Everywhere you look around Central Oregon, chances are good you’ll see a variety of trees. Hiking through the high desert? You’ll most likely pass stands of gnarled juniper. Fishing the Metolius River near Camp Sherman? You’ll do so alongside colorful vine maple and in the shadow of yellow Western larch trees. And if your adventures head into the heart of the Cascade Range, you’ll stand at the base of regal Douglas fir trees.
With such a diverse lineup of forests, we thought we’d take a deep dive into the region’s trees—what the various species look like, how to tell them apart at a glance, and what makes each so unique.
Here’s a look at the most common trees in Central Oregon—along with where to enjoy them:
Common Trees Found in Central Oregon
Douglas Fir
No discussion of Central Oregon trees would be complete without a nod to the Douglas fir. The towering conifer was declared the Oregon state tree in 1939, grows at up to 5,000 feet above sea level, and is perhaps the most common tree anywhere in the Beaver State. For centuries, Native American tribes across Oregon relied on Douglas fir for fuel, tools, and medicinal purposes; more recently, old-growth Douglas firs were used to build homes across the United States.
You won’t find many Douglas firs in the high desert of Central Oregon; rather, the evergreen is more common in the Cascade Range—where, depending on the subspecies, they can grow 100 to 300 feet tall. Whether hiking through mountainous forests or rafting rivers high in the Cascade Range, you’ll be able to tell Douglas firs by their thick coats of bark, imposing height, and needle-like leaves that remain green and affixed to the tree all year long. Learn more about what else you’ll find throughout the mountains in Central Oregon.
Ponderosa Pine
Perhaps no tree is more closely linked to Central Oregon than the majestic ponderosa pine—noted for its cinnamon-hued bark and long, sturdy needles that grow in groups of three. (Some even claim that the tree’s thick, fire-resistant bark smells like butterscotch or vanilla.) You’re most likely to see ponderosa pine trees west of Highway 97 and in the Cascade Range foothills.
Most ponderosa pines grow 100 to 150 feet tall, but LaPine State Park is home to Oregon’s tallest such tree; “Big Tree”, as it’s known, measures about 160 feet tall and is more than 500 years old. A short, mostly flat path offers easy access to the base of the majestic tree.
Grand Fir
When you head west from the likes of Madras, Bend, and Sunriver, it won’t be long before you ascend into the Cascade Range foothills and find yourself surrounded by the appropriately named grand fir tree.
The common evergreen conifer, the largest of all fir trees, can grow up to 250 feet tall and produce cones nearly four inches long. Beyond its astounding height, the grand fir is most easily recognized for its drooping branches and flat rows of needles. (Away from alpine forests, grand firs are commonly grown for use as Christmas trees across the Pacific Northwest.)
Photo courtesy of Black Butte Ranch
Quaking Aspen
The quaking aspen, so named because its leaves appear to tremble in the breeze, has the widest range of any tree in North America. The fast-growing deciduous trees are most common in high-elevation mountainous regions and are typically found in the Cascade Range foothills at the western edge of Central Oregon.
On your travels, watch for the tree’s white bark and slender trunk—and in fall, take time to admire how its leaves turn an almost electric shade of yellow. (In spring and summer, those leaves are green.) No wonder the Deschutes Land Trust considers quaking aspen one of the trees to know in Central Oregon.
Vine Maple
Vine maple grows up to about 20 feet at its peak—far shorter than most of the trees in this piece. But what it lakes in stature, vine maple makes up for with eye-popping foliage displays every autumn.
The deciduous tree looks less like a conventional tree than a large shrub—mostly growing alongside shady streams and riverbanks up to 5,000 feet in elevation. (Fairly often, it grows in the shadow of another tree on this list: Douglas fir.) That short stature makes vine maple a popular food source for Central Oregon’s deer and elk populations.
More than where it grows, the vine maple is famous for what it looks like: Every autumn, the tree’s leaves turn brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow—blanketing Central Oregon in vibrant fall foliage displays.
Western Juniper
The Western juniper is synonymous with Central Oregon’s high desert—a dry, arid climate where the tree can live for an unbelievable 1,000 years or more. The slow-growing tree may reach heights of 30 feet, and it’s most notable for twisted, gnarled trunks—popularly used by ranchers as fence posts—and berry-like cones that are typically used to provide gin with its distinctive flavor. Mature trees are vital contributors to a thriving ecosystem, providing food for birds and shelter to rodents, coyotes, and even deer.
You won’t find many western juniper trees west of Bend or Sunriver; rather, these evergreen trees prefer the dryer climate of the Central Oregon high desert. For more on the tree, check out the article J is For Juniper from local outfitter Wanderlust Tours.
Western Larch
The Western larch is, to be frank, a finicky tree. Most of the year, the Western larch looks almost exactly like the lodgepole pine trees that it grows around. The Western larch—which can live up to 1,000 years—grows only in the Cascade Range foothills and mid-mountain ecosystems, requires mildly moist growing conditions, and its bare branches look almost dead in winter.
Yet the Western larch captures the imagination of locals and visitors alike every autumn—when its needles turn a bright shade of golden yellow for a few magical weeks before dropping to the forest floor soon after Halloween. And since the tree grows around pine trees that don’t turn colors in fall, its effects are all the more dramatic.
Lodgepole Pine
Lodgepole pine has the distinction of being Oregon’s only native two-needle pine tree—and is a common site across various ecosystems in Central Oregon. (That means you’ll find the tree on high sandy plateaus and lining steep mountain slopes alike.) It looks, in many ways, like ponderosa pine trees—but stands out for having a tall, straight, and skinny trunk that looks (surprise!) like a street-light pole. For generations, Native American tribes around Central Oregon used the tree to build teepees.
Unique Characteristics of Central Oregon Trees
The forests in Central Oregon are as diverse as they are numerous. And wherever you travel across the region, you’ll see trees that adapt to their climates and environments.
The prolific ponderosa pine, for instance, does well in Central Oregon’s dry climate because the tree’s deep roots make it possible to reach (and conserve) water far below the Earth’s surface.
Lodgepole pine, meanwhile, is notable for how it deals with wildfire. The lodgepole pine tree retains the seeds in its cones until wildfire sweeps through a forest; at that point, the tree releases its seeds, which flourish in the cleared-out undergrowth and repopulate a forest fairly quickly.
And quaking aspen is an important piece of the natural puzzle wherever it may be found. Beavers are fond of storing its bark for winter, the tree’s saplings do well in wide-open landscapes (and, by extension, grow easily in fire-prone regions), and the tree’s thick understory attracts a wide range of wildlife—including bears, porcupines, and several species of bird.
Curious to learn more about our beautiful region—its forests, wildlife, history, and more? Numerous museums in Central Oregon offer educational opportunities for the whole family.
Best Places to See the Trees in Central Oregon
Different trees thrive in different ecosystems across Central Oregon. We’ve provided some insight on where to see some of these species on your travels, but here are a few specific spots that have especially memorable forests.
If planning an autumn getaway, you’ll find plenty of opportunities for fall foliage in Central Oregon. In October, check out colorful vine maple trees along the McKenzie River National Recreation Trail and around Sahalie and Koosah Falls. Vibrant Western larch trees, meanwhile, can be found around Metolius Preserve near Camp Sherman and in Shevlin Park in Bend.
Looking to see Western juniper trees? The Oregon Badlands Wilderness provides an excellent opportunity to walk among juniper trees in Central Oregon—where the weathered trees are common sights along the far-reaching expanse.
For more on where to see the trees we’ve covered in this piece, check out these tree species distribution maps for Central Oregon for a deeper dive into their habitats.
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