Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions

Definitions

Forest: Areas dominated by trees with a total canopy cover of 61% or more, tree crowns usually interlocking.

Woodland: Areas dominated by trees with a total canopy cover of 26-60%, most tree crowns not touching each other.

Shrubland: Areas dominated by shrubs that generally exceed 0.5 meters in height with a total canopy cover of 26% or more. A tree canopy cover of less than 26% may be present.

Grassland: Areas dominated by grass, grass like, or forb vegetation with a tree or shrub cover less than 26%.

Land Cover Types Click on a land cover (vegetation type) of interest to navigate to a brief description.

Agriculture, dry-land Pine, whitebark Sand dunes, active/bare Agriculture, irrigated Playa, unvegetated Sand dunes, vegetated Alpine exposed rock/soil Prairie, mixed (mid) grass Shrub, bitterbrush steppe Aspen forest Prairie, short grass Shrub, desert Basin exposed rock/soil Residential development Shrub, mesic upland Bur oak woodland Riparian, forest-dominated Shrub, xeric upland Douglas fir Riparian, grass-dominated Snow, permanent Grassland, Great Basin foothills Riparian, shrub-dominated Spruce-fir Greasewood fans and flats Sagebrush, basin big Subalpine meadow Juniper woodland Sagebrush, Black steppe Tundra, meadow Pine, limber Sagebrush, mountain big Water Pine, lodgepole Sagebrush, Wyoming big Pine, ponderosa Saltbush fans and flats

Documentation compiled from CO and WY GAP Analysis Programs. Compiled by the Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center (WyGISC) specifically for use in the Wyoming Biodiversity Citizen Science Initiative (WyoBio) Mapping Application.

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 1

Agriculture, Dry Land Crops Dominant Species: (see Diagnostic Species)

Description: This type includes non-irrigated cropland, dryland improved pastures, fallow lands, rural development, ranch and farm facilities and shelter belts.

Distribution: Throughout the state of Wyoming.

Diagnostic Species: Small grains, wheat, barley, rye, any non-irrigated crop.

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 2

Agriculture, Irrigated Crops Dominant Species: (see Diagnostic Species)

Description: Any irrigated agricultural area. Includes most row crops, irrigated pastureland and hay fields and associated farm or ranch facilities.

Distribution: Throughout the state of Wyoming.

Diagnostic Species: Row crops, corn, beans, irrigated hayfields and pastures.

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 3

Alpine Exposed Rock and Soil Dominant Species: Not applicable

Description: This type includes naturally occurring areas of bare rock such as cliffs, spires, rock outcrops and talus fields as well as steep scarps of soft rock with total vegetative cover less than 5%.

Distribution: High elevations throughout the state of Wyoming.

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 4

Aspen forest Dominant Species: Rocky Mountain aspen (Populus tremuloides)

Description: Forest in which aspen dominates the canopy. Includes pure aspen forest and mixed conifer aspen forest where aspens make up over 50% of the total canopy. Total canopy coverage of trees must be greater than 25%.

Distribution: Throughout the state of Wyoming.

Elevation Range: 1830-3050 meters (6000-10000 feet)

Diagnostic Species: Populus tremuloides

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 5

Basin Exposed Rock and Soil Dominant Species: Not applicable

Description: This type includes naturally occurring areas of bare rock such as cliffs, spires, rock outcrops and talus fields as well as steep scarps of soft rock with total vegetative cover less than 5%.

Distribution: Basins throughout the state of Wyoming.

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 6

Bur Oak Woodland Dominant Species: Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa)

Description: Bur oak forms solid or mixed stands on slopes, and is widely scattered in a savanna-like association on the ridge tops. It co-dominates in various proportions with Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). The understory is relatively depauperate, even under full canopy cover, and there is a high diversity of annuals, including Nuttallanthus texanus, and a high proportion of exotic grasses and forbs. Openings are often dominated by the rhizomatous sedge, Carex inops (C. heliophila), with shrubs confined to the more wooded stands.

