Activity Report Explorer

Eastern Sierra • Entered by Kristine Green on August 12, 2023

Western Reforestation Project

July 1, 2023 – August 11, 2023

Participants and Hours

Pre Planning hours	10
Post Admin hours	1
Activity Hours	30
Participants	2
Total Hours	71

Key Issue: Public Lands Health & Protection
Activity Type: Stewardship (monitoring, sampling, planting, etc.)
Key Partners: Adventure Scientist
Landscape/area: Inyo National Forest (CA) (1957264 acres)

Measurable Outcomes

Outcome 1: Trail/land monitored (30 surveys)

Short Description of Activity

The Adventure Scientists organization were part of the Western Reforestation Project for which we did cone crop surveys. I was able to enlist one non-broad who did about 5 surveys. We went through the extensive training about identifying trees and cones, downloaded and learned how to use several apps, and received some equipment. The goal was to identify heavy cone crops for certain species in specific areas. We covered the Inyo National Forest. They were really only looking for female cones that have not opened yet. I learned how to tell the difference between male and female cones, open (blown) and closed cones, and how to identify several trees. A few of the listed species were Jeffery Pine, Lodgepole Pine, and Red Fir. There are a lot of those species in the Inyo. It was the Abies magnifica (red fir) that had the cone crops worth reporting and I can see why they’re named magnifica because the older trees just soar up through the forest contrasting against amazingly clear blue sky. These old growth red fir, both downed and still standing, are easily 150 feet tall and 5 to 6 feet in diameter with bark a good 4 to 6 inches thick. They’re hundreds of years old. Perhaps 3 to 5 hundred years old. There were red fir cone crops in the Inyo Craters/Dry Creek areas downhill from Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, as well as in Minaret Vista, Lakes Basin, Sherwin Trail, and Big Springs. One area also had whitebark pine, mountain hemlock, white fir, and Western white pine, but only lodgepole and the western white had significant cone crops with cones that had not yet opened. The Inyo National Forest is home to the world’s largest stand of Jeffrey Pines.
The surveying itself required hiking in the front country, using binoculars, taking pictures, and filing surveys.

Reflection/Evaluation

The goal was to get involved with a conservation project and we did that. Even though, it wasn’t a goal for me, I ended up learning a lot about conifer identification. And I got to be outside and hike.