Conifers of the Pacific Slope Archives

Nature’s Archive features Michael Kauffmann

April 26, 2022 by Backcountry Press Leave a Comment

Michael Hawk, the creator of Nature’s Archive, featured Michael Kauffmann a few weeks back. They discussed the many things that make conifers such an amazing group of plants including their evolutionary history, what makes them different from other trees, and gives us a special look at the amazing diversity of conifers in his area – the Klamath region of far northern California. This deep dive reveals many interesting ecological processes that likely can be generalized to other regions and other plants. It’s truly fascinating.

Listen to Michael on Nature’s Archive

Magnificent Five-needle Pines of Western North America

December 5, 2021 by Backcountry Press 2 Comments

How well do you know them? Take a “quiz” to test your knowledge about this amazing group of pines!

Our upcoming 2-part webinar will explore the natural history of six closely related five-needle pines of western North America, and dive into the amazing factoids mentioned below in the “quiz.” Here’s what we have in store for you:

Part 1 on 12/9: Intro to conifers, intro to pines, sugar pine, and whitebark pine

Part 2 on 12/16: Limber pine, bristlecone pine, foxtail pines, and 5-needle pine conservation

Giving Back: 50% of your $15 class registration fee is being donated to the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation, a science-based non-profit dedicated to counteracting the widespread decline of all 5-needle pines throughout the Rocky Mountains, Pacific Northwest, and Northern Sierra Nevada.

Are you ready? Here’s your quiz…

Forest Mushrooms of the Pacific Coast

August 28, 2021 by Backcountry Press 1 Comment

A five-part fall webinar series

Join Maria Morrow and Christian Schwarz for a comprehensive introduction to the forest mushrooms of California and the Pacific Northwest. Over the course of this series we’ll cover foundational topics ranging from the fundamentals of mushroom identification to basic fungal biology. We’ll also discuss the fascinating complexities of the bigger picture: Patterns of ecology, evolution, and biogeography. The series will close with opportunities for field excursions with the instructors and community-science challenges to participate in over the course of the upcoming years!

Part 1: Introduction to Mushrooms – October 19th
Part 2: Mushroom Ecology along the Pacific Coast – October 26th
Part 3: Forest Pathogens of the Pacific Coast – November 2nd
Part 4: Mushroom Explorations – November 9th
Part 5: Gaps in our understanding / Future Directions / Threats and Changes in the coming decades – November 16th

All webinars will be recorded and available for viewing for three months after purchase.

With ‘intentional forests,’ hope grows on trees

August 15, 2021 by Marie Antoine 12 Comments

Prioritizing long-lived giant trees could maximize the carbon sequestration and biodiversity of city parks and other green spaces.

By Marie E. Antoine and Stephen C. Sillett

Current environmental crises can seem overwhelming in scale. Confronting climate change and conserving biodiversity will require huge changes in how humans manage the landscape and in our use of fossil fuels. But one part of the solution is growing all around us, we call them intentional forests.

Our team studies trees and forests. Coast redwood, giant sequoia, Douglas-fir, Sitka spruce — the four tallest conifers have been our main focus for over two decades. This work has helped us understand how, though trees alone can’t save the world, they can help.

Godwit Days with Michael Kauffmann

February 26, 2017 by Backcountry Press Leave a Comment

Michael will lead two hikes at Godwit Days in Arcata, California. On these hikes, participants will explore the relationships between birds, conifers and manzanitas.

Price of the trip includes a book from the Backcountry Press catalog.

Yule Tree History

December 1, 2016 by Backcountry Press Leave a Comment

Evergreen conifers and the winter solstice

This info-graphic explores the long and storied history of bringing evergreen conifers into our homes near the end of each calendar year–the Yule Tree history. From the tradition’s beginnings in northern Germany as the Yule Tree to the creation of the artificial tree, read on to explore the origins and evolution of our unique love affair with conifers.

See our board on Pinterest

Discovering Douglas-fir

November 13, 2016 by Backcountry Press Leave a Comment

I took my son hiking today and I am proud to say he loves looking at trees, exploring the forest, and playing at our fort. Here he is identifying a Douglas-fir cone…

Conifers and Places along the Pacific Slope

Conifers of the Pacific Slope is a contemporary field guide built to assist plant lovers in identifying one of the most intriguing and ancient groups of plants in the world. Conifers survive within the West’s most spectacular environments—from the coastal temperate rainforests to the highest mountain summits.

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