The Shasta red fir forest of California

Abstract

Thirty pristine Shasta red fir stands (Abiesmagnifica var. shastensis Lemmon) in the North Coast Range and in the southern Sierra Nevada of California were sampled for stand and age structure by point-quarter and quadrat methods. In most respects, the two group of stands were not significantly different. The average Shasta red fir importance value was 285, the density of individuals >45 years old and >3 cm dbh was 318 ha−1, the basal area was 58 m2 ha–1, and the canopy cover was 56%. Sapling (1–45 years old) density averaged 1636 ha−1 and seedling (<1 year old) density averaged 12 400 ha−1. Shrub and herb cover and species richness were moderately low and most species were not present in more than one stand. Stand population age structure was many aged. Generally, there was a steep decline in numbers from seedling to sapling to understory tree (45–250 years) to mature overstory tree (250–600 + years) categories, a pattern characteristic of a climax species. The average annual radial trunk increment (breast height) was 1.4 mm year−1. These Shasta red fir stands were not significantly different from Shasta or red fir (Abiesmagnifica A. Murr.) stands sampled by others throughout the state.