Ecoregions of the Pacific Northwest (Idaho, Oregon, Washington) Ecoregions are areas where ecosystems (and the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources) are (USDA)–Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA–Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and the Omernik, J.M., 1987, Ecoregions of the conterminous United States (map supplement): Annals of the Association of generally similar. They are designed to serve as a spatial framework for the research, assessment, Bureau of Land Management. The mapping was associated with an interagency effort to develop a common American Geographers, v. 77, no. 1, p. 118-125, scale 1:7,500,000. management, and monitoring of ecosystems and ecosystem components. These Level III and IV ecoregions, framework of ecological regions (McMahon and others, 2001). Although there are differences in the Omernik, J.M., 1995, Ecoregions – a framework for environmental management, in Davis, W.S. and Simon, T.P., eds., compiled at a scale of 1:250,000, revise and subdivide an earlier, smaller-scale national ecoregion map conceptual approaches and mapping methodologies used by the different federal agencies for developing Biological assessment and criteria-tools for water resource planning and decision making: Boca Raton, Florida, Lewis (Omernik, 1987). The ecoregions were identified by analyzing the spatial patterns and the composition of their own regional frameworks, these collaborative ecoregion projects were a step toward attaining Publishers, p. 49-62. biotic and abiotic phenomena that affect or reflect differences in ecosystem quality and integrity (Omernik, consensus and consistency in ecoregion frameworks for the entire nation. Omernik, J.M., 2004, Perspectives on the nature and definition of ecological regions: Environmental Management, v. 34, 1987, 1995). These phenomena include geology, landforms, soils, vegetation, climate, land use, wildlife, Explanations of the methods used to define these ecoregions are given in Omernik (1995, 2004) and Supplement 1, p. s27-s38. and hydrology. The relative importance of each characteristic varies from one ecological region to another Omernik and Griffith (2014). Additional maps, publications, and GIS data for U.S. and North American Omernik, J.M., and Griffith, G.E., 2014, Ecoregions of the conterminous United States ‒ evolution of a hierarchical spatial regardless of the hierarchical level. An ecoregion framework is critical for structuring and implementing ecoregions can be obtained at www.epa.gov/eco-research/ecoregions. framework: Environmental Management, v. 54, no. 6, p. 1249-1266, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00267-014-0364-1 ecosystem management strategies across federal agencies, state agencies, and nongovernment organizations REFERENCES Pater, D.E., Bryce, S.A., Thorson, T.D., Kagan, J., Chappell, C., Omernik, J.M., Azevedo, S.H., and Woods, A.J., 1998, that are responsible for different types of resources within the same geographic areas (McMahon and others, Ecoregions of Western Washington and Oregon (2 sided color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and 2001; Omernik and Griffith, 2014). Clarke, S.E., and Bryce, S.A., eds., 1997, Hierarchical subdivisions of the Columbia Plateau and Blue Mountains photographs). U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA. Scale 1:1,350,000. A Roman