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.