Oak News & Notes The Newsletter of the International Oak Society, Volume 18, No. 1, 2014 The Mogollon Rim forms a floristic boundary between the Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona colder Rocky Mountain flora, Great Basin flora and the warmer Madrean oak woodlands and Sonoran desert floras. ak Creek Canyon is an extensive drainage basin on Oak Creek Canyon encompasses many of these different O the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau in North types of terrestrial ecosystems, which occur in different Central Arizona. The canyon is located at the geological locations depending on the slope, exposure, elevation, and fault between the Basin and Range Province and the Colo- soil type. Precipitation in the canyon is significantly higher rado Plateau. The fault forms an extensive area of high- than in the surrounding region, leading to a greater diversi- lands known as the Mogollon Rim, and many large creeks ty of habitat types. drain the area. Oak Creek Canyon, in the Coconino Nation- al Forest, is one of the Starting at the Sedona area most beautiful of these and travelling north, visi- creeks, and it is home to tors to the lower canyon many different species of mouth first encounter areas deciduous and evergreen of desert grasslands and oaks. patches of Great Basin pin- yon-juniper woodlands. The mouth of Oak Creek The desert grassland is Canyon starts near the characterized by summer red rocks of Sedona, and bunchgrasses and ocotillo the canyon extends (Fouquieria splendens northward, narrowing as Engelm.), with scattered it goes. It cuts through oaks and junipers where the different strata of the the grasslands mix with Colorado Plateau, reveal- chaparral and pinyon- ing first the beautiful red juniper woodlands. Soil sandstones of the Sedona type and slope are key fac- area at the mouth and tors for good grass stand then white sandstones development in this area. farther north in the can- Juniper woodlands are also yon. The rim of the can- View of Oak Creek Canyon from a lookout point. Photo: Ryan Russell common at lower and mid- yon is made of black bas- dle elevations in the Oak Creek area. Dominant species are alt. The stream that cuts down through the canyon is scat- Juniperus mixed with Quercus turbinella Greene and, at tered with large boulders of these various rock types, which higher elevations, shrubby Q. gambelii Nutt. Steeper have been washed downstream in the periodic flash floods slopes near the canyon mouth are covered with thick interi- that occur during the monsoon and heavy winter rains. Oak or chaparral. Trees near the canyon mouth generally range Creek originates from a number of tributary springs that from 5 to 30 ft/1.5 to 9 m tall. come down from the headwaters of the many side canyons that join Oak Creek, including West Fork canyon. Oak North of the mouth the canyon narrows, and the terrain be- Creek Canyon drains the Colorado Plateau from north to comes dense interior chaparral and Madrean oak woodland. south, while the side canyons enter from the east and west. Interior chaparral is a shrub-dominated ecosystem made up The tributary springs well up at the transition between the of many species adapted to drought and fire. Oaks in this white sandstone strata and the more impermeable basalt area are evergreen, not deciduous. The most important layer. component of interior chaparral is Q. turbinella, which Oak News & Notes brid swarms in intermediate on lower north and east slopes, along habitats. Q. emoryi is a large with shrubs of snowberries to small tree common in mid- (Symphoricarpos longiflorus A. Gray). dle elevation areas. Q. emoryi attains its greatest size on the Oak Creek itself and its contributing banks of Oak Creek next to springs are lined with rich riparian de- giant Q. arizonica. ciduous forest. Many of the riparian trees reach 50 ft/15 m or taller, and Cool north slopes at the mid- some may grow as tall as 90 ft/27 m. dle elevations of the canyon Arizona sycamore (Platanus wrightii bear forests of ponderosa pine S. Watson), a large tree with striking and Gambel oak that resem- white bark, is the most prominent ri- ble those found in the Rocky parian inhabitant of the lower and mid- Mountains. This forest also dle reaches of the canyon. Arizona dominates higher elevation walnut (Juglans major (Torr.) A. Hel- Meeting of two species: Quercus gambelii and Q. turbinella. south slopes and the forested ler), oak (Q. arizonica), ash (Fraxinus Photo: Ryan Russell Colorado Plateau above the velutina Torr.), and alder (Alnus oblon- forms extensive stands in Central Ari- canyon. Important species are Pinus gifolia Torr.) mix with the sycamore. zona. Turbinella oak is often a shrub (5 ponderosa Douglas ex C. Lawson, Q. In the cool, moist side