numeral hierarchical scheme has been adopted for different levels of ecological regions. Level I Ecoregions, Oregon and Washington. Portland: U.S. Department of Agriculture-Forest Service General Technical Report PNW-GTR-395, 114 p. Thorson, T.D., Bryce, S.A., Lammers, D.A., Woods, A.J., Omernik, J.M., Kagan, J., Pater, D.E., and Comstock, J.A., is the most general level, dividing North America into 15 ecological regions. Level II divides the continent 2003, Ecoregions of Oregon (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs): Reston, into 50 regions (Commission for Environmental Cooperation, 1997, 2006). At level III, the continent contains Commission for Environmental Cooperation, 1997, Ecological regions of North America – toward a common Virginia, U.S. Geological Survey (map scale 1:1,500,000). 183 ecological regions of which 105 occur in the continental United States (United States Environmental perspective: Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Commission for Environmental Cooperation, 71 p. (map revised 2006), www.epa.gov/eco-research/ecoregions-north-america. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2013, Level III ecoregions of the continental United States: Corvallis, Oregon, Protection Agency [U.S. EPA], 2013; Wiken and others, 2011). US EPA, Western Ecology Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, McGrath C.L., Woods A.J., Omernik, J.M., Bryce, S.A., Edmondson, M., Nesser, J.A., Shelden, J., Crawford, R.C., www.epa.gov/eco-research/level-iii-and-iv-ecoregions-continental-united-states. The Level III and IV ecoregions of the Pacific Northwest were mapped in state-level projects in Idaho Comstock, J.A., and Plocher, M.D., 2002, Ecoregions of Idaho (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary (McGrath and others, 2001), Oregon (Thorson and others, 2003) and Washington (Clarke and Bryce, 1997; tables, and photographs): Reston, Virginia, U.S. Geological Survey (map scale 1:1,350,000). Wiken, E., Jiménez Nava, F., and Griffith, G., 2011, North American Terrestrial Ecoregions - Level III. Commission Pater and others, 1998). These projects were conducted primarily by the U.S. EPA National Health and for Environmental Cooperation, Montreal, Canada. 149 p., McMahon, G., Gregonis, S.M., Waltman, S.W., Omernik, J.M., Thorson, T.D., Freeouf, J.A., Rorick, A.H., and Keys, http://ecologicalregions.info/htm/pubs/NA_TerrestrialEcoregionsLevel3_Final-2june11_CEC.pdf Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (Corvallis, Oregon) in collaboration with U.S. EPA Region 10, J.E., 2001, Developing a spatial framework of common ecological regions for the conterminous United States: state resource management 5agencies, and other federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture Environmental Management, v. 28, no. 3, p. 293-316. 125° 124° 123° 5 122° 121° 120° 119° 118° 117° 116° 115° 114° 113° 112° 111° 110° 49° CANADA 49° ALBERTA 42j
Samish 77c BRITISH COLUMBIA 42l River 77c 42q 77c WASHINGTON K 42n 2a 15x 15x o 77c River 15h o 15h te 15d 41b 15w n 42r 15x a i Bellingham
77c R 77c 15h 5 Columbia i 77c v 41a
e
15r r 2c 2e 77c River SCALE 1:1,500,000 77c 77d 77b n 15h 77c a 15h 15m g
o 15w 0 20 40 80 120 160 Strait of Juan de Fuca 2c 77b n a River k Priest Miles Victoria 15h 15y 2c 77c O Lake 2c Skagit 77c 5 2b 15q 15q Kilometers 77c 15h 5 77b 77b 15w Colville 0 25 50 100 42q 150 200
