Sierra Nevada lower montane forest

Last updated
An example of lower montane forest in Yosemite Valley. Pinus ponderosa Yosemite 2.jpg
An example of lower montane forest in Yosemite Valley.

The Sierra Nevada lower montane forest is a plant community along a strip along the western and eastern edges of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. This zone is also known as a yellow pine forest. [1]

Contents

Moving southward, the elevation range of the lower montane forest grows. Its elevation range at the northern end of the Sierra is from 1,200–5,500 feet (370–1,680 m). In the central Sierra, its elevation range is from 3,000–7,000 feet (910–2,130 m). In the southern end of the Sierra, its range is from 2,500–9,000 feet (760–2,740 m). [1]

The daily high temperature in the summer is 80–90 °F (27–32 °C), while the daily lows in winter are around 28–34 °F (−2–1 °C). [2] Annual precipitation depends on elevation: Yosemite Valley at 4,000 feet (1,200 m) gets 37 inches (940 mm) a year. [2]

At the lower elevation of this forest, the hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters of the Mediterranean climate give rise to the lower montane forest zone. The accumulation of several feet of snow during the winter is not uncommon and can stay on the ground for several months. The diversity of tree species found in this zone make this a beautiful and interesting forest to explore. [3] The indicator species for the lower montane forest are the ponderosa pine and the Jeffrey pine. Ponderosa pines are common in the west side forests at lower elevations. Jeffrey pines are commonly found in the East side forests at higher elevations and in drier areas. [1]

The lower montane forests also include trees such as California black oak, sugar pine, incense-cedar, and white fir. The giant sequoia groves of the Sierra Nevada are also found within this biotic zone. [3] Animals that may be found in this zone include the dark-eyed junco, mountain chickadee, western gray squirrel, mule deer, and American black bear. [1] The lower montane forest can be seen in Yosemite Valley and along the Wawona, Hetch Hetchy, and Big Oak Flat Roads.

The lower montane forest consists of several layers:[ citation needed ]

Some threats to the lower montane forests include logging, grazing, changing fire regimes, fragmentation due to development, climate change, and pest outbreaks.[ citation needed ]

Flora

Giant sequoia in the Mariposa Grove, Yosemite, at approximately 6,400 feet (2,000 m) of elevation Closepintree.JPG
Giant sequoia in the Mariposa Grove, Yosemite, at approximately 6,400 feet (2,000 m) of elevation

Common lower montane forest species of trees include: [4]

Understory shrubs include: [5]

See also

Sources

  1. 1 2 3 4 Schoenherr, Allan A. (1992). A Natural History of California . University of California Press. pp.  108-138. ISBN   0-520-06922-6.
  2. 1 2 "Weather". Yosemite National Park. National Park Service. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  3. 1 2 PD-icon.svg This article incorporates  public domain material from the National Park Service document: "Vegetation Overview". Yosemite National Park. Archived from the original on 2008-01-11.
  4. "Yellow Pine Forest". GeoImages Project. University of California, Berkeley. Archived from the original on 2012-07-14.
  5. Ornduff, R.; Faber, P. M.; Keeler-Wolf, T. (2003). Introduction to California Plant Life (Revised ed.). University of California Press. p.  201. ISBN   9780520237049.

Related Research Articles

Sierra Nevada Mountain range in the Western United States

The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily in Nevada. The Sierra Nevada is part of the American Cordillera, an almost continuous chain of mountain ranges that forms the western "backbone" of the Americas.

Sierra National Forest National forest in California, United States

Sierra National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located on the western slope of central Sierra Nevada in Central California and bounded on the northwest by Yosemite National Park and the south by Kings Canyon National Park. The forest is known for its mountain scenery and beautiful lakes. Forest headquarters are located in Clovis, California. There are local ranger district offices in North Fork and Prather.

Ecology of the Sierra Nevada Ecological features of the Sierra Nevadas

The ecology of the Sierra Nevada, located in the U.S. states of California and Nevada, is diverse and complex: the plants and animals are a significant part of the scenic beauty of the mountain range. The combination of climate, topography, moisture, and soils influences the distribution of ecological communities across an elevation gradient from 500 to 14,500 feet. Biotic zones range from scrub and chaparral communities at lower elevations, to subalpine forests and alpine meadows at the higher elevations. Particular ecoregions that follow elevation contours are often described as a series of belts that follow the length of the Sierra Nevada. There are many hiking trails, paved and unpaved roads, and vast public lands in the Sierra Nevada for exploring the many different biomes and ecosystems.

