Flora As a consequence of the geology, the mountains harbor rich biodiversity, with several distinct plant communities, including temperate rain forests, moist inland forests, oak forests and savannas, high elevation forests, and alpine grasslands. These communities form the
Klamath Mountains ecoregion. One of the principal plant communities in the Klamath Mountains is
Mediterranean California Lower Montane Black Oak-Conifer Forest. 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.
balfouriana), and
Brewer's spruce (
Picea breweriana), forming one of the largest collections of different conifers in the world. The flowering plant
Kalmiopsis leachiana, also endemic to the Klamaths, is limited to the Siskiyou sub-range in Oregon. ;Conifers A large concentration of diverse coniferous species of trees exists in these mountains. Thirty conifer species (or more, depending on where one delineates the region) inhabit the area, including two endemic species, the Brewer's spruce and the Port Orford cedar, making the Klamath Mountains one of the richest coniferous forest regions of the world in terms of concentrated species diversity. The region also has several
edaphic plant communities, adapted to specific soil types, notably serpentine outcrops. In 1969, Drs. John O. Sawyer and Dale Thornburgh discovered 17 species of conifers in around Little Duck Lake and Sugar Creek in the
Russian Wilderness. They called this diverse area the Miracle Mile. In 2013 Richard Moore identified an 18th species,
western juniper, in the Sugar Creek canyon. This is now considered the richest assemblage of conifers per unit area in any temperate region on Earth. Conifer species in the Klamath Mountains include
coast Douglas-fir (
Pseudotsuga menziesii ssp.
menziesii),
Port Orford cedar,
ponderosa pine (
Pinus ponderosa),
sugar pine (
Pinus lambertiana),
mountain hemlock (
Tsuga mertensiana),
western hemlock,
white fir (
Abies concolor var.
lowiana),
red fir (
A. magnifica var.
shastensis),
Brewer spruce,
coast redwood (
Sequoia sempervirens),
western red cedar (
Thuja Plicata),
Pacific yew (
Taxus brevifolia),
Western White Pine,
Lodgepole Pine,
Whitebark Pine,
Incense Cedar,
Foothill Pine,
Foxtail Pine,
western Juniper,
common juniper,
subalpine fir,
grand fir,
sitka spruce,
Shasta fir,
knobcone pine,
Engelmann spruce,
Noble fir,
Bishop Pine,
Baker cypress,
yellow cedar,
shore pine and
Jeffrey Pine. The Westernmost stand of Quaking Aspen trees is located in the northern portion of the
Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness . ;Trinity Alps flora 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
gray pine (
Pinus sabiniana) is found here along the South Fork of the Salmon River.
Fauna 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. Some of the most remote areas are the location of supposed Bigfoot/
Sasquatch sightings from time to time, and the legendary creature plays a part in the folk tales of the Native American populations.
Rivers and fish Major rivers and lakes in the Klamath Mountains include the
Klamath River,
Trinity River,
Smith River,
Salmon River,
Rogue River,
Scott River, upper
Sacramento River,
Chetco River,
Mad River,
Van Duzen River,
Applegate River,
Illinois River,
Elk River,
South Umpqua River,
South Fork Coquille River,
Shasta Lake,
Trinity Lake,
Ruth Lake,
Castle Lake,
Applegate Lake, and
Whiskeytown 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 due to construction of dams and clearcutting of forests on the rugged slopes of the area contribute to large amounts of silt in the stream beds, which in turn interfere with spawning salmon, as they lay their eggs in exposed gravel beds. The notable fish species are
king,
kokanee, and
silver salmon,
brown,
brook, and
rainbow trout (including steelhead),
cutthroat trout, and
crappie,
bluegill,
catfish, and
largemouth and
smallmouth bass. ==See also==