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Chino Hills State Park:
resources:
flora: trees
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COAST LIVE OAK (Quercus agrifolia)
Chino Hills State Park is home to a grand oak species
known as the coast live oak. Coast live oak is a native,
drought-resistant, evergreen tree, ranging in height from 19 to 82 feet
and in diameter, at its trunk, from one to four feet. It is referred to as a
"live" oak because it is non-deciduous and keeps its leaves all year long;
so even in the winter time it looks "alive" as evident with this oak in
the middle of a dried out non-native grassland. Coast live oaks have one
of the longest life spans of any trees in the Park. There are some trees
in the Park that are over 200 years old.
Coast live oak trees are often a welcome site along
trails since they provide shade, which in the Park is sometimes hard
to find during the hot summer months. This oak along the Upper Aliso
Trail, is especially welcome since it provides shelter to park users
on a portion of the trail. Even more important than offering shade for
people, are the benefits the oaks provide for animal life. Oak
woodland vegetation is important for animal cover and provide many
nesting sites for birds, and shelter for numerous mammals.
The numerous tree branches and snags provide excellent
roosts for raptors, provide nesting cavities for owls, kestrels,
woodpeckers, nuthatches, wrens, chickadees, and bluebirds. The oaks also
support numerous insects and small mammals that are important food sources
for other vertebrates in the area. Fallen tree limbs become homes for
many invertebrates that are important food sources for numerous vertebrate
species including mice, lizards, snakes, and birds. Environmental
conditions are aided by the woodland vegetation, reducing wind and
temperature variation compared to grassland and coastal scrub communities. |
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SYCAMORE (Platanus racemosa)
Another tree species you will see a lot of in the Park is the
sycamore. Known as "Aliso" in Spanish, Park visitors will see a lot
of sycamore trees in CHSP's Aliso Canyon. These trees are easily
viewed from road, along the Chino Hills entrance to the Park.
Interestingly the sycamore is one of North America's largest native broad
leaf trees. Unlike other trees, the sycamore tends to grow as
scattered individual trees, rather than in a more common cluster of
trees. Often times this tree will have its main trunk divided
into several secondary trunks with varying directions. This sun loving tree
has bark that contains a variety of shades of grey, green, white, tans
and sometimes yellows. Sycamore leaves are are very large, often
times over seven inches in diameter. These trees can live
between 250 and 600 years!
It is fairly common to see a sycamore tree with a
hollow portion of its trunk. Sometimes these hollow areas make the
tree susceptible to the elements, but they sure provide a great place for
birds, like great horned owls, to call home. Park visitors will see
a lot of sycamore trees when using the Chino Hills entrance
to the Park. In addition to the hollow trunk, this tree sheds
portions of its outer bark, which flakes off in large chunks. Its
large overhanging branches make superb nesting sites for a variety of
birds. In addition, the tall trees offer good viewing spots for
birds of prey to catch their next meal.
Sycamores tend to grow on flat lands, flood plains or
in streams. Quite a few sycamores in the Park are found in Aliso
Creek and other parts of the Park like Telegraph Canyon. Though its
wood isn't considered a good wood to build with, Native Americans used
sycamore wood to make bowls and other cooking utensils. |
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TECATE CYPRESS (Cupressus guadalupensis)
With only twenty stands of tecate cypress found world wide, this
unique tree is one of Chino Hills State Park's most prized plants.
Found only in southern California and Mexico, there are only eight stands
of this tree found in the U.S. -- all of which are in Southern California. Tecate cypress trees range has decreased due
to fire and change in climate. It is normally only found in a few
scattered stands. One of the those stands happens to be the southern
most portion of the State Park, near the Department of Fish and Game's
Tecate Cypress Preserve and the Cleveland National Forest in the Santa Ana
Mountains. This tree is only found in elevations ranging from 1400 feet to
just over 3000 feet.
This evergreen tree varies in height, normally reaching a maximum of 32
feet tall with dark green foliage. Its leaves look like small scales and
it produces cones that open after fire. Unfortunately the State
Park's stand has seen an increase in the frequency of fire. Normally
the trees benefit from fire every 50-60 years. However, in recent
years they have endured over five separate burns. Once the cone
opens the seeds disperse and new colonization begins by the tree.
For Orange County's tecate cypress stand, the northern
most range of the tree, they are found in Gypsum, Coal and Fremont
Canyons. Like other plants found in Southern California, the tecate
cypress also does well in chaparral ecosystems with dry slopes. Due
to its rarity, it is listed as a special species by the Bureau of Land
Management and the California Native Plant Society.
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