Northern California coastal forests Temperate coniferous forests ecoregion in northern California and southwestern Oregon

The Northern California coastal forests are a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of coastal Northern California and southwestern Oregon.

Tahoe National Forest U.S. National Forest in California

Tahoe National Forest is a United States National Forest located in California, northwest of Lake Tahoe. It includes the 8,587-foot (2,617 m) peak of Sierra Buttes, near Sierra City, which has views of Mount Lassen and Mount Shasta. It is located in parts of six counties: Sierra, Placer, Nevada, Yuba, Plumas and El Dorado. The forest has a total area of 871,495 acres. Its headquarters is in Nevada City, California. There are local ranger district offices in Camptonville, Foresthill, Sierraville and Truckee.

Eldorado National Forest U.S. National Forest in California designated in 1910

Eldorado National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in the central Sierra Nevada mountain range, in eastern California.

California mixed evergreen forest

California mixed evergreen forest is a plant community found in the mountain ranges of California and southwestern Oregon.

California oak woodland Plant community found in the western United States and Mexico

California oak woodland is a plant community found throughout the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California in the United States and northwestern Baja California in Mexico. Oak woodland is widespread at lower elevations in coastal California; in interior valleys of the Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges and Peninsular Ranges; and in a ring around the California Central Valley grasslands. The dominant trees are oaks, interspersed with other broadleaf and coniferous trees, with an understory of grasses, herbs, geophytes, and California native plants.

Sierra Nevada subalpine zone

The Sierra Nevada subalpine zone refers to a biotic zone below treeline in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California, United States. This subalpine zone is positioned between the upper montane zone at its lower limit, and tree line at its upper limit.

Gregarious slender salamander Species of amphibian

The gregarious slender salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. Its natural habitats are California interior chaparral and woodlands and temperate grasslands in the lower foothills of the western Sierra Nevada and the eastern Central Valley in California, United States.

The South Sierra Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area in the Southern Sierra Nevada, in eastern California. It is located 65 miles (105 km) northeast of Bakersfield, and is southwest of Owens Lake and Olancha.

Klamath Mountains (ecoregion) Temperate coniferous forests ecoregion in northern California and southwestern Oregon

The Klamath Mountains ecoregion of Oregon and California lies inland and north of the Coast Range ecoregion, extending from the Umpqua River in the north to the Sacramento Valley in the south. It encompasses the highly dissected ridges, foothills, and valleys of the Klamath and Siskiyou Mountains. It corresponds to the Level III ecoregion designated by the Environmental Protection Agency and to the Klamath-Siskiyou forests ecoregion designated by the World Wide Fund for Nature.

The Mediterranean California lower montane black oak–conifer forest is a major forest association and ecosystem of the California mixed evergreen forest bioregion in certain mountain ranges in California and southern Oregon in the Western United States; and Baja California in northwest Mexico.

California montane chaparral and woodlands Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in California, United States

The California montane chaparral and woodlands is an ecoregion defined by the World Wildlife Fund, spanning 7,900 square miles (20,000 km2) of mountains in the Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, and Coast Ranges of southern and central California. The ecoregion is part of the larger California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, and belongs to the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.

Great Basin montane forests Temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of the United States

The Great Basin montane forests is an ecoregion of the Temperate coniferous forests biome, as designated by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Mixed coniferous forest is a vegetation type dominated by a mixture of broadleaf trees and conifers. It is generally located in mountains, below the upper montane vegetation type.

Upper montane forest

The upper montane forest is a vegetation type generally found above the mixed coniferous forest and below the subalpine forest vegetation types. Most of what grows in upper montane forests are conifers, because of the short growing season.

Sierra Nevada upper montane forest

The Sierra Nevada upper montane forest is a vegetation type found below the treeline in the United States Sierra Nevada range. It is generally located above the mixed coniferous forest and below the alpine zone. Overstory trees are typically cone shaped to shed the snow.

The flora of the Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands region of the Western United States.