View source for California mixed evergreen forest

{{Short description|Plant community in California and Oregon, US}}
{{For|the western North American ecoregion|Mixed coniferous forest}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{No footnotes|date=January 2016}}
:[[File:CowellFerns.JPG|thumb|California mixed evergreen forest in the [[Santa Cruz Mountains]]]]
'''California mixed evergreen forest''' is a [[plant community]] found in the mountain ranges of [[California]] and southwestern [[Oregon]].

The [[Mixed coniferous forest|Mixed evergreen forest]] plant community is native to the Northern and Southern [[California Coast Ranges]] and [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]] of central and [[northern California]]; the [[Transverse Ranges]] and [[Peninsular Ranges]] of [[southern California]]; and the southwestern [[Oregon Coast Range]]s.

California mixed evergreen forests occur in [[terrestrial ecoregion|ecoregions]] of the [[California Floristic Province]], including in areas of the [[California chaparral and woodlands]] and its sub-ecoregions, [[Klamath Mountains (ecoregion)|Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains forests]], [[Northern California coastal forests]], and [[Sierra Nevada lower montane forest]]. The mixed evergreen forests of each ecoregion have slightly different [[species composition]].

==Klamath-Siskiyou mixed evergreen forest==
The mixed evergreen forests of the [[Klamath Mountains]]-[[Siskiyou Mountains]] occur above 300 meters (1000&nbsp;ft) elevation, and are of four main types. '''Douglas-fir forests''' are found on gentle slopes, north-facing slopes, ridges with deep soil, and river terraces with deep sediments, usually underlain with [[sedimentary rock]]s. [[Coast Douglas-fir]] (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'' ssp. ''menziesii'') is the predominant tree, occupying up to 70% of the forest cover. Broadleaf evergreen trees are relatively few. Tree species of secondary importance are: 
*[[Sugar pine]] (''Pinus lambertiana''),
*[[Ponderosa pine]] (''Pinus ponderosa''),
*[[White fir]] (''Abies concolor'').

On [[granite]] soils, a similar [[species composition]] predominates, but with more broadleaf evergreens, chiefly: 
*[[Tanoak]] (''Lithocarpus densiflora'') and
*[[Canyon live oak]] (''Quercus chrysolepis''), along with
*[[Giant chinquapin]] (''Chrysolepis chrysophylla'').

On steep, well drained slopes, canyon live oak is the dominant species, with coast Douglas-fir in a minor role.

On [[serpentine soil]]s, mixed evergreen forests are made up of:
:moister areas
*[[Lawson's cypress]] (also known as Port Orford cedar, ''Chamaecyparis lawsoniana'') and
*[[Western white pine]] (''Pinus monticola'')
:drier areas
*[[Calocedrus decurrens|Incense cedar]] (''Calocedrus decurrens''),
*[[Jeffrey pine]] (''Pinus jeffreyi''),
*[[Knobcone pine]] (''Pinus attenuata'').

==California Coast Ranges mixed evergreen forest==
Mixed evergreen forests in the [[California Coast Ranges]] vary in species related to coastal (Outer Ranges) or inland (Inner Ranges) climate influences. It usually happens in the elevation from 0 meter to 500 meters high. Mountains in the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] frequently support mixed evergreen forests. Generally the moister the forest habitat the greater the understory density. Coast mixed evergreen is drier than coast redwood and it is a four-layer forest structure. The conifers are usually emergent as canopy layer and broad-leaf evergreen trees emerge as sub-canopy layer. The shrubs occur as the understory species.
:Those closer to the coast receiving adequate fog moisture and high rainfall generally will feature the following species:
*Coast Douglas-fir,
*[[Coast redwood]] (''Sequoia sempervirens'')
*[[Tanoak]], (''Notholithocarpus densiflorus'')
*[[Pacific madrone]] (''Arbutus menziesii''),
*[[California bay laurel]] (''Umbellularia californica''),
*[[Canyon live oak]] (''Quercus chrysolepis''),
*[[Interior live oak]] (''Quercus wislizenii''),
*[[Coast live oak]] (''Quercus agrifolia''),
*[[Quercus kelloggii|Black oak]] (''Q. kelloggii''),
*[[Oregon oak]] (''Q. garryana'')
*[[Big leaf maple]] (''Acer macrophyllum'').
:Further inland, on north facing slopes or protected canyons, these forests are drier and generally lack tanoak, Douglas fir, and coast redwood. Species typical of the drier neighboring [[California oak woodland|oak woodland]]s join the mix:
*[[Coulter pine]] (''Pinus coulteri'') or
*[[Gray pine]] (''Pinus sabiniana'')

Common wildlife include [[Steller's jay]], [[chestnut-backed chickadee]], [[western gray squirrel]], [[raccoon]] and many others. These forests are more diverse in animal life than those having only conifers. The predominance of broadleaf trees provide a greater abundance of food sources.

==Southern Coast, Transverse, and Peninsular Ranges mixed evergreen forest==
{{Further|California montane chaparral and woodlands}}
Also called '''southern mixed evergreen forests''', the mixed evergreen forests of the southern [[California Coast Ranges]], the [[Transverse Ranges]], and the northern [[Peninsular Ranges]], are restricted to cooler north-facing slopes at higher elevations.

:Predominant tree species include:
*[[Tanoak|Tanoak (''Notholithocarpus densiflorus'')]]
*[[Arbutus menziesii|Madrone (''Arbutus menziesii'')]]
*[[Canyon live oak|Canyon live oak (''Quercus chrysolepis'')]]
*[[Coast live oak|Coast live oak (''Quercus agrifolia'')]]
*[[California bay laurel|California bay laurel (''Umbellularia californica'')]]
*[[Jeffrey pine| Jeffrey pine (''Pinus jeffreyi'')]]
*[[Coulter pine|Coulter pine (''Pinus coulteri'')]]
*Bigcone Douglas-fir (''[[Pseudotsuga macrocarpa]]'').

==See also==
* [[Mixed coniferous forest]]
*{{C|Plant communities of California|Plant communities of California}}
*{{C|Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in the United States}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/communities/mixed-evergreen-forest Las Pilitas Native Plant Nursery: Info on California mixed evergreen forest]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101105113500/http://mdia.org/plant_communities/mixed_evergreen_forest.htm Plant Communities of Mount Diablo - Mixed Evergreen Forest]
{{commons category|California mixed evergreen forest|position=left}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:California Mixed Evergreen Forest}}
[[Category:Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in the United States]]
[[Category:Plant communities of California]]
[[Category:Forests of California|*]]
[[Category:California chaparral and woodlands]]
[[Category:Natural history of the California Coast Ranges|.]]
[[Category:Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges|.]]
[[Category:Flora of California|*P]]
[[Category:Montane forests]]
[[Category:Pine–oak forests]]