Black Butte Tree and Shrub List

Native Species

These are the native trees and shrubs we have identified growing on or immediately adjacent (within a mile) of our land at Black Butte Junction:

Conifers:

Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) (All over, our most common tree)
Sugar Pine (Pinus lambertiana) (Found near truckstop and towards Black Butte, many planted)
Knobcone Pine (Pinus attenuata) (Found near truckstop and across tracks)
Incense Cedar (Calocedrus decurrens) (All over, second most common tree on our land)
White Fir (Abies concolor) (Common all over our land)
Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) (Largest ones near creek, also many recently planted)
Western Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) (Not common, scattered across the land)

Broadleaf Trees and Shrubs:

Black Cottonwood (Populus balsamifera) (Mostly near the creek or just south of it)
Black Oak (Quercus kelloggii) (Not common, scattered across the land)
Bush Chinquapin (Chrysolepis sempervirens) (Uncommon, near the creek and by Summit Lake)
Water Birch (Betula occidentalis) (Common in creek/wetland area)
Big-leaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) (Near Summit Lake, re-introduced along creek)
Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) (Near Black Butte Springs, reintroduced along creek)
Pacific Willow (Salix lasiandra) (Wetlands and near pond)
Sand or Narrowleaf Willow (Salix exigua) (Along railroad near creek)
Scouler's Willow (Salix scouleriana) (Wetlands and near pond)
Mountain (or Pacific) Dogwood (Cornus nuttallii) (Near Springs, reintroduced near creek)
Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea) (Mainly in wetlands south of creek)
Black Hawthorn (Crataegus suksdorfii) (Scattered, mainly in along creek)
Greenleaf Manzanita (Arctostaphylos patula) (Very common throughout our land)
Antelope Brush (Purshia tridentada) (Most common shrub throughout our land)
Buck Brush (Ceanothus cuneatus) (Very common throughout our land)
Mahala Mat (Ceanothus prostratus) (Mainly in the compound and nearby meadows)
Hardhack (Spirea douglasii) (Wetland areas)
Wood Rose (Rosa gymnocarpa) (Mainly in wetter zones near the creek)
Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus) (In wetland areas and near Black Butte Springs)
California or Trailing Blackberry (Rubus ursinus) (Along creek)
Western Raspberry or Blackcaps (Rubus leucodermis) (Scattered)
Western Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) (Scattered, along trails north of creek)
Bitter Cherry (Prunus emarginata) (On old logging berms in forest areas)
Klamath Plum (Prunus subcordata) (Along CORP tracks near wye)
Common Rabbit-brush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus) (Compound area)
Green Rabbit-brush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus) (Compound area)
Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) (Mainly in compound on south end of our land)
Red-flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum) (Mature forest near creek)
Wax Currant (Ribes cereum) (Common all over the land, especially along berms)
White-stemmed Gooseberry (Ribes inerme) (Near creek)
Oregon Grape (Berberis aquifolium) (Mainly in forest area north of the creek)
Snowberry (Stymphoricarpos albus) (Scattered, one stand just south of X-746 caboose)
Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) (Rare, one stand just south of creek)

Re-Introduced Native Species:

In 2007 we started re-introducing native tree and shrub species to our land in order to increase the biodiversity. Some, such as Douglas Firs, Sugar Pines, Big Leaf Maples, Black Oaks and Quaking Aspens were already present on our land or in adjacent areas. Others may have once grown on this land but were lost due to logging and the conversion of a portion of the land to a mono-culture pine tree plantation. These species not listed above have now been re-introduced onto our land:

Western White Pine (Pinus monticola)
Shasta Red Fir (Abies magnifica) Old-growth stands can be seen from our land high up on Shastina. We've planted some around our land and will see how they do.
Baker Cypress (Cupressus bakeri) Note: This is a native tree to our region but is extremely rare, growing in only 11 locations in the world. 5 of these locations are in Siskiyou County. We have some seedlings planted around the compound in open areas. For info on Baker Cypresses in Siskiyou County see www.joeblowe.com/Cupressusbakeri.html.

Non-Native Trees Species:

These non-native trees have been found growing on or near our land at Black Butte:

Coulter Pine (Pinus coulteri) (A stand of these southern California natives, identifiable by their huge cones, is just east of the wye. Why these trees are here is a mystery)
Giant Sequoia (Sequidendron giganteum) (Stands of this native of the western Sierras were apparently planted thirty or forty years ago north of the creek towards the western part of our land. This species grows to be the largest tree in the world.)
White Poplar (Populus alba) (Just east of tracks near the creek. This is an invasive European species that was probably introduced by railroad families living at Black Butte Junction in the mid-1900s.)
Apple (Malus sp.) (Near site of former railroad housing east of tracks).

Introduced Rare/Exotic Trees:

One of our members is experimenting, with various degrees of success, with the introduction of some rare and exotic (but non-invasive) trees, mostly conifers, in our main compound area. Among those planted in this area so far:

American Chestnut (Castanea dentata)
Monkey Puzzle (Araucaria araucana)
Japanese Redwood (Crytomeria japonica)
Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)
Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum)
Western Larch (Larix occidentalis)
Chinese Golden False Larch (Pseudolarix amabilis)
Bristlecone Pine (Pinus aristata)
American Swamp Cypress (Taxodium distichum)
Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)
California Nutmeg (Torreya californica)