Enhance your Farm Tour with a California Forest Center Tour. Take a walk in the woods and experience the one-acre forest dedicated to educating Californians about the many benefits of the forests and the value of trees in our everyday lives.
Interior Live Oak
The interior Live Oak (Quercus wislizeni) is an evergreen oak tree native to California, recognized for its ability to thrive in the hot, dry interior climates of the state. It features a robust, spreading form with dense, dark green leaves and produces acorns that are a vital food source for local wildlife.
Douglas Fir
The Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is a towering evergreen tree known for its significant role in the lumber industry, providing some of the world’s best timber. Native to western North America, it can grow up to 330 feet tall and features a conical shape, thick bark, and soft, flat needles that radiate around the branches.
Monterey Cypress
The Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) is an evergreen conifer native to the central coast of California, particularly noted for its picturesque, wind-sculpted appearance along coastal areas. These trees are characterized by their irregular shape, thick, fibrous bark, and small, scale-like leaves, often growing in challenging environments such as rocky outcroppings and cliffs.
Ponderosa Pine
The Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) is a large coniferous tree native to the western United States, known for its tall, straight trunk and distinctive bark that smells like vanilla when warmed by the sun. It thrives in various climates and elevations, producing long, slender needles in bundles and large cones, and is an important species for both wildlife habitat and the timber industry.
Incense Cedar
The Incense Cedar (Calocedrus decurrens) is a conifer native to the western United States, particularly valued for its aromatic wood and durability. It features a narrow, pyramidal shape with dense, scale-like leaves and small, woody cones, often used in landscaping and for cedar wood products like pencils and fence posts.
Tan Oak
Coast Redwood
The Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is the tallest tree species on Earth, native to the coastal regions of northern California and southern Oregon. These ancient trees can reach heights of over 350 feet and are known for their thick, fire-resistant bark and ability to regenerate by sprouting from their roots and stumps.
Himalayan Blackberry
The Himalayan Blackberry (Rubus armeniacus) is not a tree but a robust, invasive shrub species known for its aggressive growth and thorny canes. Originally from Western Europe, it is now widespread across the Pacific Northwest of the United States, producing large, sweet blackberries that are popular for eating but problematic for displacing native plants.
Canary Island Pine
The Canary Island Pine (Pinus canariensis) is a tall, evergreen tree native to the Canary Islands, known for its unique, three-needle clusters and a remarkable ability to thrive in arid conditions. Its thick, puzzle-like bark helps it retain moisture and protect against frequent forest fires, making it a resilient species well-suited to Mediterranean climates.
Chinese Elm
The Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia) is a deciduous or semi-evergreen tree celebrated for its attractive, mottled bark and graceful, rounded crown. Native to East Asia, it is highly resistant to Dutch elm disease and adapts well to a variety of urban conditions, making it a popular choice for street and landscape planting.
Big Leaf Maple
The Big Leaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) is a large deciduous tree native to the western coast of North America, known for its sizable, broad leaves that can span up to a foot across. It thrives in moist, well-drained soils and is valued for its beautiful fall coloration, as well as its utility in furniture making due to its sturdy wood.
Holly
Holly trees (genus Ilex) are widely recognized for their distinctive glossy, prickly leaves and bright red berries, which are often associated with winter and Christmas decor. These evergreen trees are native to various climates across the globe, ranging from tropical to temperate zones, and are valued for their ornamental use and as a wildlife habitat, providing food and shelter for birds and other animals.
English Holly
Western Redbud
Horsetail
Field Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) is a perennial herb rather than a tree, noted for its slender, green, bamboo-like stems and the ability to thrive in damp conditions. Commonly found across temperate regions, it reproduces via spores and rhizomatous roots, making it a persistent and sometimes invasive species in gardens and agricultural fields.
Boxelder
The Boxelder (Acer negundo) is a fast-growing maple tree known for its adaptability and resilience, often found in riparian zones, floodplains, and disturbed areas across much of North America. It features pinnately compound leaves, unusual among maples, and produces winged seeds similar to other species of its genus, often used in urban landscaping despite its reputation for being somewhat weedy and short-lived.