77b 77c e 15h 2d 77a 77b k
2e 77c 5 a 15t Albers Equal Area Projection
L
77e
77c Omak t 15h
15x l 15w 15l
e 15u Sandpoint
1a Port 2d v 77c 77c e 77c 15g P Townsend s 5 e 48° 5 10m o n Port Angeles 5 2e o 15r d 77g R Lake O 41c 1d 15w re . il 1d le Pend Level III boundary 48° 77c D River 77c Oreille n i Level IV boundary 1c Lake l 5 10d k 42o Everett 10d n 2d Chelan a r International boundary 1c F 15w 10d State boundary d Spokane
Hoh River n u 10d 77i o 15w County boundary S 2f 77f 77b 15o
River
t e 77g Banks 15s g 15o 42r u Lake 15r 15e P Seattle 77c 10b River 2f 5 5 2e 77c Leavenworth Spokane 5 Coeur d’Alene 41e Bremerton 10b 5 15k 41d 77c 5 10b Coeur 42q 42r 10b 10a 5 Great Falls 17r 43l Quinault 2f 10a d’Alene 15c 10b Lake 1d 2f 10b 10b 1b 10b 10b 10b 15b 5Kent 10b 10b 10b 5 77h 10b 10b 10b 5 Cheney 15h 15h 43o 77b Wenatchee 10b 10b 10b 10b 15e Tacoma 10b 43m 2f 5 5Ephrata 10b 41b 1e 2b 10b S 15p 15v t. J 1a 10b 10b oe River 47° 10b 15a 2f 10b MONTANA 15a 17r 4d 10b 10b 15p 47° Grays 5Aberdeen 1d Olympia Potholes 5 Harbor Nisqually Reservoir 10b Chehalis River 4b Moses Lake 10b 17p 17aj Ellensburg 10b 2g 5 15h 17x 43u 17q 1b 4a 10b 10a Yakima 10e 10g 10h 4d 15h Missoula 1d 15h 5 W River
River 10b i 1f 4d l 1d l 5 2h a 1b Centralia p 10g 10b a 10b 17x 4d 17al B 4b Pullman Moscow a y 1d 5 5 17al Helena 43u 4b Columbia 10b 15f 4b Yakima 15h 17v 2i 5 10b 10b 43m Cowlitz Dworshak 17s River 4d 10g 16e 17aj 9b 10b learw Reservoir 15i 17ak River 10f C ater River River 17x 43s 1b River 2h 4d 15j 43t C 10e 16h N olumbia River 10l 5 Lewiston 15f a 16b 17f 4b 9a 10b s 5 1d Richland 15n ch 1a Astoria Lo 17am A 10f K 5 4d Pasco 11l 16h 17y
4d l
46° 5 i Snake 17ai 4c c 5 17w 17g Longview k 5 Seaside 1f 16h E i 11c 10f t r 4b a Kennewick 46° 5 ive 10b 16c R t 10i 11l 16e 1f River 11f 10j 16h 1b m Selway le River Riv r C Lewis Walla Walla 11m e Butte ha 5 5 17y e 11c 43s 1d N 3d 10e 10j 17ag
O r 4a e 16h 17i 10g v Goldendale 11f i 3a R 16h 43s 1f 5 Hermiston 5 16a 17y e Bozeman Vancouver Hood River d Sna 11l n k 11f 17ah 5 5 5 11f e o Stevenson 5 R 10e Pendleton R 11g i 16i 17l 9c v 17g 1d 5 e 17ab e r 17ab 1d Hillsboro5 5 Um River d 17ag 5 Portland The atilla n 1a 3c a W r a 17ac C Dalles ll G o 4b wa
1b 17z 17u 3b R 17l I 10c iv 5 e 17ad 4d 11l r n R 1b 3d Oregon 11k lmo iver Sa F City C 9b 10c 11l 17e la 11k 11e c 17aa 3c ka 5 I 1g m 10c 10n 3d 3d a 4b La Grande s R 11l 11l 16j 17aa 45° i v 10k 11l e 10k 17ae 17g 17i C Lincoln 3c r 11c 11m 11f 16h 17ab 5 11l 11o 11l 45° City 10k 11m
A Salem 16h 11o 16h 16h 11b 11e 17e P 3d 4a 11a 11f 17d 11b 11l P r o e 1b w v 11k i 17l de r 16h R 3c 11m 16h 17e 3b R Newport iv
iver 11d er n
9d J R o L 5 oh n Day em 17l 11d m 17n
l h 5 5 17h i 11m a R Albany 4b 4d i 17ab 17e 3c Baker City 16h 16g S ve 5 17h r 17af Corvallis 4b 5Madras 11b 11o 11d 17e 11d 17e 1d 11o 11d 16h 4b 9b 11l 11l 17e W 11d 17aa 11l 17e 17j A i 16k l l l
s a e r 3c 16h a e 17e 17h 17aa 17e R iv 1d m 11l 4c 4c 11n 11d e 11l 11d
t r 16h t e
e 16h
v 17h WYOMING i 17j 1d
R 11l 11l 17ab
R 11b 11o 17e
i Redmond v 11l e s 5 r e 17h t 12f u 11m nzie h 17ab 17e 3c e Ri c 11i 17e c K ver s 16g 44° M 4d e 16g 17e 17aa D Florence 11o 12j k aw R 5 11o r 5 Siusl iv o 44° er Eugene Bend 17h F
5 11a 16j 16d 17e 11b 17h 12d Ontario 12j 16h 17e ys nr T 3d 5 e eto H n 4b 11h R i 16h 17h v 1g e 1b 17e 12e 5 r Oakridge Waldo Rexburg Lake 9f 11o 12j 16h 5 80d 17h 17n ver 17e Umpqu Ri a 4c 80d 12j 16h R r 17h
