Forests of the Mule Mountains

[fredmcain]

Dear Group,

I have been trying to find something out about the Mule Mountains near Bisbee. I thought that perhaps someone on this forum might know.

The question is, is there any large, standing timber left around the higher elevations in this mini-mountain chain? I know for a fact that juniper and pinyon pines can be found but what about ponderosa pine or Douglas fir? Are there any of those? Google Earth satellite images tend to suggest this - particularly on the north-facing slopes but it's hard for me to tell for sure.

According to an article in Wikipedia there was once a rather impressive forest of Doug fir in these mountains. That should not come as a surprise because this is actually a rather wet area given the elevation. (6,000 - 7300 feet). Sadly the forest was plundered and destroyed by the early mining boom in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Has any of it started to regenerate? Does anybody on the forum know?

Regards,
Fred M. Cain,
Topeka, IN (Former Arizona resident)

[chumley]

Hi Fred-

I've never hiked in the Mules, but there are a few trips posted by hikers here on HAZ. Of those, several have photos of their hikes. Even zooming in on some of the most promising seems to show only juniper pinyon. Though I wouldn't rule out a small pocket of ponderosa in the north-facing drainages.

This map will show some of the photos and hikes. If you click on them, you can get further information for your research (some photosets exist that don't appear on the map).
[ custom map :: map ]

[fredmcain]

@chumley
Thanks, Chumley! This is helpful.

Regards,
Fred M. Cain