Calocedrus decurrens
The park is in the high Sierra Nevada mountain range at an elevation of around . It is covered in mixed coniferous forest with tree species such as Jeffrey pine ("Pinus jeffreyi"), white fir ("Abies concolor"), Sierra lodgepole pine ("Pinus contorta" ssp. "murrayana"), California incense cedar ("Calocedrus decurrens"), sugar pine ("Pinus lambertiana"), and red fir ("Abies magnifica"). Black cottonwood ("Populus trichocarpa") and quaking aspen ("Populus tremuloides") are part of the local fall foliage display. This forest is not pristine, having been subjected to heavy logging in the late 1800s. Wood was used by miners in the Comstock Lode and other great mineral deposits. Long-term fire suppression and periods of drought and bark beetle infestation have altered the fire regime. Controlled burns are used to help prevent very destructive wildfires.