Have you ever heard a strangely loud bee buzzing incessantly nearby only to second-guess your initial reaction to the sound as you realize, “No, that can’t be a bee. It’s somewhat noisier, whiny and robotic – oh, it must be one of those darned new-fangled drone things up in the sky?!” Yes, they’re a little …
Here in Tahoe, it seems like winter is finally here! While we turn on our heaters and layer up in jackets and blankets, trees must make changes to make it through winter’s cold temperatures, too! They have several ways to adapt to and survive the freezing cold. Trees go dormantDormancy is the plant kingdom’s version …
Our latest video on Sugar Pine Cone Collections offers an educational overview of why and how the Sugar Pine Foundation collects cones from sugar pine trees in order to restore the species. You can watch this video and many more on our very own YouTube Channel!
We love getting correspondence from sugar pine fans. Dennis Babson recently wrote us the story of how he came to know and love sugar pines as a young boy: I saw my first sugar pine in 1952. I was 7 and my family was in the process of moving to Grass Valley, CA. I remember the …
California is home to some incredibly impressive trees: oldest, tallest, and largest! If you’re obsessed with finding big trees, California is a good place to look. For over 30 years, Michael Taylor – a professional big tree hunter, a fan of sugar pines, and a long-time friend of the Sugar Pine Foundation – has been searching …
Record Sugar Pines Discovered in the Sierra Nevada Read More »
Dr. Joan Dudney, our Science Advisor, has recently published a new paper entitled “Compounding effects of white pine blister rust, mountain pine beetle, and fire threaten four white pine species.” Joan and her co-authors studied long-term mortality trends of four white pine species in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (SEKI). In SEKI, just as …
New Study on Mortality Trends in Southern Sierra Nevada Sugar Pine and other White Pines Read More »
Successful Seed Collection Despite Forest Closures On September 15, amidst much smoke and many wildfires that had shut down all activity on US Forest Service Lands – including our customary cones collections – we posted a simple plea on our Facebook page: “WE NEED HELP! The Jeffrey pine seeds are helicoptering down everywhere in Tahoe-Truckee …
Professional Arborist and Volunteer Extraordinaire Wildfires, forest closures and equipment issues cropped up for us right when we needed to access our resistant seed trees to collect cones in mid-September. The recurrent theme this year, however, seems to be: overcoming unexpected challenges with ingenuity and community support to carry out our mission. Enter Zach Armstrong: owner-operator of Armstrong Tree Service, who has …
It’s that time again: kids are headed “back to school” or are in school already! We know most youngsters are still learning from home these days, so we’ve put together a fun, new lesson on how to germinate and grow seedlings from seed! The Grow Your Own Sugar Pine From Seed Lesson is on our At-Home Activities page.This is …
Neighbors Jerry Rudd and Lauri Kemper working together. Jerry Rudd is 81 years old. Every day, he takes a morning walk on the wooded trails near his house. It is a daily exercise routine with a purpose: to water and care for 14 baby sugar pine seedlings that he has adopted, thanks to his neighbors, …