Distribution: Bur oak is at the extreme western edge of its range in Wyoming, where it occurs in several localized, though fairly large, occurrences along the northeastern boarder with South Dakota in the Black Hills.

Diagnostic Species: Artemisia nova

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 7

Douglas fir Dominant Species: Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)

Description: Forests dominated by Douglas fir. This type includes both intact Douglas fir forests and those affected by logging (when contiguous logged areas are smaller than 100 ha.).

Distribution: Throughout the state of Colorado.

Elevation Range: 1650-2800 meters (5400-9000 feet)

Diagnostic Species: Pseudotsuga menziesii

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 8

Grassland, Great Basin Foothills Dominant Species: Galleta (Hilaria jamesii) and Indian Ricegrass (Oryzopsis hymenoides), four-wing saltbush (Atriplex canescens), Greene rabbitbrush (Chysothamnus greenii), and big sage (Artemisia tridentata)

Description: Grasslands of mountain foothills, mesa tops and piedmont slopes (bajadas).

Distribution: found in isolated areas in northwestern and north-central Wyoming. These grasslands often occur in a matrix with Great Basin Lowland/Swale Grasslands, Desert Scrub and Open Conifer Woodlands.

Elevation Range: 1400-2220 meters (4500-7200 feet)

Diagnostic Species: Galleta (Hilaria jamesii) and Indian Ricegrass (Oryzopsis hymenoides), four-wing saltbush (Atriplex canescens), Greene rabbitbrush (Chysothamnus greenii), and big sage (Artemisia tridentata)

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 9

Greasewood Fans and Flats Dominant Species: Greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus)

Description: Areas where greasewood comprises more than 75% of the total shrub cover and more than 25% of the total vegetative cover. Often found mixed with grasses. Greasewood is frequently found in riparian areas and classified as shrub riparian, with greasewood classified as secondary vegetation type within the polygon.

Distribution: This type is associated with halomorphic soils. It is generally in lowland situations, with the free water table at least occasionally present at the surface and usually remaining within 1 meter of the surface. This species has been associated with Artemisia tridentata ssp. Tridentate. This type occurs throughout Wyoming’s basins and eastern plains.

Elevation Range: 1400-2600 meters (4500-8500 feet)

Diagnostic Species: Sarcobatus vermiculatus

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 10

Juniper woodland Dominant Species: Juniper (Juniperus monosperma, Juniperus osteosperma, Juniperus scopulorum)

Description: Woodland dominated by species of Juniper. Junipers must comprise more than 25% of the total vegetative cover. Often occurs with mountain mahogany, sagebrush and limber pine.

Distribution: Foothills and rocky outcrops throughout the southwest part of Wyoming, along rocky outcrops, and around the edges of the Bighorn Basin.

Elevation Range: 1525-2130 meters (5000-7000 feet)

Diagnostic Species: Juniperus monosperma, Juniperus osteosperma, Juniperus scopulorum

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 11

Pine, Limber Dominant Species: Limber pine (Pinus flexilis)

Description: Areas dominated by limber pine. This type includes closed canopy forest dominated by limber pine to more open limber pine woodland where limber pine consists of more than 25% of the total vegetative cover. Often co-occurs with juniper woodland and with shrubs or grasses in the understory.

Distribution: Occurs along mid elevations in certain Wyoming mountain ranges (including the Laramie Mountains).

Elevation Range: 1524-3354 meters (5000-11000 feet)

Diagnostic Species: Pinus flexilis

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 12

Pine, Lodgepole Dominant Species: Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta)

Description: Forest which is dominated by lodgepole pine and not significantly affected by logging. Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir may be mixed with the canopy trees or important in the understory, but not as dominants.

Distribution: Lodgepole pine is found in the mountainous regions of Wyoming along the mid to high elevations between sagebrush basins and spruce fir highlands.