California Buckeye
The California Buckeye (Aesculus californica) is a small deciduous tree or large shrub native to California and parts of southern Oregon, notable for its large, palmate leaves and showy, erect flower spikes that bloom in spring. This species is drought-tolerant, often found in dry, mixed woodlands and grasslands, and its seeds are distinctive, large, and toxic, used traditionally by Native Americans for various purposes.
Sitka Spruce
The Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) is a large, coniferous tree native to the west coast of North America, from Alaska to northern California, known for its towering height and ability to thrive in moist, coastal climates. It is characterized by its sharp, stiff needles and hanging cones, and is highly valued for its strong, lightweight wood, which is extensively used in the aircraft industry and for musical instruments like guitar tops.
Oregon White Oak
The Oregon White Oak (Quercus garryana), also known as the Garry oak, is a deciduous tree native to the Pacific Northwest of the United States and southwestern Canada. Renowned for its rugged, twisted appearance and broad, spreading canopy, this oak species thrives in dry, rocky soils and is valued for its ecological role, providing habitat and food for numerous wildlife species.
Valley Oak
Gray Alder
The Gray Alder (Alnus incana) is a species of deciduous tree native to cooler regions of the Northern Hemisphere, particularly noted for its ability to thrive in wet conditions along riverbanks and moist forests. It features gray bark, catkin-like flowers, and toothed leaves, and is often used in reforestation and erosion control projects due to its fast growth and nitrogen-fixing abilities, which improve soil fertility.
Scotch Pine
The Scotch Pine (Pinus sylvestris) is a hardy, evergreen conifer native to Europe and Asia, widely planted for its timber and as a Christmas tree. It features a distinctive orange-red bark, twisted blue-green needles, and can adapt to a variety of soils and climates, making it a popular choice in temperate regions around the world.
Monterey Pine
The Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata) is a fast-growing conifer native to the central coast of California and a few islands off Mexico and California. Highly valued for its timber, it is extensively cultivated in forestry plantations worldwide, especially in the Southern Hemisphere, and is characterized by its bright green needles and large, distinctive cones.
California Dogwood
The California Dogwood (Cornus nuttallii), also known as the Pacific dogwood, is a deciduous tree native to western North America, from British Columbia to Southern California. It is celebrated for its large, showy white to pink flowers that bloom in spring and early fall, and its red berries and vibrant foliage in autumn, which provide significant aesthetic appeal and wildlife value.
White Fir
The White Fir (Abies concolor) is a tall, evergreen conifer native to the mountains of western North America, appreciated for its uniform shape and bluish-green needles that emit a pleasant citrus scent when crushed. It is widely used in landscaping and as a Christmas tree due to its attractive appearance and ability to retain its soft needles for a long time after being cut.
Jeffrey Pine
The Jeffrey Pine (Pinus jeffreyi) is a North American pine tree native to the mountains of California, Oregon, and northern Baja California, closely related to the ponderosa pine but distinguished by its larger cones and bark that smells distinctly of vanilla or pineapple. It thrives in dry, mountainous regions, featuring long, bluish-green needles and thick, deeply fissured bark, making it both an important timber species and a resilient native tree in fire-prone ecosystems.
Oregon Ash
The Oregon Ash (Fraxinus latifolia) is a deciduous tree native to the western United States, particularly found in moist sites along waterways and wetlands from California to British Columbia. It features broad, paddle-shaped leaves that turn a striking yellow in the fall, and its strong wood is valued for its use in furniture and tool handles, while also providing habitat for wildlife.
Canyon Live Oak
The Canyon Live Oak (Quercus chrysolepis) is an evergreen oak native to the western United States, particularly adapted to the rugged terrains of canyons and mountainous regions. It is known for its tough, leathery leaves that have a glossy, green upper surface and a golden or silver underside, and its acorns are a crucial food source for local wildlife.
Coast Live Oak
The Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) is an evergreen oak native to the coastal regions of California, prized for its durability and the dense shade it provides. Characterized by its twisted, dark green leaves with spiny edges and a rugged, gnarled appearance, this tree plays a crucial role in local ecosystems, supporting various wildlife species through its acorns and offering protection with its thick canopy.
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