Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication Volume a - 319 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1922 Excerpt: ...proximity of the ocean, and the barrier influence of high mountains upon moisture-bearing winds all operate to bring about great and abrupt climatic differences, and therefore great vegetational complexity. Instead of a single climax community there are a half dozen, each, though limited in area, comparable to such a community as the Great Plains grassland or the eastern deciduous forest. Successional investigation has not proceeded far enough to enable us to define these climaxes with accuracy. The following outline is tentative, and is given merely that we may properly place the communities with which we are dealing. The conifer-forest climaxes are three in number, and the first two have important contact relations with the broad-sclerophyll communities. The Pacific Conifer Climax Formation, which includes the forests of the coastal region from California to Alaska, is represented in northwestern California by two associations: (1) The Sequoia sempervirems association ranges from the northern boundary of the State, in the immediate vicinity of the coast, southward to San Luis Obispo County. South of San Francisco Bay its continuity is much broken. (2) The Pseudotsuga association, which has its center in the Puget Sound region, is poorly represented in California, occurring in the interior of the north Coast Ranges. It is confused with other communities, especially the broad-sclerophyll forest, so that the portion included within the State should probably be considered as transitional. The M ontane Conifer Climax Formation covers the middle altitudes of the interior mountain region of western America, and the character tree everywhere is Pinus ponderosa. In California it is represented by the Pinus ponderosa-lambertiana association, which occurs in the mid...