Elevation Range: 1830-3354 meters (6000-11000 feet) found especially above 2440 meters

Diagnostic Species: Pinus contorta

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 13

Pine, Ponderosa Dominant Species: Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)

Description: Ponderosa pine dominated forest or woodland that is not significantly affected by logging. Canopy closure may vary from 26-100%.

Distribution: Found in Wyoming east of the continental divide from the Wyoming border northward. The low elevation habitat of ponderosa pine occurs only along the far eastern fringe of the Rocky Mountain region (Black Hills, Bighorn Mountains, Laramie Range and rocky outcrops in between).

Elevation Range: 1524-2744 meters (5000-9000 feet)

Diagnostic Species: Pinus ponderosa

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 14

Pine, Whitebark Dominant Species: Pinus albicaulis Engelm.

Description: Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) is a slow-growing, long-lived tree of the high mountains of southwestern Canada and western United States. It is of limited commercial use, but it is valued for watershed protection and esthetics. Its seeds are an important food for grizzly bears and other wildlife of the high mountains. Concern about the species has arisen because in some areas whitebark pine cone crops have diminished as a result of successional replacement and insect and disease epidemics.

Distribution: Whitebark pine grows in the highest elevation forest and at timberline in northwestern Wyoming.

Elevation Range: 2440-3200 meters (8000 to 10500 feet)

DIAGNOSTIC SPECIES: Pinus albicaulis Engelm.

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 15

Playa, Unvegetated Dominant Species: None

Description: This type includes bare saline playa areas, mud flats, shorelines, sand beaches and gravel bars. Very sparse, salt tolerant vegetation such as Salicornia rubra may be present around the margins.

Distribution: Mainly flat-floored bottoms of interior desert basins which do not qualify as wetlands. Found throughout southern Wyoming, primarily in the Great Divide Basin Wyoming.

Diagnostic Species: Salicornia rubra

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 16

Prairie, Mixed (Mid) Grass Dominant Species: Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), Galleta (Hilaria jamesii), Foxtail barley (Hordeum jubatum), Western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii), Bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), New Mexico feathergrass (Stipa neomexicana), Green needlegrass (Stipa viridula).

Description: Mid grass, or mixed grass, prairie is a blend of the vegetation of the tallgrass and shortgrass prairies. It has the richest floristic complexity of all the central plains region grasslands. This type is mixed with tall grasses in wetter areas and with shorter grasses in drier sites.

Distribution: Eastern Wyoming.

Diagnostic Species: Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), Galleta (Hilaria jamesii), Foxtail barley (Hordeum jubatum), Western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii), Bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), New Mexico feathergrass (Stipa neomexicana), Green needlegrass (Stipa viridula), Needle and thread (Stipa comata).

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 17

Prairie, Short-grass Dominant Species: Buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides), blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis)

Description: This graminoid type is dominated by short grass prairie species and buffalograss is considered as an indicator. Buffalograss must be present for a grassland to be mapped as this type. This type usually consists of a shortgrass understory of buffalograss and blue grama and an overstory of western wheatgrass, needle and thread grass, or other mixed grass species.

Distribution: Southern border of Laramie County, Wyoming.

Diagnostic Species: Buchloe dactyloides, Bouteloua gracilis

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 18

Residential Development (Human Settlements) Description: This category is comprised of areas of intensive use with much of the land covered by structures. Included in this category are cities, towns, villages, strip developments along highways, transportation, power, and communications facilities, and areas such as those occupied by mills, shopping centers, industrial and commercial complexes, and institutions that may, in some instances, be isolated from urban areas.

Distribution: Throughout the state of Wyoming.

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 19

Riparian, Forest Dominated Dominant Species: Plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides), Narrowleaf cottonwood (Populus angustifolia), Aspen, Boxelder (Acer negundo), Willows (Salix sp.), conifer species.

