Brewer Spruce Research Natural Area

Brewer Spruce Research Natural Area

Medford District , BLM

Klamath Mountains Ecoregion

Cell(s):

White fir with Brewer spruce and Alaska yellow cedar
Mid to high elevation pond with aquatic beds and marshy shore

Publication: Brewer Spruce Research Natural Area Est. Rpt. or Guidelines

The 718 ha Brewer Spruce RNA, on the summit of Little Grayback Peak, lies approximately 18 airline km northeast of Cave Junction in Josephine County, Oregon. It protects a high-elevation, mixed conifer forest with large numbers of Brewer spruce (Picea breweriana) and associated brushfields limited to southwestern Oregon. The terrain is very rugged with steep slopes and rock outcrops, primarily on north aspects. The RNA includes a small, shallow cirque pond, and saddles at the west and east ends. Elevation ranges from 1,250 to 1,645 m and the area is underlain by metamorphosed andesites and basalts. Soil series include Woodseye and Jayar. The climate is characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters. Annual precipitation averages 127 cm, and the snowpack, which may exceed 3 m, may not melt completely until midsummer. At least ten different conifer species grow in the RNA, including Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), white fir (Abies concolor), Brewer spruce, Shasta red fir (Abies magnifica var. shastensis), western white pine (Pinus monticola), Pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia), and Port Orford cedar (Cupressus lawsoniana). Also present, but less common, are sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana), knobcone pine (Pinus attenuata), and incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens). Only 60% of the area is forested; of the remaining area, 25% is brushfield and 15% is bare rock. Less than 4 ha of the RNA have been logged (near the boundary), and there is no evidence of historic fires. A recreational trail crosses the RNA. As yet, the Port Orford cedar have not been infected with Phytophthora lateralis, the root disease fungi. A guidebook is available: Jerry Franklin and others (1972): Federal Research Natural Areas in Oregon and Washington: A Guidebook for Scientists and Educators. Research and Studies have been conducted by George Carrol, (University of Oregon: Distribution and Role of Conifer Needle Endophytes, 1978) and Don Zobel (Oregon State University: Ecology of Port Orford Cedar).

Brewer Spruce Research Natural Area

Medford District , BLM

Klamath Mountains Ecoregion

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