The upper montane forest is a vegetation type generally found above the mixed coniferous forest and below the subalpine forest vegetation types. [1] [2] [3] Most of what grows in upper montane forests are conifers, because of the short growing season.
In the Pike National Forest and San Isabel National Forest of the Rocky Mountains, the upper montane forest is also called the "moist forest", with the mixed coniferous below called "dry forest", and the subalpine forest above called "cold forest". [1] Stands may have a shade intolerant ponderosa pine ( Pinus ponderosa ) overstory, and a shade tolerant Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ) or white fir ( Abies concolor ) understory. [1]
In Lassen Volcanic Park at the southern end of the Cascade Range, the upper montane forest is also known as red fir forest. [2] It has less diversity than the mixed coniferous forest below. [2] It occurs between 6,500 and 8,000 feet (2,000 and 2,400 m), consists of dense stands of red fir ( Abies magnifica ), and has little understory and few animals. [2] In the western areas that are more open, western white pine ( Pinus monticola ) can commonly be found. [2] Lodgepole pine ( Pinus contorta ) occurs in areas of thin soils. [2] Summer temperatures are low in the almost total shade of the red fir. [2]
On the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada range, upper montane vegetation can be found at elevations from 5,500 to 7,500 feet (1,700 to 2,300 m) in the northern part of the range, 6,500 to 8,000 feet (2,000 to 2,400 m) in the central part, and 8,000 to 10,000 feet (2,400 to 3,000 m) in the southern part. [3] On the eastern slopes, it is at higher elevations. Precipitation in areas of upper montane forest vegetation type is 35 to 65 feet (11 to 20 m), mostly as snowfall. [3] Summer high temperatures range from 73 to 85 °F (23 to 29 °C), and winter lows are below 26 °F (−3 °C). [3] Growing season is about four months because of long-lasting, deep snow. [3] Overstory trees are typically cone shaped to shed the snow, with characteristic trees including lodgepole pine ( Pinus contorta ), Jeffrey pine ( Pinus jeffreyi ), western white pine ( Pinus monticola ) California red fir ( Abies magnifica ), and Sierra juniper ( Juniperus grandis ), and typical understory trees and shrubs such as huckleberry oak ( Quercus vaccinifolia ) and red heather ( Phyllodoce breweri ). [3] The fire return interval is about 50–70 years.
The soils in this zone is mainly granitic, and are fast-draining and acidic. The soil is mostly covered in needle litter: the understory has little vegetation.
The ecology of the Sierra Nevada, located in the U.S. states of California and Nevada, is diverse and complex. 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.
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 is a U.S. National Forest located in the central Sierra Nevada mountain range, in eastern California.
Plumas National Forest is a 1,146,000-acre (4,640 km2) United States National Forest located at the northern terminus of the Sierra Nevada, in northern California. The Forest was named after its primary watershed, the Rio de las Plumas, or Feather River.
California mixed evergreen forest is a plant community found in the mountain ranges of California and southwestern Oregon.
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.
Krummholz — also called knieholz — is a type of stunted, deformed vegetation encountered in the subarctic and subalpine tree line landscapes, shaped by continual exposure to fierce, freezing winds. Under these conditions, trees can only survive where they are sheltered by rock formations or snow cover. As the lower portion of these trees continues to grow, the coverage becomes extremely dense near the ground. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the formation is known as tuckamore. Krummholz trees are also found on beaches such as the Oregon coast, where trees can become much taller than their subalpine cousins.
The Rocky Mountain ponderosa pine forest is a forest plant community at an elevation of 2,000–2,700 metres (6,600–8,900 ft) in the U.S. state of Colorado, depending on soil moisture. It is an important temperate coniferous forest ecoregion, including some endemic wildlife and grass species that are only found in this ponderosa pine habitat.
The Cascades ecoregion is a Level III ecoregion designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, and California. Somewhat smaller than the Cascade mountain range for which it is named, the ecoregion extends north to Snoqualmie Pass, near Seattle, and south to Hayden Pass, near the Oregon-California border, including the peaks and western slopes of most of the High Cascades. A discontiguous section is located on Mount Shasta in California.
The Eastern Cascades Slopes and Foothills ecoregion is a Level III ecoregion designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. states of Oregon, Washington, and California. In the rain shadow of the Cascade Range, the eastern side of the mountains experiences greater temperature extremes and receives less precipitation than the west side. Open forests of ponderosa pine and some lodgepole pine distinguish this region from the Cascades ecoregion, where hemlock and fir forests are more common, and from the lower, drier ecoregions to the east, where shrubs and grasslands are predominant. The vegetation is adapted to the prevailing dry, continental climate and frequent wildfire. Volcanic cones and buttes are common in much of the region.
The Blue Mountains ecoregion is a Level III ecoregion designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Pacific Northwest, mainly in the state of Oregon, with small areas over the state border in Idaho and southeastern Washington. It is also contiguous with the World Wildlife Fund's Blue Mountain forests ecoregion.
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 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.
The Wasatch and Uinta montane forest is a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion in the Wasatch Range and Uinta Mountains of the western Rocky Mountains system, in the Western United States.
The North Central Rockies forests is a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion of Canada and the United States. This region overlaps in large part with the North American inland temperate rainforest and gets more rain on average than the South Central Rockies forests and is notable for containing the only inland populations of many species from the Pacific coast.
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.
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.