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Article: Return of the kings: times are tough for the Santa Cruz cypress, a tree with limited range and, for 20 years, no champion.
- Article from:
- American Forests
- Article date:
- March 22, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 American Forests. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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With a single glance I can see about 3,000 Santa Cruz cypress trees. That red-shouldered hawk soaring high above me can see as many as 5,200, but no more. No matter where that hawk flies, when it comes to counting Cupressus abramsiana, the sky is not the limit. 5,200 is. I know this because that's all the wild Santa Cruz cypress there are in the whole world, and every one of them grows within 14 miles of where I sit.
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My vantage point is a lofty sandstone outcrop in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California, overlooking a potpourri forest of ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, manzanita, knobcone pine, live ...