On the Ponderosa

The identification of trees is an exact science that takes a considerable amount of study. But often, despite the research, there is no fruit. The reason for the difficulty is the shear number of variations within a type of tree. For example, there are over a hundred species of pine. So how can you tell the difference between the Sugar Pine or the Ponderosa Pine? How about the difference between a California Redwood and the giant sequoia for that matter?

Considering how difficult it is to accurately identify a type of tree there are many ways to accomplish the task. The difference between trees are both small and great. For pines, the difference may be in the number of needles to a cluster. The Ponderosa has three while others like the Sugar Pine has five. The length of needle is also a dead give away. Spacing of branches is an indicator.

There are other less subtle ways to differentiate between trees such as the over all shape and height. Both the Ponderosa Pine and the Sugar Pine can grow to a height of 200 feet, but the Ponderosa is conical while the Sugar Pine is not.

Really, in every way the trees are different, from size and shape of the cone to the color, texture and design of the bark. Even the location, elevation and circumference of the trunk hint at what tree you are looking at.

There is a frustration factor when you're on the trail and all the facts and figures get confused. You look at a tree and draw a complete blank. Is it a fir, cedar, or a pine? You can’t even answer the simplest, most basic question.

In Yosemite I learned that the three most prolific trees are the Incense Cedar, Ponderosa Pine, and the Black Oak. On this last trip to Yosemite I concentrated on the Black Oak, mainly because it is a tree so overlooked because of the grandeur of the conifers, yet the Black Oak is everywhere. Forty years of coming to Yosemite and I didn’t know that oaks grew in the valley, but they do. In fact they were the staple food of the indigenous people that lived there before the first white man came in 1851 (trappers arrived in 1823).

True to its name, the Black Oak has dark rough bark with a large leaf that almost resembles a maple in size and shape. It drops massive amounts of perfectly formed acorns about an inch and a half long. The kids picked them up and pretend they're little people wearing a hat. On the trail, these acorns are scattered broadly underneath the tall Black Oak. Now that it's fall/winter, the broad leaves cover the ground. Between the leaves and acorns covering the forest floor it's not hard to locate the great Black Oak. Imagine that the Yosemite's first inhabitants depended on this tree and the bounty which is still being produced.

These indigenous peoples called the Yosemites would gather a winters worth of acorns in a square shaped structure called a chuck-ah. Three of these can be found in the Indian Village behind the museum at Yosemite Village. The Yosemites would take the acorn and make three food products: a soup, a mush concoction, and hard patties. The Black Oak figured prominently in their diet.

Before leaving on this last Yosemite trip I decided to research the indigenous peoples who lived there before the white man came. What happened to them? Why are they non-existent? I read about Chief Tenaya and his three brothers (Three Brothers mountains).

Almost from the first meeting with the whites there was conflict. The Indians raided the white's camps and stores. The whites were given to prejudice and would kill the Indians at the slightest provocation. The Indians were faced with one choice; leave the valley or be exterminated. Some chose the first option and some chose the latter. But the end was a forgone conclusion. Stopping the whites from further incursion into the Sierras was impossible. Today, the Yosemites are essentially non-existent though their lineage survive in the Mono tribes and others. The Yosemites were Paiutes.

After the Indians were passified, the whites went after the good wood, especially the Sugar Pine. By the end of the 19th Century, Yosemite's trees needed protecting. John Muir stepped in but even he or an act of congress couldn't stop the onslaught. Actually, congress was an enabler to the lumber companies. Yosemite may have been declared a national park but it had little protection from logging. In 1912, The Yosemite Lumber Company pulled 35 million board feet of lumber. And this payload was reached and exceeded annually until November of 1942. There was also the Yosemite Valley Railroad that laid standard gauge tracks every which way to haul the logs to the mills in Merced. Maps of Yosemite at the time look like a labyrinth of tracks.

Very little evidence of these operations are left as all the buildings and equipment are gone; sold for scrap.

It's an absolute miracle that the beauty of Yosemite has been maintained, especially in light of it's history of war and logging. I've deemed it the happiest place on earth. And you don't need to be a botonist or historian to appreciate it.

Photograph 1 - Bark of a P0nderosa Pine taken at June Lakes.

Photograph 2 - The conical shape of the same Ponderosa Pine at June lakes.

Photograph 3 - The base of this giant sequoia reminded me of the o-chum bark homes of the Yosemites.

Photograph 4 - Tree with Cathedral Spires in background.