducive to lichen attachment.
White fires also provide excellent habitat for woodpeckers after dying. Look for woodpecker nest cavities like those shown here in a standing dead tree (snag).
California Incense-cedar
This unique tree (Calocedrus decurrens) is the largest member of the cypress family found on Pine Mountain, though it’s not nearly as common as pines and white firs. You generally only find it on the north-facing slopes of the mountain both at high elevation and even at lower elevations along the Gene Marshall-Piedra Blanca National Recreation Trail where it is much more common. It has distinct bark that is reminiscent of its cousins, the coast redwood and giant sequoia.
The easiest way to spot an incense-cedar on Pine Mountain is to look at the foliage. Its scale-like leaves are distinctly different than all other conifers on the ridge, with the exception of the related but shrubby California juniper.
This tree's bark is more like a redwood than a pine or fir.
Bark differences are easier to see side by side—a incense-cedar is on the left and a sugar pine is on the right.
This is one of the easiest incense-cedars to find on Pine Mountain as it's right along Reyes Peak Trail about a quarter-mile from the trailhead.
Like other members of the cypress family, the seed cones of the incense-cedar are quite small and unusual, especially compared to the more recognizable cones of pines.
This stately specimen survived the 2006 Day Fire along the aptly named Cedar Creek Trail northeast of Pine Mountain.
The foliage of incense-cedar seedlings is very similar to that of mature trees, so they are easy to identify even when just starting to grow.
Bigcone Douglas-fir
The Los Padres National Forest is in the northernmost part of the bigcone Douglas-fir’s (Pseudotsuga macrocarpa) range, and the lower slopes of Pine Mountain are a great place to see them. While similar in some ways to its sibling, the Douglas-fir (P. menziesii) that is widespread across the Pacific Northwest, this endemic species has some key differences such as its tendency to grow in small stands nestled among the chaparral, its incredible fire resistance, and its lankier appearance. It can also sprout new leaves and branches from its trunk and branches after being scorched by fire, much like coast redwoods. Look for this species on the north-facing slopes of the mountain, especially at lower elevations.
A small stand of bigcone Douglas-firs oddly growing on the south side of the ridge among chaparral and a sugar pine or two (which can look similar from a distance).
While bigcone Douglas-fir cones don't seem that big on their own, they are about twice the size of the Douglas-fir cone in the north—hence the common name.
The flat unbundled leaves and hanging cones are most similar to spruces, which don't occur in the Los Padres region, and this is likely why the species has sometimes been called "bigcone spruce."
Of all the trees in the southern Los Padres National Forest, none have thicker and more fire-resistant bark than the bigcone Douglas-fir.
A pure stand of the species growing on the north side of Pine Mountain during a 2019 snowstorm.
Bigcone Douglas-firs generally have many long limbs, giving it a lanky appearance.
Cones have distinctive bracts that stick out between the scales.
This stand of bigcone Douglas-firs near Dry Lakes Ridge south of Pine Mountain survived the 2017 Thomas fire with little to no tree mortality.