While hiking in California's High Sierra last September, UC Davis forest ecologist Hugh Safford unexpectedly discovered a new elevation record for the Jeffrey pine—a tree typically found far below the heights where he encountered it. His finding, now published in Madroño, suggests that the Jeffrey pine may be the highest-altitude tree in California.
Safford, a professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at UC Davis, was exploring the south slopes of Mount Kaweah in Sequoia National Park when he noticed something unusual. After stopping to admire a foxtail pine and a lodgepole pine—both common at high elevations—he spotted a tree that didn’t belong.
"I walk over, and it's a Jeffrey pine," said Safford. "It made no sense. What is a Jeffrey pine doing above 11,500 feet?"
Typically found in upper montane zones and common around Lake Tahoe and Mammoth Lakes, the Jeffrey pine is not known to grow in subalpine habitats. Yet Safford recorded specimens as high as 12,657 feet—nearly 1,900 feet higher than the previously known limit for this species and even above the documented elevations for well-known subalpine species like foxtail, lodgepole, and limber pines.
This makes the Jeffrey pine a strong contender for California’s highest tree, highlighting broader changes likely driven by climate warming. As temperatures rise and snow melts earlier, seeds that once failed to establish at such elevations are now sprouting in formerly frozen soil.
During that single hike, Safford documented 14 Jeffrey pines above 11,800 feet—some at least two decades old—and saw at least a dozen more from a distance. He plans to return to the area this summer with his research team to study what’s enabling these trees to thrive at such extreme heights.
One likely factor? The Clark’s nutcracker. This alpine bird is known for caching seeds of high-elevation species like whitebark pine. Safford suspects it may also be transporting and storing Jeffrey pine seeds at higher altitudes, inadvertently planting a new population as it searches for food.
Unlike climate models that suggest tree species are moving uphill too slowly to keep pace with global warming, this discovery shows a leapfrogging pattern—where seeds are dropped far beyond their usual range, skipping intermediate zones. This challenges assumptions about how species shift in response to climate change.
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3290/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3291/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3292/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3293/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3294/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3295/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3296/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3297/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3307/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3306/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3305/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3304/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3303/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3302/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3301/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3300/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3299/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3298/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3317/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3316/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3315/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3314/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3313/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3312/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3311/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3310/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3309/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3308/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3327/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3326/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3325/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3324/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3323/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3322/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3321/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3320/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3319/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3318/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3337/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3336/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3335/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3334/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3333/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3332/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3331/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3330/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3329/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3328/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3347/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3346/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3340/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3339/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3356/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3355/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3353/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3352/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3351/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3350/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3349/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3348/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3367/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3365/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3362/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3359/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3358/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3372/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3370/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3386/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3384/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3383/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3382/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3380/1
https://www.ediogames.com/fr/forum/topic/3379/1
http://playingwithsuperpower.com/forum/general-gaming-discussion/love-island-hack-unlimited-gems-tickets-mod-ios-android-2025/
http://playingwithsuperpower.com/forum/general-gaming-discussion/golf-battle-hack-get-unlimited-gems-coins-ios-android-2025/
http://playingwithsuperpower.com/forum/general-gaming-discussion/monster-legends-hack-mod-apk-2025-unlimited-gems-and-gold-android-ios/
http://playingwithsuperpower.com/forum/general-gaming-discussion/last-z-survival-shooter-hack-2025-get-unlimited-diamonds-android-ios/
http://playingwithsuperpower.com/forum/general-gaming-discussion/travel-town-hack-get-unlimited-free-coins-gems-iphone-android-2025/
http://playingwithsuperpower.com/forum/general-gaming-discussion/caesars-slots-hack-get-unlimited-free-coins-iphone-android/
http://playingwithsuperpower.com/forum/general-gaming-discussion/chikii-cloud-game-hack-mod-2025-unlimited-coins/
http://playingwithsuperpower.com/forum/general-gaming-discussion/webtoon-hack-how-to-get-unlimited-coins-free-in-webtoon-2025/
http://playingwithsuperpower.com/forum/general-gaming-discussion/pocket-fm-hack-mod-how-to-get-unlimited-coins-in-pocket-fm-2025/
http://playingwithsuperpower.com/forum/general-gaming-discussion/new-update-chikii-mod-2025-unlimited-coins-money/
http://playingwithsuperpower.com/forum/general-gaming-discussion/match-masters-hack-2025-get-free-unlimited-coins-boosters/
"I'm seeing trees survive where they never did before, but also disappear from places they used to thrive," Safford said. "They’re not just migrating gradually uphill. It’s far more dynamic and patchy."
Jeffrey pines are notably resilient to both cold and drought, making their newfound presence on Mount Kaweah unusual but not impossible. Their success hints at how some species might adapt—or even flourish—in changing environments.
The discovery also highlights a critical gap in technology-based observation. Despite their presence, these high-altitude Jeffrey pines don’t appear in satellite imagery or remote sensing databases. Only direct observation—like Safford’s chance encounter—can confirm their existence.
"People aren’t hiking to the tops of mountains to see where the trees actually are," he said. "We rely too heavily on tech, but it often misses what’s right in front of us."
This summer, Safford and his students will hike across Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks and the slopes of Mount Whitney and Mount Kaweah to survey seedlings, collect data, and improve elevation models. Their goal is to better understand how trees—and ecosystems—are responding to a warming climate in real time.
