Doug- Your post is proof positive of the good side of southern California...I'm seldom a defender, not having ANY affection for high density populations ANYWHERE.
While I've not been to Cuyamaca Rancho SP, I was sent with a USFS firefighting crew to protect the Palomar SP and later the Observatory...I do recall the oaks, but confess that my attention was focused on the big-cone douglas fir, one a few relict stands statewide, and they were doing well there...felt good to be protecting them...hope they made it through the last series of fires that you refer to...mine were during the late eighties. -Don > Date: Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:16:02 -0800 > From: [email protected] > Subject: [ENTS] canyon oak > To: [email protected]; [email protected] > > ENTS, > > naturally I forgot to attach the images. This time I will. > > Image #1 This is a closeup of the leaves and acorns of canyon oak. According > to the authors of "Oaks of California", this species "probably has the > largest acorns of any North American Quercus, especially if trees from > coastal hardwood forests are measured." The acorns are certainly large but I > think that the bur oaks of the southern states, especially Texas, probably > have larger acorns. The leaves are shiny and bright green above but dull and > more bluish or grayish below with many tiny golden or silvery hairs. The > golden color extends to the acorn scales and this is why this species is also > known as goldencup oak. The scientific name of chrysolepis, which means gold > scale, also refers to this particular characteristic. > > Image #2 Cuyamaca Rancho State Park was mostly recovering from a relatively > recent fire. In fact we later learned that it had burned twice in the last > few years. This image shows several canyon oaks that burned but they were > resprouting...I think from the roots? In some areas where the fire was not as > intense, I guess, the trees were able to resprout from the trunk and limbs. > Some were able to resprout almost all the way to the top! The leaves of this > species can be either smooth or spiky. On old trees the leaves are mostly > smooth but leaves from trees that are resprouting are mostly spiky. This > image was taken while we were hiking up Stonewall Peak. > > Image #3 After leaving Cuyamaca Rancho State Park we went to Palomar Mountain > State Park. There were some burned areas here as well but they were not > nearly as extensive as at Cuyamaca. This tree was an especially nice one > located next to an Employee Residence at the campground. It was 15.5' in > girth. > > Image #4 A closeup of the trunk of the same tree showing the fairly smooth > bark. > > Image #5 Looking up the trunk of the same tree. > > Image #6 Another nice tree next to a bunch of boulders. This species often > seems to be growing among boulders. > > Image #7 This is still in Palomar Mountain State Park at the campground > within site of the previous two trees. This tree was 17.4' in girth. A nearby > tall canyon oak made it into the low 80's in height. > > More California oaks to come in the future. > > Doug > > > > > -- > Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org > Send email to [email protected] > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en > To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] _________________________________________________________________ Windows 7: I wanted simpler, now it's simpler. I'm a rock star. http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/windows-7/default.aspx?h=myidea?ocid=PID24727::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WWL_WIN_myidea:112009 -- Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected]
