Where are lush pine regions in the Western US that aren't too cold in winter? (live in, move to)
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I'm interested in others input on cities or small regions that have plenty of Pine trees , but aren't too cold In the winter and not too much snow. I live In AZ so I love going up to Payson and Flagstaff areas during spring a d summer, winter not so much.
Are you specifically interested in pines, or do you mean all coniferous trees such as firs, hemlocks, sprus etc.? If you are specifically talking about pines then your best bet would be in the SouthEast since the loblolly pine is very extensive there. However if you’re interested in any coniferous tree, then the coastal areas of the pacific coast, particularly north of San Francisco will also have a lot and very lush.
If cedars are ok in your book, move to northwestern Washington state. They are like weeds; you are pulling cedar seedlings out of your lawn every year.
I definitely agree with the mentions above regarding the Pacific Coast. In particular, the sweetspot comprises the area that they refer to as the "Redwood Empire," stretching from the central California coast to as far north as southwestern Oregon. This zone has an ideal combination of decent moisture year-round for great vegetative growth (winter rains and summer fog), while also being (relatively) mild and frost free. It is such temperate conditions that allow some of Earth's tallest trees to flourish, with the signature coast redwood (sequoia sempervirens). And not only just coniferous evergreens, but also some broadleaf varieties such as the coastal madrone of the Pacific (arbutus menziesii). These forests really develop well on windward slopes, since they maximize the extent of orographic winter rainfall, while also still retaining the benefit from the regional summer fogs.
Just to underscore how temperate the climates are year-round, you can actually cultivate quite a bit of palm and other subtropical/tropical plant species! For instance, I've seen some relatively decent date palms of the Canary Islands (phoenix canariensis) being growth throughout the Brookings, Oregon area. But although true cold isn't a common occurrence in these area, there are still some challenges at play with cultivation as a result of the lack of sustained heat desired by many of the imported plant species.
I’m going to go out on a limb here (no pun intended) and say the Santa Fe area/Santa Fe National Forest. It does get cool there in the winter with some snow particularly in higher elevations but significantly less so than Flagstaff.
Another area would be eastern SD county/Laguna Range. They do also get snow but far less frequently than Flagstaff.
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