Nevada Wildlife Action Plan
Nevada Wildlife Action Plan Lower Montane Woodlands & Chaparral Figure 9. Distribution of Lower Montane Woodlands & Chaparral Habitat type in Nevada. 129 | P a g e Nevada Wildlife Action Plan KEY HABITAT: LOWER MONTANE WOODLANDS AND CHAPARRAL Things to Know…. Lower montane woodlands and chaparral are found 5,000-8,000 feet in elevation and characterized by pinyon pine and juniper species mixed with shrub species, such as mountain mahogany, sagebrush, black sagebrush, and bitterbrush. Several priority species, including Pinyon Jay, Ferruginous Hawk, Dusky and Sooty Grouse,and several bat species, utilize various featrues of this habitat type. Largest habitat threat is cheatgrass invasion and uncharacteristic crown fires. In general, the lower montane habitat ecological departure will improve with climate change however, annual grassland conversion will increase. Ecoregions Southwest ReGAP 2005 Great Basin 1,895,051 hectares 4,679,139 acres Columbia 93,817 hectares 231,647 acres Mojave 173,980 hectares 429,580 acres Sierra Nevada 3,859 hectares 9,529 acres Total 2,166,707 hectares 5,349,895 acres Ecological Systems TNC Biophysical Setting SWReGAP Ecological Systems Pinyon-Juniper…………………….. S040 Great Basin Pinyon-Juniper Woodland Mountain Shrub……………………. S046 Rocky Mountain Gambel Oak-Mixed Montane Shrubland Curl-leaf Mountain Mahogany.. S050 Intermountain Basins Mountain Mahogany Woodland and Shrubland Chaparral……………………………….. S053 Great Basin Semi-Desert Chaparral Juniper Savanna…………………… S075 Intermountain Basins Juniper Savanna Key Habitat Description The term “lower montane woodlands” is used to describe an association of pygmy forest types growing on unproductive soils and rock outcrops favoring long fire return intervals and that generally occur on montane slopes found between 5,000 and 8,000 feet elevation, but will reach as far down as 4,000 feet at the edge of the Mojave Desert, and as high as 10,000 feet on the White Mountains (Trimble 1989).
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