Bristlecone, Limber Pine Geology, and Soil Substrates

Abstract

Bristlecone Pines are among the oldest living trees in the world, and the climate condition under which they thrive is nothing short of extreme in the alpine zone. The experiment takes place in Inyo National Forest, where a hundred Bristlecone and Limber Pines were assessed. The trees were chosen based on a randomized selection that allowed us to analyze trees going upslope. We identified the rock type under the tree canopy, and analyzed the soil by taking the pH using a pH meter. By analyzing the rock and soil under the canopy of Bristlecone and Limber Pines we found that the soil conditions weren’t consistent with the favorable conditions under which the trees grow in. Climate change may play a role in the neutral shift in soil pH due to the increase in the rate of erosion of the rock type which is most prevalent among the pines, dolomite.