Everything about the Klamath Mountains totally explained
The
Klamath Mountains, sometimes called the
Salmon Mountains, are a rugged lightly populated
mountain range in northwest
California and southwest
Oregon in the
United States. The highest peaks are
Mount Eddy (9025 ft / 2750 m) in
Siskiyou County, California,
Thompson Peak (9002
ft / 2744
m) in
Trinity County, California, and
Mount Ashland (7,533 ft / 2296 m) in
Jackson County, Oregon. They have a varied geology, with substantial areas of
serpentine and
marble, and a climate characterised by a moderately cold winters with very heavy snowfall, and warm very dry summers with limited rainfall. As a consequence of the geology, they've a unique
flora, known as the
Klamath-Siskiyou forests, which includes several
endemic or near-endemic trees, such as
Port Orford cedar (
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana),
Foxtail pine (
Pinus balfouriana spp, balfourinana),
Brewer spruce (
Picea breweriana) and
Kalmiopsis (
Kalmiopsis leachiana), forming one of the largest collections of different conifers in the world. The northernmost range of the Klamath Mountains are known as the
Siskiyou Mountains. The area is also home to a diverse array of wild fish and animal species, including nine species of salmonid, and bears, large cats, and eagles. Physiographically, they're a section of the larger Pacific Border province, which in turn are part of the larger
Pacific Mountain System physiographic division.
Wilderness areas and national forests
The largest concentration of diverse coniferous species of trees exists in these mountains. Specifically in the
Russian Wilderness, there are more species of coniferous tree in one location than anywhere else on the globe. Other official wilderness areas include the
Trinity Alps Wilderness (second largest in California), the
Siskiyou Wilderness, the
Marble Mountain Wilderness, the
Yolla Bolly Middle Eel Wilderness, the
Red Buttes Wilderness, and the
Kalmiopsis Wilderness. There are extensive hiking trail systems, recreation areas and campgrounds both primitive and developed, and the
Pacific Crest Trail passes through these mountains as well. Several national forests converge in this region comprising millions of hectares of forest:
Shasta-Trinity National Forest,
Siskiyou National Forest,
Klamath National Forest,
Six Rivers National Forest, and
Mendocino National Forest.
Major rivers, lakes, and game fish species
Major rivers and lakes in the Klamath Mountains include the
Eel River,
Van Duzen River,
Klamath River,
Trinity River,
Mad River,
Smith River,
Salmon River,
Rogue River,
Scott River and
Castle Lake.
The many mountains, streams and rivers form a major spawning ground for several species of trout and salmon, yet recently, in the last 50 years, some of the fish stocks have fallen drastically, particularly salmon stocks. The ecoregion's rivers and streams are home to nine species of native salmonids. The depletions occur mainly because the creation of dams and excessive
clear cut logging on the steep rugged slopes of the area both contribute to large amounts of silt in the stream beds, which in turn interferes with the salmon spawning, as they need exposed gravel beds in which to lay their eggs. Other notable fish species, besides
king salmon and
silver salmon, include
steelhead,
brown trout,
rainbow trout,
kokanee salmon,
eastern brook trout,
crappie,
bluegill,
catfish,
large and
smallmouth bass.
Fauna
The vast forested wildlands, coupled with a low rate of human settlement in the rugged remote terrain, makes for excellent habitat for a number of species. Mammal species include
mountain lions,
black bears,
bobcats,
lynx,
raccoons,
martens,
fishers,
beavers,
grey fox,
red fox,
northern flying squirrel, and plentiful deer. Bird species include
golden eagles,
bald eagles,
pileated woodpecker, band-tailed pigeon, several hawks including
goshawks, several large
owl species including the
spotted owl, plus an extensive variety of additional species both plant and animal. The area used to have
grizzly bear,
wolves, and
Roosevelt elk. The latter two are being considered for reintroduction, especially the less controversial elk. Some of the most remote areas hear rumors of bigfoot/
sasquatch sightings from time to time, and the legendary creatures play a part in the native folk tales of the Native American populations.
Flora
The Klamath-Siskiyou forests are a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon. The ecoregion extends across 50,300 square kilometers (19,400 square miles) of the mountainous region known as the Klamath Knot. The ecoregion harbors rich biodiversity, with several distinct plant communities, including temperate rain forests, moist inland forests, oak forests and savannas, high elevation forests, and alpine grasslands. Thirty conifer species inhabit the region, including seven endemic species, making the region one of the richest coniferous forest regions of the world in species diversity. The region also has several edaphic plant communities, adapted to specific soil types, notably serpentine outcrops.
Conifer species include
Coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii subsp. menziesii),
Lawson's Cypress (also known as
Port Orford Cedar, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana),
Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa),
Sugar Pine (Pinus lambertiana),
Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana),
White Fir (Abies concolor subsp. lowiana),
Red Fir (A. magnifica subsp. shastensis),
Weeping Spruce (Picea breweriana),
Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens),
Western Red Cedar (Thuja Plicata), and
Pacific Yew (Taxus brevifolia).
Typical species of the Trinity Alps region include
Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, red fir, white fir,
black oak,
canyon live oak,
Pacific madrone,
bigleaf maple,
California buckeye,
incense cedar, and
Jeffrey pine. California's northernmost stand of
Digger Pine is found here along the South Fork of the Salmon River.
Further Information
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