Description: Riparian and wetland areas in which tree species dominate the vegetation. These are generally cottonwood species at low to middle elevations, but grade into aspen, boxelder, alder, willows and a variety of conifer species at mid to high elevations. Trees must occupy more than 25% of the vegetative cover within the riparian zone.

Distribution: Throughout the state of Wyoming.

Elevation Range: 1070-2900 meters (3500-9500 feet)

Diagnostic Species: Populus deltoides, Populus angustifolia, Populus tremuloides, Acer negundo, Salix sp., conifer species.

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 20

Riparian, Grass-Dominated Dominant Species: Varied (See Diagnostic Species)

Description: This type includes wetland and riparian areas with vegetation dominated by grasses or forbs. Includes communities such as wet and moist meadow grasslands, marsh and swamp wetlands, cattail, bulrush and sedge dominated wetlands, inland salt meadows and salt flats as well as riparian areas. Must not have more than 25% shrub or tree cover. Diagnostic Species:

Plains wetland/riparian: American bulrush (Scirpus americanus), Sedges (Carex sp.), Cattail (Typha latifolia), Common arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia), Prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata), Canada wildrye (Elymus canadensis).

Mountain wetland/riparian grassland: Tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia caespitosa), Bluejoint reedgrass (Calamagrostis canadensis), Cliff sedge (Carex scopulorum), Water sedge (Carex aquatilis), Beaked sedge (Carex utriculata), Hood sedge (Carex hoodii), Nebraska sedge (Carex nebrascensis), Slender wheatgrass (Elymus trachycaulus), Rush (Juncus sp.), Brookgrass (Catabrosa aquatica), Spikesedge (Eleocharis palustris), Common reed (Phragmites australis),

Salt meadow/Salt flat grassland: Inland saltgrass (Distichlis stricta), Alkali sacaton (Sporobolus airoides), Alkali cordgrass (Spartina gracilis), Alkaligrass (Puccinellia sp.), Seepweed (Suaeda sp.).

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 21

Riparian, Shrub Dominated Dominant Species: Any shrub dominated riparian area.

Description: Riparian or wetland areas where shrubs comprise more than 25% of the vegetative cover and trees comprise less than 25%. Shrubs often include various willow species but other shrubs (hawthorn, wild plum, birch, alder, greasewood or sagebrush) may be present or dominant. Includes willow dominated subalpine riparian zones.

Distribution: Throughout the state of Wyoming.

Elevation Range: 950-3650 meters (3100-12000 feet)

Diagnostic Species: Salix sp., Betula sp., Alnus sp.

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 22

Sagebrush, Basin Big Dominant Species: Basin Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp., tridentata)

Description: Shrubland with basin big sagebrush dominating the shrub cover and comprising more than 25% of the total vegetative cover. Often occurs mixed with grasses. When found in riparian areas, primary vegetation is classified as shrub riparian and secondary type as big sagebrush shrubland.

Distribution: (see NOTES)

Elevation Range: 1200-2150 meters (4000-7000 feet)

Diagnostic Species: Artemisia tridentata ssp. Tridentate

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 23

Sagebrush, Black Steppe Dominant Species: Black sagebrush (Artemisia nova)

Description: Areas where black sagebrush comprises more than 25% of the total vegetative cover and is the dominant shrub type. Often found with mixed grasses and Wyoming big sagebrush.

Distribution: Found in isolated areas in southern and central Wyoming.

Elevation Range: 2290-2500 meters (7500-8200 feet)

Diagnostic Species: Artemisia nova

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 24

Sagebrush, Mountain Big Dominant Species: Mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp., vaseyana)

Description: This type is dominated by mountain big sagebrush, which must be 25% or greater of the total vegetative cover. Often this type occurs with mixed grasses. Sometimes occurs as patches of dense sagebrush with patches of mixed grasses. In this case, sagebrush patches must be more than 50% of the land area.

Distribution: This species occurs at higher elevations than the other A. tridentata subspecies. It occupies cool, moist sites with a lower pH and lower CaCO3 values than the other subspecies, although the soil texture may vary.

