tens of thousands of tanoaks, coast live oaks, and black oaks between Big Sur and the Oregon border are dying from sudden oak death. Researchers have isolated a previously unknown fungal species they believe causes the disease. This pathogen is a member of the genus Phytophthora (Latin for plant destroyer) and is related to species blamed for such agricultural plagues as the Irish potato famine. Scientists are conducting far-ranging research to determine how the fungus spreads and how it can be stopped. It’s critical to slow the spread of the fungus by preventing the movement of infected leaves, wood, and soil. Visitors to Big Sur’s oak woodlands should clean their tires, shoes, and animals’ feet thoroughly before leaving the area.
Acorns are the most important food item for animals living in or around oak woodlands. In fall, as acorns ripen and fall, the forest chatters with excitement as birds and mammals flock to harvest the nutritious nuts. Resident species include:
MAMMALS Mule deer, bobcat, mountain lion, gray fox, coyote, striped skunk, wild boar (introduced from Europe), California mouse, western gray squirrel, pocket gopher, Audubon cottontail, lump-nosed bat, big brown bat, silver-haired bat, red bat, and hoary bat.
Sprawling black oaks filter views northwest toward the ocean along the Buckeye Trail.
BIRDS Western bluebird; chestnut-backed chickadee; northern flicker; acorn, Lewis’, and Nuttall’s woodpeckers; violet-green and tree swallows; scrub jay; common raven; plain titmouse; bushtit; white-breasted nuthatch; orange-crowned and Townsend’s warblers; Hutton’s vireo; black-headed grosbeak; band-tailed pigeon; mourning dove; western screech and great horned owls; Cooper’s, red-tailed, and red-shouldered hawks; and American kestrel.
REPTILES Western fence lizard, alligator lizard, western skink, gopher snake, common kingsnake, and western rattlesnake.
AMPHIBIANS Arboreal salamander, California newt, and western toad.
Mixed Evergreen Forest
The mixed evergreen forest is an extremely varied community, in which endemic, rare, isolated, or disjunct coniferous species grow amid a diverse array of hardwood trees. Member species include the Santa Lucia fir, Coulter pine, ponderosa pine, sugar pine, gray pine, Monterey pine, Douglas fir, and incense cedar.
Nestled along deep, dark canyon floors and atop the Santa Lucias’ dry, rocky slopes and summits lives the rarest, most distinct, and narrowly distributed of all fir species, the endemic Santa Lucia fir. They are easily identified by droopy, densely foliated crowns that extend from the base of the tree with lower branches that nearly touch the ground. The tree’s differing habitats share one characteristic: each is relatively fire resistant. Although the range is subject to periodic wildfires, the Santa Lucia fir is not fire adapted and cannot survive in areas susceptible to burning.
Fossil evidence from the Miocene period (22 million to 6 million years ago) proves the Santa Lucia fir was once widely distributed throughout western North America. During the Miocene, the climate was much warmer and wetter than today, including regular summer rainfall. During the Pliocene period (5.2 to 1.6 million years ago), the climate cooled, leading to the ice ages of the Pleistocene (1.6 million to 11,000 years ago). The Santa Lucia fir could not withstand these colder, drier conditions and thus retreated to milder coastal climates.
Botanist Thomas Coulter first described the Coulter pine in 1832 near Cone Peak. Its enormous, sharp-spurred cones are the heaviest of any pine species. The tree grows in association with canyon live oaks, tanoaks, California bays, and madrones. On the flanks of Junipero Serra Peak, Coulter pines grow alongside stately sugar pines.
A Scottish botanist first described sugar pines in 1831 while climbing Cone Peak. These largest of all pines boast enormous cones that are longer and more slender than the Coulter pine’s cones. Distinct from their Sierra Nevada and Southern California cousins, Big Sur’s sugar pines are restricted to isolated peaks and higher elevation slopes atop Cone and Junipero Serra Peaks.
Climate change millions of years ago isolated this stand of Santa Lucia fir to the milder coastal climate of Big Sur.
The incense cedar is another disjunct tree removed from its Sierra Nevada population. When crushed, its flat, scaled foliage emits a pungent aroma. Botanists speculate that this tree was also once widespread, but as the climate warmed over the past 10,000 years and wildfires became more commonplace, its range shrank drastically.
The mixed evergreen plant community shares many of the plant and animal species commonly seen in Big Sur’s oak woodlands. Consult that wildlife list for representative species.
BIG SUR SEASONS
Big Sur’s steep, rugged topography and proximity to the ocean lead to a diverse array of regional microclimates. Deep, narrow canyons remain shady and cool even in sweltering summer heat. High, barren peaks regularly freeze and receive snow in winter. Cool onshore breezes sweep coastal terraces, while the sun beats down on arid south-facing slopes. Though visitors may complain about a lack of defined seasons along the coast, locals know Big Sur is markedly different and beautiful each season.
Summer
In summer, inland temperatures along the Santa Lucia Range often soar into the 90s Fahrenheit during the day and drop to the 40s Fahrenheit by night both in the valleys and at high elevation. This contrasts dramatically with stable, cool temperatures along the coast, which generally range from the low 50s to mid 60s Fahrenheit.
Separated from the ocean by 2000-foot Pfeiffer Ridge, the Big Sur River gorge is much warmer than the fog-shrouded beaches to the west. Campers and hikers flock to deep swimming holes within the gorge for bracing dips. Occasionally, the fog encroaches inland and is drawn up-canyon, bringing gray and overcast conditions even to high ridges.
Although rain is unlikely in summer, tropical low-pressure systems occasionally approach the coast in the form of puffy cumulus clouds. As this warm, humid air moves in, thunderheads may develop, spawning lightning and rain. During periodic summer droughts, wildfires are a real threat, so residents are watchful for any signs of lightning or smoke. Lightning sparked the 180,000-acre Marble–Cone Fire (1977), the 60,000-acre Rat Creek Fire (1985), the 90,000-acre Kirk Complex Fires (1999), and the 160,000-acre Basin Complex Fire (2008).
Fall
Indian summer brings warmer temperatures to the coast in fall. As the North Pacific High dissipates, nearshore cold-water upwelling stops, lowering humidity and driving fog well offshore. Views from high mountain peaks are outstanding in the crisp, clear air. Northwesterly winds diminish, and coastal waters become flat, calm, and warm (upper 50s instead of low 50s Fahrenheit). Deep within the riparian woodlands, deciduous trees change color and shed their kaleidoscopic leaves on the canyon floors.
Winter
Winter storms generally approach the central California coast from the northwest or southwest. Forming in the cold regions of the North Pacific and Bering Sea, northern fronts bring cold air masses and moderate rainfall. Forming over warm water in the South Pacific, southern storms typically bring extensive rainfall.
Arriving on the Big Sur coast, the moisture-laden air lashes the steep terrain and is forced upward. As the air rises, it cools and condenses, releasing moisture as rain or snow. When the North Pacific High lingers into winter, it prevents storms from reaching the coast and often leads to severe winter droughts.
Precipitation varies dramatically from year to year. Rainfall
