Forests. A group of ponderosa pine trees viewed from the ground. NPS. All NPS. If you walk through the forest in the cool of a summer evening and smell the air it may smell sweet. That is the scent of the ponderosa pine trees. They have a sweet smell like vanilla or butterscotch. Ponderosa pine is the primary tree in the Black Hills around Mount Rushmore and are well adapted to the environment that they grow in. You can find ponderosas in the Black Hills, across the Rocky Mountains and westward to California. Ponderosas can tolerate drier conditions. In the Black Hills ponderosa pines are found on dry, rocky, slopes, especially south facing slopes. Other species of pine like the Douglas fir, which is a western forest climax tree, can not tolerate the drier climate here. The ponderosa pine forest community has evolved with cycles of drought and fire to become home to a variety of species. Forests - Mount Rushmore National Memorial (U.S. National Park Service) U.S. Department of the Interior. Red squirrels, mice, wood rats and chipmunks also depend on the trees for food. The seeds in the cones are a source of protein in the animal's diet. Porcupines mainly subsists on tree cambium, the sweet layer just under the bark that transports nutrient throughout the tree. Porcupines can girdle a tree and kill it. This, however, opens the forest for introductory species or young climax species growth. Every member of the forest community has a role to play. The habitat created by a healthy ponderosa pine forest maintained by fire is important to ungulates like deer and elk. The open park like landscape with grassy meadows interspersed creates forage for these animals. During the heat of summer the grasses below the Ponderosas are still greener and provide food for elk as they make their altitudinal migration to higher elevations during the hotter weather. During the winter months white-tailed and mule deer will forage on young seedlings.