iv u e e
r h
1a l Caldwell a 5 Boise 17e 1b 4d M 80f 12a 12d Coos Bay 5 Burns 17n 9f 80j 80j Nampa 5 5 5Idaho Falls 4a 80e 16f 12b 17h 78c 4d 1b 80d 12b 12e Roseburg 80j 80d 16f 12b 5 Malheur 12c Palisades Lake 12c 80c Reservoir 17g 4b 80d 12f Blackfoot 4d 5 43° 1b 4d 80g 12g 12g 17n 9e 80e Harney 12f Lake 80d 17o 80m 5 Grays 43° Mountain American Falls Lake Crater 12i (Dry) Lake Home Reservoir 80c 4d O Blackfoot 17o 9f w 80k 12a Pocatello 4e 80m y Snake iver Reservoir h R 1h e 5 80g e 80j 12j 12i 80c 78d 12h 80c er 9f Summer 12b 80i Riv 17ap ue Lake 80b og 78e Rive R 80e r Lake Walcott 80c 4f Lake 80k 12i 1b Abert 80e 80j 78b 78b 78d Grants 4d 80d B 80c r Twin Falls Burley 5 u 5 80i 78a Pass n 80c 78d 4d 80j e 5 78a a 9g 80j 80m u 80i
Upper
r
9g
e
1a 78b 80e 19f 80j
Medford v 78f 4d Klamath i
5 R 80i 80j R
78b Lake 80c
i 18d
80l v 17g
e
80c r
9g 9h
5 80a
t 18c Ashland 9g f 80c 78d 78a 5 9g 9h 80l 80i a 19d
Klamath Falls 80i R 80b Brookings 5 1h Lakeview 80c 42° 78h 9i 5 13i 1i 9g 80c 80b 80h 13i 18d 78h 9j 9g 80d 80c 80i 13c Bear 78g 9t 80b Lake 42° 80j 13b 80i 13d 78i OREGON 80j 13b 1a 9m 80d 80a CALIFORNIA 80l 80e 80j IDAHO 80a 9t Goose UTAH 13i 78j 9g Lake 80c 78d 78g 4e NEVADA 80a 13b 13c 18d 78i 80a 78i 80j 1i 9s 80k 80a 9k 4f 9j 80d 80d 13z 78m 78p 9m 13z 13c 4f 13z 80j 80j 4e 80j 13a 13a 19f 124° 123° 122° 121° 120° 119° 118° 117° 116° 115° 114° 113° 112° 111°
1 Coast Range 9 Eastern Cascades Slopes and Foothills 11 Blue Mountains 13 Central Basin and Range 16 Idaho Batholith 77 North Cascades 1a Coastal Lowlands 9a Yakima Plateau and Slopes 11a John Day/Clarno Uplands 13b Shadscale-Dominated Saline Basins 16b Lochsa Uplands 77a North Cascades Lowland Forests 1b Coastal Uplands 9b Grand Fir Mixed Forest 11b John Day/ Clarno Highlands 13c Sagebrush Basins and Slopes 16c Lochsa–Selway–Clearwater Canyons 77b North Cascades Highland Forests 1c Low Olympics 9c Oak/Conifer Foothills 11c Maritime-Influenced Zone 13d Woodland- and Shrub-Covered Low Mountains 16d Dry, Partly Wooded Mountains 77c North Cascades Subalpine/Alpine 1d Volcanics 9d Ponderosa Pine/Bitterbrush Woodland 11d Melange 13i Malad and Cache Valleys 16e Glaciated Bitterroot Mountains and Canyons 77d Pasayten/Sawtooth Highlands 1e Outwash 9e Pumice Plateau 11e Wallowas/Seven Devils Mountains 16f Foothill Shrublands–Grasslands 77e Okanogan Pine/Fir Hills 1f Willapa Hills 9f Pumice Plateau Basins 11f Canyons and Dissected Highlands 16g High Glacial Drift-Filled Valleys 77f Chelan Tephra Hills 1g Mid-Coastal Sedimentary 9g Klamath/Goose Lake Basins 11g Canyons and Dissected Uplands 15 Northern Rockies 16h High Idaho Batholith 77g Wenatchee/Chelan Highlands 1h Southern Oregon Coastal Mountains 9h Fremont Pine/Fir Forest 11h Continental Zone Highlands 15f Grassy Potlatch Ridges 16i South Clearwater Forested Mountains 77h Chiwaukum Hills and Lowlands 1i Northern Franciscan Redwood Forest 9i Southern Cascades Slope 11i Continental Zone Foothills 15g Western Okanogan Semiarid Foothills 16j Hot Dry Canyons 77i High Olympics 9j Klamath Juniper Woodland/Devils Garden 11k Blue Mountain Basins 15h High Northern Rockies 16k Southern Forested Mountains 2 Puget Lowland 9m Warner Mountains 11l Mesic Forest Zone 78 Klamath Mountains 2a Fraser Lowland 15i Clearwater Mountains and Breaks 78a Rogue/Illinois/Scott Valleys 9t Old Cascades 11m Subalpine Zone 15j Lower Clearwater