THE FORESTS
Untouched by the hand of man, except for insect and tree disease control, and carefully guarded against the ravages of fire, the forests of Crater Lake form one of the park’s principal attractions. This is true not only from a scenic standpoint and a never-failing interest for tree lovers, but also because of the vast acres of magnificent stands.
Of the considerable number of trees within the park, the majority are cone bearers. Some of these extend down the western slope well outside the boundary. The lower species meet and mingle with such broad-leaved trees as oak, maple, and madrone. Entering the lowest part of the park in the southwest corner via the deep canyon of Redblanket Creek are several trees not generally known to occur within the area. These include Brewer oak (Quercus oerstediana), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), madrone (Arbutus menziesii), Pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia), golden chinquapin (Castanopsis chrysophylla), bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum), and Pacific dogwood (Cornus nuttallii).
The mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) is characteristic of the Crater Lake region, its stately trunks, drooping limbs, and feathery foliage providing woodland beauty that is never forgotten. It is common to the inner wall of the crater and seeks high altitudes on mountain peaks, where its growth is stunted and its limbs beaten down by storms. An imposing stand greets the visitor at Annie Spring, continuing on both sides of the highway to the rim, its large trunks suggestive of the hundreds of years these trees have been growing undisturbed in their mountain fastness. Here, indeed, is the forest in all of its pristine glory. It occurs in heavy stands along the road around the lake, enhancing the beauty of the Rim Drive. The great trunks crowd each other for space beneath the shade of their lofty crowns.
An outstanding tree of the park is the whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), often short and stunted and grotesquely twisted, fringing the rim and crowning the highest crests. It illustrates best among trees the stern struggle for existence. The lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), most prolific of the park’s conifers, covers thousands of acres of dense stand and extends down the cool canyons to and beyond the park boundaries. The Shasta red fir (Abies magnifica shastensis), a stately tree with its regularly meshed branches and large bract-covered cones, is an abundant tree scattered throughout the hemlock forest.
The western white pine (Pinus monticola), while usually a middle-sized tree, furnishes the largest individual in the park, having a diameter of approximately 8 feet. More abundant along water courses and about wet meadows, can be seen the slender spires of the alpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa). In some places this tree continues over the rim to the inner wall of the crater. Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) is usually confined to the bottoms of deep canyons. Other trees include the white fir (Abies concolor), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga taxifolia), and sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana), all companions of the ponderosa pine.
Another species in the park is the incense cedar (Libocedrus decurrens). While this tree is not common, it is not hard to find, one prominant group being on the motorway 3 miles west of Hillman Peak. Several of the specimens are as large as 4½ feet in diameter.
Further enhancing the beauty of the park woodlands are a few broad-leaved trees and a large variety of attractive shrubs and undergrowth. No less than nine willows, two alders, and a maple are among the more abundant and conspicuous shrubs which fringe the streams and clothe the meadows. The timid aspens (Populus tremuloides) grow beside the larger trees of the cone-bearing species, their small roundish leaves trembling in mountain breezes. The black cottonwoods (Populus trichocarpa) also mingle with the evergreen trees in the deep canyons.
Many travelers visit Crater Lake, view the majestic splendor of the world-famed scenic wonder, and leave without realizing the beauties of the forest lands about them. A visit to the park is assuredly most complete after pleasant summer nights spent encamped under the spreading limbs of its stately hemlocks, pines, and firs. The sweet aroma of the woods, their carpeted floors and rustling leaves, add much to the joy and inspiration of a visit.