Black Hill is a mountain situated in Morro Bay, California, part of Morro Bay State Park. It one of a series of

volcanic plug A volcanic plug, also called a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a volcanic object created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano. When present, a plug can cause an extreme build-up of high gas pressure if rising volatile-charged mag ...

s called the

Nine Sisters The Nine Sisters or the Morros are a chain of twenty-three, although typically only nine are included, volcanic mountains and hills in western San Luis Obispo County, Southern California. They run between Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo. Geography ...

Monterey Pine forest

There is a forest of Monterey Pine ''(Pinus radiata)'' trees on Black Hill, called Fleming's Forest, planted by John Fleming, a park superintendent. Fleming was working on another project and ordered twice as many trees as he needed, thinking that he would not get his entire order. Nevertheless, he received it in full and used the surplus on Black Hill. Many of the trees have died or are dying from

pine pitch canker ''Fusarium circinatum'' is a fungal plant pathogen that causes the serious disease pitch canker on pine trees and Douglas firs (''Pseudotsuga menziesii''). The most common hosts of the pathogen include slash pine ('' Pinus elliottii''), loblolly ...

, a fungal disease which also threatens the Monterey pine's remnant native groves in Cambria and on the Monterey Peninsula.

References

External links

* {{Nine Sisters Nine Sisters Morro Bay Landforms of San Luis Obispo County, California Volcanic plugs of California Hills of California Volcanoes of California