Elevation Range: 1525-2900 meters (5000-9500 feet)

Diagnostic Species: Artemisia tridentata ssp. Vaseyana

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 25

Sagebrush, Wyoming Big Dominant Species: Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp., wyomingensis)

Description: This type is dominated by Wyoming big sagebrush, comprising more than 25% of the total vegetative cover. This type is variable and includes areas of dense homogenous Wyoming big sagebrush, to sparsely vegetated, arid areas where Wyoming big sagebrush is the dominant shrub. Often, patches of Wyoming big sagebrush are found with patches of mixed grasses. In these cases, the area is classified as Wyoming big sagebrush if the sagebrush patches occupy more than 50% of the total ground cover.

Distribution: Found along streams and rivers and in other wet to mesic habitats throughout Wyoming.

Elevation Range: 1030-3410 meters (3300-11200 feet)

Diagnostic Species: Artemisia tridentata ssp., wyomingensis

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 26

Saltbush fans and flats Dominant Species: Saltbush (Atriplex sp.)

Description: Areas where Gardner's saltbush comprises more than 25% of the total vegetative cover. These are usually relatively pure saltbush stands, often sparsely vegetated with bare soil constituting most of the land surface. Can be mixed with some grasses or shrubs if these comprise less than 50% of the total cover.

Distribution: Found in central Wyoming from the southern to the northern border of Wyoming, with the greatest area of dominance in the Bighorn Basin.

Elevation Range: 1400-1830 meters (4500-6000 feet)

Diagnostic Species: Atriplex nuttallii, Atriplex corrugata, Atriplex cuneata

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 27

Sand Dunes, Active/Bare Dominant Species: Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus sp.), Indian ricegrass (Psoralea spp.)

Description: On active dunes most of the land surface is comprised of bare, shifting sands though some dune stabilizing species such as Indian ricegrass, Psoralea spp., and rabbitbrush may be present, especially around the margins.

Distribution: Killpecker Dunes, Central Wyoming.

Elevation Range: 1070-1700 meters (3500-5500 feet)

Diagnostics: bare sand

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 28

Sand Dunes, Vegetated Dominant Species: Sand sagebrush (Artemisia filifolia), Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus sp.), Spiny hopsage (Grayia spinosa)

Description: This type includes active and stabilized shrub dominated sand dune communities. On active dunes most of the land surface is comprised of bare, shifting sands though some dune stabilizing species such as Indian ricegrass, Psoralea spp., and rabbitbrush may be present, especially around the margins. Stabilized dunes are vegetated and may include a combination of the above as well as Artemisia species.

Distribution: Isolated dune areas in south central Wyoming

Elevation Range: 1070-1700 meters (3500-5500 feet)

DIAGNOSTIC SPECIES: Artemisia filifolia, Chrysothamnus sp., Psoralea spp., Oryzopsis hymenoides, bare sand.

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 29

Shrub, Bitterbrush steppe Dominant Species: Bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata)

Description: Areas where Bitterbrush is the dominant or co dominant shrub and comprises more than 25% of the total vegetative cover. Often Artemisia tridentata is co- dominant, but if there is a significant proportion of Bitterbrush, the community is classified as Bitterbrush shrub type because of the importance of this type for wildlife.

Distribution: Found in several small transition zones between sagebrush habitats in Wyoming.

Elevation Range: 1830-2745 meters (6000-9000 feet)

Diagnostic Species: Purshia tridentata

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 30

Shrub, Desert Dominant Species: Four wing saltbush (Atriplex canescens), Shadscale (Atriplex confertifolia)

Description: This type is a mixture of shrubs occurring in dry, salty habitats. Shrub cover is often dominated by shadscale, but can be a mixture of shrub species.

Distribution: Throughout the state of Wyoming.

