Klamath Mountains
As a mountain system within both the greater Pacific Coast Ranges and the California Coast Ranges, the Klamath Mountains have a varied geology, with substantial areas of serpentinite and marble, and a climate characterized by moderately cold winters with very heavy snowfall and warm, very dry summers with limited rainfall, especially in the south.[2][3] As a consequence of the geology and soil types, the mountains harbor several endemic or near-endemic trees, forming one of the largest collections of conifers in the world.One of the principal plant communities in the Klamath Mountains is Mediterranean California Lower Montane Black Oak-Conifer Forest.[17] The ecoregion includes several endemic or near-endemic species, such as Port Orford cedar or Lawson's cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), foxtail pine (Pinus balfouriana spp.John O. Sawyer and Dale Thornburgh discovered 17 species of conifers in 1 square mile (2.6 km2) around Little Duck Lake and Sugar Creek in the Russian Wilderness.The Westernmost stand of Quaking Aspen trees is located in the northern portion of the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness .[28][29][30] California's northernmost stand of gray pine (Pinus sabiniana) is found here along the South Fork of the Salmon River.[31] The vast forested wildlands, coupled with a low rate of human settlement in the rugged remote terrain, provides excellent habitat for a number of species.
Klamath Mountains (ecoregion)Trinity AlpsMount EddyElevationListingMountains of OregonMountains of CaliforniaRange coordinatesParent rangePacific Coast RangesCaliforniaOregonwestern United StatesCalifornia Coast RangesserpentinitemarbleendemicconifersUnited States Forest ServiceSiskiyou MountainsMount AshlandPhysiographicallyMarble MountainsScott MountainsTrinity MountainsSalmon MountainsPacific Border provincePacific Mountain System (Pacific Coast Ranges)geomorphic provincesTrinity CountySiskiyou County, CaliforniaThompson Peaknational forestsShasta-Trinity National ForestSiskiyou National ForestKlamath National ForestSix Rivers National ForestMendocino National Forestwilderness areasChanchelulla WildernessKalmiopsis WildernessMarble Mountain WildernessMount Lassic WildernessNorth Fork WildernessRed Buttes WildernessRussian WildernessSiskiyou WildernessSoda Mountain WildernessTrinity Alps WildernessYolla Bolly-Middle Eel WildernessPacific Crest TrailCalifornia Floristic ProvinceBigfoot TrailCrescent City, Californiaisland arcscontinentalPacific Oceanriftedvolcanicsubduction zonesPaleozoicterranesFarallon PlateNorth American Plateaccretionmetamorphosedplutonsbasalticoceanic rocksgabbroicgranodioriteCascade RangeOregon Coast RangebasaltCalifornia incense-cedar (Calocedrus decurrens)Klamath Mountains ecoregionMediterranean California Lower Montane Black Oak-Conifer ForestPort Orford cedarfoxtail pineBrewer's spruceKalmiopsis leachianaedaphicwhitebark pinewestern junipercoast Douglas-firponderosa pinesugar pinemountain hemlockwestern hemlockwhite firred firBrewer sprucecoast redwoodwestern red cedarPacific yewWestern White PineLodgepole PineIncense CedarFoothill Pinecommon junipersubalpine firgrand firsitka spruceShasta firknobcone pineEngelmann spruceNoble firBishop PineBaker cypressyellow cedarshore pineJeffrey PineDouglas firblack oakcanyon live oakPacific madronebigleaf mapleCalifornia Buckeyegray pinemountain lionsblack bearsbobcatsraccoonsmartensfishersbeavers