Mountain Hemlock

A Tree Checklist for
Crater Lake National Park

Crater Lake National Park was established in 1902, before commercial logging reached the High Cascades. Because of this, Crater Lake National Park's forests are almost entirely old growth forest ecosystems. However, the short growing season and low nutrient volcanic soils do not sustain extremely large trees. Few trees get over 150 feet in height, and most have diameters under 4 feet.

Subalpine forest systems are the most common in Crater Lake National Park. The term is used here to refer to those forests located along the crest of the Cascade Range at 5000 feet or higher. More than 80 percent of the park is Subalpine zone with trees such as: Mountain hemlock, Noble fir, Subalpine fir, Whitebark pine, and Englemann spruce.

Park forests are composed mostly of conifers, although a few hardwood species can be found. The four major forest zones at Crater Lake National Park are each named after it's dominant tree species.

The following is a descriptive list of the major trees of these forests:

PINES (genusPinus) compose the largest genus in the family Pinaceae. An easy way to determine a pine is by the needles, which grow in characteristic "bundles". The number of needles per bundle often helps determine a pine's species.

A Whitebark pine along the caldera rim

Whitebark pine (P. albicaulus) is found at higher elevations in the park, particularly on rocky crests. Needles of this species are found in bundles of five. Tolerating the most severe of conditions, Whitebark pines are often gnarled and twisted, sometimes appearing more as thick shrubs than trees. An almost pure stand of these trees is found around Cloudcap pullout on East Rim Drive.

Lodgepole pine (P. contorta) grow in dense stands of very thin trees in the park's middle elevations. However, lodgepoles do mingle in other forest zones throughout the park. Lodgepole pine is the park's only pine with bundles of two needles.

Western white pine (P. monticola) is fairly common at middle elevations and is found scattered throughout the lodgepole pine zone. Although the western white is more common, it's bundles of five needles make it easy to confuse with the sugar pine; smaller cones on the western white are the most noticeable difference between the two.

Sugar pine (P. lambertiana) is interspersed among ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine and douglas fir stands in lower park elevations. It is a relatively uncommon tree and has very large cones that average over a foot long, which can make this an easy tree to identify. Sugar pines are the tallest of all pines, and sometimes exceed 200 feet.

Ponderosa pine (P. ponderosa) are drought tolerant trees with striking orange bark when mature. Even before maturity, their long needles growing in bundles of three distinguish these trees from other local species. Southern Cascade ponderosas also have a strong vanilla like aroma in their bark that is usually associated with their close relative, the Jeffrey pine. (P. jeffrey is not found in the park).

FIRS (genus Abies) boast five separate species at Crater Lake, although one species, the Pacific silver fir (A. amabilis), has only one known specimen inside park boundaries. Members of the pine family (Pinaceae), firs have stemless needles that leave small circular indentations when pulled from the branch. Whole fir cones are rarely found around the tree because they fall apart after maturing.

Shasta red fir (A. magnifica shastensis), a variation of the Sierran species (A. magnifica), is an abundant tree throughout the mountain hemlock zone. A deep reddish brown bark gives this tree its common name. Their short needles (most under an inch long) curve to point straight up from the branch, giving the foliage a bristly appearance. They can easily be found around park headquarters and Rim Village.

Noble fir (A. procera) is only found in the northernmost part of the park. However,its similarities and occasional hybridizing with the Shasta red make the two extremely difficult to distinguish from each other.

Subalpine fir (A. lasiocarpa)is a moisture loving tree found in canyons, along stream beds, and at the margins of boggy areas. It is a common tree in the lodgepole and hemlock forest zones in the park, particularly on the more moist western slopes. These firs have very narrow, spirelike profiles and branches that grow down around their base, seldom leaving any trunk exposed.

White fir (A. concolor)is found at lower park elevations mixed in the ponderosa zone, particularly in the south part of the park bordering the Klamath basin. White fir's name comes from the whitish underside of their needles. Arrangement, color and length of needles (up to 3 inches) distinguish the white fir from others of its genus.

HEMLOCKS (genus Tsuga), also in the family Pinaceae, are typically characterized by their tops, or leaders. The leader of a hemlock droops down, often aiming back down at the ground. There are two hemlock species in Crater Lake National Park.

Mountain Hemlock (T. mertensiana) is easily observable around the park headquarters area and ranges up to some of the park's higher altitudes. Having thin branches and small needles, these trees are well adapted to the heavy snows they are subjected to.

Western Hemlock (T. heterophylla) is more common in the state of Oregon than the mountain hemlock. However, at Crater Lake they are only found in the far southwest corner of the park which has an altitude just on the upper edge of their range. Western hemlocks have much smaller cones than the mountain hemlocks.

OTHER CONIFERS represented at Crater Lake National Park. 

Engelmann Spruce (Picea engelmannii) is found along streams in all canyons of the park. An accessible example is the small stand just northeast of Whitehorse Creek along the west entrance road. A typical spruce has stiff, sharp needles that grow straight out from all sides of the tree's needle bearing