Elevation Range: 1220-2440 meters (4000-8000 feet)

Diagnostic Species: Atriplex canescens, Atriplex confertifolia, Coleogyne ramosissima

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 31

Shrub, Mesic Upland Dominant Species: Varied (see Diagnostic Species)

Description: This is a 'catch all' type which includes a variety of shrub communities that grow in relatively mesic sites. Most often, Rocky Mountain maple, serviceberry, and/or chokecherry are dominant or co-dominant, but other shrub species may be present. Mountain mahogany cannot be dominant. Mesic shrubs must comprise more than 25% of the total vegetative cover.

Distribution: Throughout the state of Wyoming.

Elevation Range: 1560-3760 meters (5100-12325 feet)

Diagnostic Species: Acer glabrum, Amelanchier sp., Symphoricarpos sp., Prunus sp.

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 32

Shrub, Xeric Upland Dominant Species: Mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus sp.)

Description: A shrub community with vegetative cover dominated by species of mountain mahogany. Mountain mahogany must comprise more than 25% of the total vegetative cover.

Distribution: Throughout the state of Colorado.

Elevation Range: 1740-2855 meters (5700-9360 feet)

Diagnostic Species: Cercocarpus montanus, Cercocarpus ledifolius

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 33

Spruce fir Dominant Species: Engelmann Spruce (Picea engelmannii) and Subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa).

Description: Spruce fir forest not significantly affected by logging. Engelmann spruce and/or subalpine fir must be dominant or co-dominant in the canopy. This type will also include spruce fir krummholz communities. Total canopy coverage by all tree species must be greater than 25%.

Distribution: Abies lasiocarpa and Picea engelmannii are found in the subalpine zone throughout the state of Wyoming.

Elevation Range: 2590-3659 meters (8500 – 12000 feet)

Diagnostic Species: Picea engelmannii, Abies lasiocarpa

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 34

Snow, Permanent (Glaciers) Dominant Species: Not applicable

Description: Any area of perennial snow and glaciers.

Distribution: Throughout the high elevations in the state of Wyoming (Wind River Range, Teton Range).

Elevation Range: 2694-4209 meters (8839-13809 feet)

Diagnostic Species: Not applicable

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 35

Subalpine meadow Dominant Species: A variety of species can be dominant or co-dominant

Description: Graminoid and forb type occurring within and below upper treeline. Often found in mountain park situations.

Distribution: high elevations in Wyoming.

Elevation Range: 1530-3050 meters (5000-10000 feet)

Diagnostic Species: American bistort (Polygonum bistortoides), Thurber bentgrass (Agrostis thurberiana), least lewisia (Lewisia pygmaea), Drummonds rush (Juncus drummondii), alpine timothy (Phleum alpinum), nodding bluegrass (Poa reflexa), alpine veronica (Veronica wormskjoldii), subalpine arnica (Arnica mollis).

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 36

Surface Mining Operations Dominant Species: Not applicable

Description: This type includes unreclaimed mine sites, strip mines, associated development, drainage ponds, etc. as well as oil and gas development where the vegetation has been removed or damaged over areas greater than 100 ha.

Distribution: Throughout the state of Wyoming.

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 37

Tundra, Meadow (above upper treeline) Dominant Species: Dominance varies

Description: This type includes graminoid and forb dominated vegetation that occurs above upper treeline in the alpine zone. Common species include various sedges (Carex sp.), low growing willows (Salix sp.), grasses and forbs.

Distribution: Above timberline throughout the state of Wyoming.

Elevation Range: Above timberline

Diagnostic Species: Carex sp., Salix sp.

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 38

Water Dominant Species: Not applicable

Description: Any area of open water with area greater than 40 ha. Includes lakes and reservoirs, but not rivers or streams.

Distribution: Throughout the state of Wyoming.

Elevation Range: 920-3820 meters (3000-12500 feet)

Diagnostic Species: Not applicable

Simplified Land Cover (Vegetation) Type Descriptions | 39