canyons, many x 5 ft/1.5 x 1.5 m), but can be a small gambelii, Juniperus spp., and Q. turbi- moisture-loving trees like maples, cot- tree up to 15 ft/4.6 m tall. It has small nella. Ponderosa pine, the most com- tonwoods, and willows occur. Narrow- thick leathery leaves with an extensive mon and important tree of this habitat, leaf cottonwood (Populus angustifolia underground root system to E. James) is common in the gather moisture. Bearberry upper reaches of the canyon, (Arctostaphylos pungens and Fremont cottonwood Kunth), a large shrub with (Populus fremontii S. Watson) bright red bark and small, in lower elevations. Willow pointy, glossy leaves, domi- species grow throughout the nates higher-elevation south canyon. Maples such as ash- slopes and forms pure stands in leaf (Acer negundo L.), the Oak Creek area. Rhus ovata bigtooth (Acer grandidentatum S. Watson, known locally as Nutt.), and Rocky Mountain Sugarberry, is a shrub with (Acer glabrum Torr.) are gen- large oblong leaves found in erally found along Oak Creek, lower elevation chaparral. Q. near springs, and on north palmeri Engelm. is a large slopes. A rare species, Knowl- shrub oak that is abundant in ton hophornbeam (Ostrya the Oak Creek area. Palmer oak knowltonii Coville), grows near often hybridizes with Q. the confluence of the west fork chrysolepis Liebm. in middle of Oak Creek. This species oc- elevations of the canyon. curs in small colonies through- Madrean oak woodlands are at out the Western United States, their northern limit on the Gambel oak along one of the streams running through the Canyon. but is never a common species. Mogollon Rim and are mostly Photo: Darin Jenke Grasses are quite common even composed of several evergreen in the riparian and woodland oak species, specifically Q. emoryi grows very large, often over 100 ft/30 areas, and the transitions between habi- Torr., Q. grisea Liebm., and Q. arizon- m tall. Rocky Mountain juniper tats may be gradual. A number of ica Sarg. Q. grisea is often found (Juniperus scopulorum Sarg.) is found nonnative trees also grow along the mixed with junipers, and turbinella oak along the canyon rim and scattered in creek. Early homesteaders planted or- grows on dry south slopes. Q. grisea is middle elevations of the canyon. For- chards of apples, plums, apricots, often a small tree or shrub and hybrid- ests of white fir and Douglas fir (Abies peaches, pears, and pecans. Many of izes with turbinella oak. Q. arizonica concolor Lindl. and Pseudotsuga men- the orchards survive and have spread is a large tree that grows on north ziesii (Mirb.) Franco) sprout at the across the canyon. Apples have recruit- slopes and in riparian areas. It often higher elevations of the canyon, partic- ed and are found along Oak Creek. hybridizes with Q. grisea, forming hy- ularly at the head of the canyon, and Peaches and apricots have less success 2 Oak News & Notes the hot summers. The creek tains become tipped with snow. The is a beautiful, gentle stream canyon is cold in the winter, but it's that descends gradually worth a visit year round. through the canyon, form- ing still little pools inter- Darin Jenke and Stephanie rupted by occasional Bittner stretches of rippling water. It isn't the place to visit if Species Spotlight you're looking for rapids, but it's a peaceful place for An endangered oak: a walk and hosts a healthy Quercus austro- fishing community, who come to catch introduced cochinchinensis rainbow trout from its cold waters. The trout species uercus austrocochinchinensis Knowlton hophornbeam. Photo: Darin Jenke native to Oak Creek Can- Q Hickel & A. Camus is a Critically in reproducing, but scattered trees are yon, the gila trout unfortunately was Endangered species. It has a scattered found in the area. long ago extirpated. Other native spe- distribution in ravines of Hainan and cies survive, including desert sucker southwest Yunnan provinces of China Oak Creek Canyon suffered a couple and a variety of chubs, and they feed and northern Indo-China and is one of of severe wildfires in 2006. The fires on the abundant arthropods that thrive the dominant tree species in these re- burnt the chaparral and ponderosa in the creek, including crayfish, may- gions. Based on herbarium records, it pines on the west side of the canyon. flies, dragonflies, and aquatic insects. was once the dominant tree of the sea- Though the fire benefited the chaparral sonal tropical forest of these regions, habitat, traces of those fires can be The canyon varies seasonally in ap- but due to the development of the seen today in the dead ponderosa and pearance. In the spring, the mouth of economy and agriculture, its habitats the canyon has abundant have been taken over by rubber tree wildflowers. The forests open and banana farms.