Russian Peak
Map SatelliteA part of a proposed research natural area or botanical area, this area is unique in that it may contain more species of conifers in a localized area than any other area in the world. Plants with Sierran, Cascadian and Great Basin affinities mix here.
Seventeen species are found within 2.6 square kilometers (1 sq. mile). They are whitebark pine, Pinus albicaulis, sugar pine, Pinus lambertiana, Western white pine, Pinus monticola, foxtail pine, Pinus balfouriana, lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana, Jeffrey pine, Pinus jeffreyi, ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa, white fir, Abies concolor, Shasta fir, Abies magnifica var. shastensis, subalpine fir, Abies lasiocarpa, mountain hemlock, Tsuga mertensiana, Douglas fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Engelmann spruce, Picea engelmannii, weeping spruce, Picea breweriana, incense cedar, Calocedrus decurrens, prostrate juniper, Juniperus communis, and yew, Taxus brevifolia. In addition, there is a variety of montane and subalpine forests, chaparral and meadows, all on granodiorite.
Extensive stands of subalpine fir and Engelmann spruce, both rare in California, are found in the Duck Lake and Sugar Creek drainages.
Weeping spruce is found in many places in this area and is not restricted to isolated stands, as in other parts of the Klamath region. The foxtail pine is found in a single stand on an unglaciated ridge above Duck Lake.
Glacial features, such as lakes, cirques, moraines, and, in some of the northeast-trending creeks, U-shaped valleys, are well-defined here.
Integrity: Low-grade road system in portion.
Use: This area lies within the proposed Russian Peak Wilderness Area. The suggestion has been advanced that this region be designated a Research Natural or Botanical Area.
Ref: Sawyer, J. O. and J. P. Smith, 1973. The Klamath Region. California Native Plant Society Newsletter Vol. VIII, No. 4, p. 3-6.
January 1975
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman