BISHOP PINE FOREST

Beyond the Narrows and through the deer fence gates, brings you to the Gardens' natural areas. Towering overhead is a beautiful even-aged stand of Bishop pines, which forms the background for our beautiful gardens and provides an invaluable windbreak, without which the gardens could not exist.

Bishop pines are considered closed-cone conifers, refering to the fact that cones do not always open at maturity, but may remain closed for several years, gradually opening to disperse seed. Fire can also open the cones, as well as clear brush and duff, giving germinating seeds the bare mineral soil and unobstructed sunlight that is vital to their establishment as young trees. Because of fire suppression, lush undergrowth, and lack of sunlight, our closed-cone pine forest is unable to naturally regenerate itself. The Gardens has a forest regeneration program underway to make sure that the windbreak will continue to exist.