Canyons 17 Middle Rockies 2b Eastern Puget Riverine Lowlands 11n Deschutes River Valley 17e Barren Mountains 78b Oak Savanna Foothills 2c San Juan Islands 15m Kootenai Valley 78c Umpqua Interior Foothills 11o Cold Basins 15n Weippe Prairie 17h Alpine Zone 2d Olympic Rainshadow 17j West Yellowstone Plateau 78d Serpentine Siskiyous 2e Eastern Puget Uplands 10 Columbia Plateau 15o Coeur d’Alene Metasedimentary Zone 78e Inland Siskiyous 10a Channeled Scablands 15p St. Joe Schist–Gneiss Zone 17l Gneissic–Schistose Forested Mountains 2f Central Puget Lowland 17n High Elevation Valleys 78f Coastal Siskiyous 2g Southern Puget Prairies 10b Loess Islands 12 Snake River Plain 15q Purcell–Cabinet–North Bitterroot Mountains 78g Klamath River Ridges 10c Umatilla Plateau 12a Treasure Valley 15r Okanogan-Colville Xeric Valleys and Foothills 17o Partly Forested Mountains 2h Cowlitz/Chehalis Foothills 17aa Dry Intermontane Sagebrush Valleys 78h Border High-Siskiyous 2i Cowlitz/Newaukum Prairie Floodplains 10d Okanogan Drift Hills 12b Lava Fields 15s Spokane Valley Outwash Plains 10e Pleistocene Lake Basins 12c Camas Prairie 15u Inland Maritime Foothills and Valleys 17ab Dry Gneissic–Schistose–Volcanic Hills 80 Northern Basin and Range 3 Willamette Valley 10f Dissected Loess Uplands 12d Dissected Plateaus and Teton Basin 15v Northern Idaho Hills and Low Relief Mountains 17ad Western Beaverhead Mountains 80a Dissected High Lava Plateau 3a Portland/Vancouver Basin 10g Yakima Folds 12e Upper Snake River Plain 15w Western Selkirk Maritime Forest 80b Semiarid Hills and Low Mountains 3b Willamette River and Tributaries Gallery Forest 10h Palouse Hills 12f Semiarid Foothills 15x Okanogan Highland Dry Forest 18 Wyoming Basin 80c High Elevation Forests and Shrublands 3c Prairie Terraces 10i Deep Loess Foothills 12g Eastern Snake River Basalt Plains 15y Selkirk Mountains 18c Sub-Irrigated High Valleys 80d Pluvial Lake Basins 3d Valley Foothills 10j Nez Perce Prairie 12h Mountain Home Uplands 18d Foothill Shrublands and Low Mountains 80e High Desert Wetlands 10k Deschutes/John Day Canyons 80f Owyhee Uplands and Canyons 4 Cascades 12i Magic Valley 10l Lower Snake and Clearwater Canyons 12j Unwooded Alkaline Foothills 19 Wasatch and Uinta Mountains 80g High Lava Plains 4a Western Cascades Lowlands and Valleys 10m Okanogan Valley 19d Wasatch Montane Zone 80h Saltbush-Dominated Valleys 4b Western Cascades Montane Highlands 10n Umatilla Dissected Uplands 19f Semiarid Foothills 80i Sagebrush Steppe Valleys 4c Cascade Crest Montane Forest 80j Semiarid Uplands 4d Cascades Subalpine/Alpine 80k Partly Forested Mountains 4e High Southern Cascades Montane Forest Support for the production of this map was provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, Western Geographic Science Center, Menlo Park, California, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Health and Ecological Effects Research Laboratory, Western Ecology Division, Corvallis, Oregon. 80l Salt Shrub Valleys 4f Low Southern Cascades Mixed Conifer Forest CITING THIS MAP: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2016. Ecoregions of the Pacific Northwest (Idaho, Oregon, Washington). U.S. EPA, National Health and Ecological 80m Barren Playas Effects Research Laboratory, Western Ecology Division, Corvallis, Oregon. Map scale 1:1,500,000. https://www.epa.gov/eco-research/ecoregion-download-files-region#pane-10.