Fields Peak (2243m/7362'), a peak apart of the Aldrich Mountain Range of central Oregon, is a location that deserves greater focus for future surveying of locally undocumented subalpine flora populations. Roughly 5 miles east of the Cedar Grove Botanical Area, the only stand of Cupressus nootkatensis (Alaska Yellow Cedar) east of the Cascades of Oregon, this is an area already known to be of unique botanical interest.

Hosting previously undocumented disjunct populations of Abies lasiocarpa (Subalpine Fir), Pinus Albicaulis (Whitebark Pine), and an extensive list of other vascular plant species, this is a location that possesses significant potential for hosting other species of unique distribution that are unknown to the region. These disjunct populations, like those documented in the Cedar Grove Botanical Area, could provide invaluable data on the historic distribution of previously undocumented populations.

I'm glad that I had the brief opportunity to visit this area while attending to other surveying responsibilities, and I hope to be able to return to this location myself at a future date.

Posted on November 20, 2023 03:03 AM by steinm