Overview of the Sugar Pine

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Pinus lambertiana, commonly known as the sugar pine, is found on the west coast in the mountains of Nevada, California, Oregon and Mexico. The sugar pine is the tallest of all pines and has the longest cones of any conifer. It is very important in these regions for both economical purposes and the environment. (Habeck)
The sugar pine is said to be the worlds largest pine, growing to nearly 200 feet tall with a trunk diameter of seven feet. (About sugar pine) The tallest recorded sugar pine still alive today, however, is 255 feet tall with a seven and a half foot diameter. It was found in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. These trees can grow to an age of about 400-500 years. sugar pine’s also have huge cones averaging 12-18 inches in length, but some can be as long as two feet. (About sugar pine)
Their range starts from the western slope of the Cascade Range in north-central Oregon all the way to the Sierra San Pedro Martir in Baja California. Most of its distribution is centered from the Klamath and Siskiyou mountains and on western slopes of the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada. Smaller patches also occur on the coast of southern Oregon and California, transverse ranges of southern California, and east of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada crests. Nearly 80% of its distribution is in California. (Habeck)
Sugar pines are found in a variety of places including moist, steep, north, east and south facing slopes. They tend to like deep, well drained soils that have a slight to neutral acidic level. While these trees can and do grow on steep and rugged land, the best growth occurs on gentle terrain at middle elevations in sandy to clay-like soils. These sugar pines grow from sea level up to a maximum of about 10,000 feet. The ele...

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