“Mother Medicine Tree,” Western Juniper and Pinyon Pine with Fused Root Systems, Estimated 500 Years Old, Inyo County, CA, 2024
Pinyon Pines and Western Junipers hold deep significance for high desert Indigenous communities in California, contributing to both their diet and medicinal practices. Remarkably, these two share a fused root system—a rare occurrence between trees of different species.
Bartlett Pear, Estimated 110 Years Old, Manzanar Japanese Interment Camp, Inyo County, CA, 2023
Japanese American prisoners cultivated orchards at the Manzanar Internment Camp as a means of sustenance, resilience, and cultural continuity. Despite the harsh desert environment, they planted and maintained pear and apple trees which provided food, shade, and a sense of purpose amid confinement.
“General Sherman” Giant Sequoia, Estimated 2,200 - 2,700 Years Old, Tulare County, CA, 2025
Many of the largest sequoias were cut down in the late 19th century—harvested for timber or shipped across the world to be displayed as spectacles of scale. Today, most of the remaining giants are protected, including the General Sherman tree in Sequoia National Park, considered the largest living tree on Earth by volume.
Burned Mexican Fan and Queen Palms, Palisades Fire Scar, Estimated 70 Years Old, Los Angeles County, CA, 2025
Non-native palms, like Queen and Mexican Fan Palms, are iconic fixtures in the Southern California landscape, yet pose a significant fire risk. Their dry fronds ignite easily and can be carried by wind, quickly spreading flames in urban areas.
Canyon Live Oak, Stunted by Wind, Estimated 300 Years Old, Monterey County, CA, 2025
On the wind-swept slopes of the Santa Lucia Mountains, mature Canyon Live Oaks often grow low and wide, their gnarled limbs shaped by constant wind. This grove of oaks grew horizontally until a landslide over ten years ago changed the topography and calmed the winds, allowing new vertical growth.
Clementines, Felled Due to Drought, Estimated 40 Years Old, Kern County, CA, 2025
Citrus growers in California face mounting challenges as rising temperatures, prolonged drought, and shifting seasons strain crop viability. In response, many farms are replacing citrus and nut trees with less water-intensive crops.
Valley Oak Used for Public Lynchings, Estimated 300 Years Old, Los Angeles County, CA, 2025
In California, Valley Oaks were often used for public lynchings, their widespread range and long, sturdy limbs making them frequent tools of racial violence. Historians believe this unnamed Valley Oak was used for lynchings in the ranching community of Calabasas throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Coast Live Oak, Infected with Goldspotted Oak Borer, Estimated 200 Years Old, Ventura County, CA, 2025
The goldspotted oak borer, introduced from Arizona in the early 2000s, is devastating native oaks in Southern California, especially Coast Live Oaks. Often spread by infested firewood, it disrupts water flow within the tree, causing die-off. This oak is tagged a “reservoir tree” due to a severe infestation that threatens the surrounding grove.
Black Oak and Mule Deer, Mariposa County, CA, 2024
Black Oak woodlands have been stewarded by Indigenous communities across California for generations. They cultivated Black Oaks for their acorns, using controlled burns, thinning, and harvesting to promote healthy groves, enhance biodiversity, and reduce wildfire risk.
Interior Live Oaks, Covered in Invasive Cape Ivy, Estimated 200 Years Old, Monterey County, CA, 2025
Tree ring studies show a decline in growth over the past 30 years in this grove of Interior Live Oaks—possibly linked to the spread of invasive Cape Ivy. The vine smothers native vegetation, climbing trunks and branches, blocking light, and placing severe stress on host trees. Its rapid growth disrupts ecosystems, displaces native species, and increases fire risk throughout affected areas.
One of the Largest Valley Oaks by Volume, Estimated 600 Years Old, Groveland Wastewater Treatment Plant, Tuoloumne County, CA, 2024
Native oaks in California are increasingly threatened by urban and suburban development, which fragments habitats, compacts soil, and disrupts underground root and fungal networks essential to their survival. Roads, grading, and construction often damage mature trees and prevent natural regeneration. As development spreads, oak woodlands continue to decline.
Living Redwood Stumps, Logged in 1880s, Monterey County, CA, 2025
This redwood grove on California’s Central Coast was logged for timber in the 1880s. The stumps persist—not only because redwood is rot-resistant, but because the trees continue to live, drawing nutrients from a shared root system that can sustain them for centuries.