United States Department of Land Resource Regions and Agriculture Major Land Resource Areas of the United States, the Natural Resources Conservation Service Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin United States Department of Agriculture Handbook 296 Land Resource Regions and Major Land Resource Areas of the United States, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service United States Department of Agriculture Handbook 296 Issued 2006 ii The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250- 9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Citation: United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2006. Land Resource Regions and Major Land Resource Areas of the United States, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin. U.S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 296. Cover: Upper left.—An area of Land Resource Region Q (Pacific Basin Region). Upper right.—Recent volcanic deposits in an area of Land Resource Region W2 (Aleutian Alaska). Lower left.—Riparian buffer in an area of Land Resource Region M (Central Feed Grains and Livestock Region). Lower right.—Rangeland in an area of Land Resource Region B (Northwestern Wheat and Range Region). iii Contents Preface ...................................................................................vii 31—Lower Colorado Desert .......................................... 88 Land Resource Regions and Major Land Resource 32—Northern Intermountain Desertic Basins ............... 90 Areas ................................................................................... 1 34A—Cool Central Desertic Basins and Plateaus ........ 92 Introduction ......................................................................... 1 34B—Warm Central Desertic Basins and Plateaus ....... 94 A—Northwestern Forest, Forage, and Specialty Crop 35—Colorado Plateau ................................................... 96 Region .......................................................................... 9 36—Southwestern Plateaus, Mesas, and Foothills ........ 99 1—Northern Pacific Coast Range, Foothills, and 38—Mogollon Transition ........................................... 101 Valleys ........................................................................ 11 39—Arizona and New Mexico Mountains ................. 103 2—Willamette and Puget Sound Valleys ....................... 12 40—Sonoran Basin and Range ................................... 105 3—Olympic and Cascade Mountains ........................... 14 41—Southeastern Arizona Basin and Range .............. 107 4A—Sitka Spruce Belt .................................................. 16 42—Southern Desertic Basins, Plains, and 4B—Coastal Redwood Belt .......................................... 19 Mountains ................................................................ 109 5—Siskiyou-Trinity Area .............................................. 21 E—Rocky Mountain Range and Forest Region ............. 113 6—Cascade Mountains, Eastern Slope ......................... 23 43A—Northern Rocky Mountains .............................. 115 B—Northwestern Wheat and Range Region .................... 27 43B—Central Rocky Mountains ................................ 116 7—Columbia Basin ....................................................... 29 43C—Blue and Seven Devils Mountains ................... 118 8—Columbia Plateau .................................................... 31 44—Northern Rocky Mountain Valleys ..................... 121 9—Palouse and Nez Perce Prairies ................................ 33 46—Northern Rocky Mountain Foothills .................. 123 10—Central Rocky and Blue Mountain Foothills ....... 35 47—Wasatch and Uinta Mountains ............................ 125 11—Snake River Plains ................................................. 37 48A—Southern Rocky Mountains .............................. 128 12—Lost River Valleys and Mountains ........................ 38 48B—Southern Rocky Mountain Parks ..................... 130 13—Eastern Idaho Plateaus ........................................... 40 49—Southern Rocky Mountain Foothills .................. 132 C—California Subtropical Fruit, Truck, and Specialty 51—High Intermountain Valleys ................................. 134 Crop Region ............................................................... 43 F—Northern Great Plains Spring Wheat Region ............ 137 14—Central California Coastal Valleys ........................ 45 52—Brown Glaciated Plain ......................................... 139 15—Central California Coast Range ............................ 47 53A—Northern Dark Brown Glaciated Plains ............ 140 16—California Delta ..................................................... 49 53B—Central Dark Brown Glaciated Plains ............... 142 17—Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys .................... 51 53C—Southern Dark Brown Glaciated Plains ............ 144 18—Sierra Nevada Foothills ......................................... 53 54—Rolling Soft Shale Plain ...................................... 145 19—Southern California Coastal Plain ......................... 55 55A—Northern Black Glaciated Plains ...................... 147 20—Southern California Mountains ............................. 57 55B—Central Black Glaciated Plains ......................... 148 D—Western Range and Irrigated Region .......................... 61 55C—Southern Black Glaciated Plains ...................... 150 21—Klamath and Shasta Valleys and Basins ................ 63 56—Red River Valley of the North ............................. 152 22A—Sierra Nevada Mountains ................................... 65 G—Western Great Plains Range and Irrigated Region ... 155 22B—Southern Cascade Mountains ............................. 67 58A—Northern Rolling High Plains, Northern Part ... 157 23—Malheur High Plateau ............................................ 69 58B—Northern Rolling High Plains, Southern Part ... 159 24—Humboldt Area ....................................................... 71 58C—Northern Rolling High Plains, Northeastern 25—Owyhee High Plateau ............................................ 73 Part ............................................................................ 161 26—Carson Basin and Mountains ................................ 75 58D—Northern Rolling High Plains, Eastern Part ...... 162 27—Fallon-Lovelock Area ............................................ 77 60A—Pierre Shale Plains ............................................. 164 28A—Great Salt Lake Area............................................ 79 60B—Pierre Shale Plains, Northern Part ..................... 166 28B—Central Nevada Basin and Range ....................... 81 61—Black Hills Foot Slopes ....................................... 168 29—Southern Nevada Basin and Range ....................... 83 62—Black Hills ........................................................... 170 30—Mojave Desert ........................................................ 85 63A—Northern Rolling Pierre Shale Plains ................ 172 iv 63B—Southern Rolling Pierre Shale Plains ............... 174 K—Northern Lake States Forest and Forage Region ...... 269 64—Mixed Sandy and Silty Tableland and 57—Northern Minnesota Gray Drift ........................... 271 Badlands ................................................................... 176 88—Northern Minnesota Glacial Lake Basins ........... 272 65—Nebraska Sand Hills ............................................. 178 89—Wisconsin Central Sands ..................................... 274 66—Dakota-Nebraska Eroded Tableland .................... 180 90A—Wisconsin and Minnesota Thin Loess and 67A—Central High Plains, Northern Part ................... 181 Till, Northern Part ..................................................... 276 67B—Central High Plains, Southern Part ................... 183 90B—Wisconsin and Minnesota Thin Loess and 69—Upper Arkansas Valley Rolling Plains ................. 185 Till, Southern Part .................................................... 279 70A—Canadian River Plains and Valleys ................... 187 91A—Central Minnesota Sandy Outwash .................. 281 70B—Upper Pecos River Valley ................................. 189 91B—Wisconsin and Minnesota Sandy Outwash ...... 282 70C—Central New Mexico Highlands ....................... 191 92—Superior Lake Plain ............................................. 285 70D—Southern Desert Foothills ................................. 193 93A—Superior Stony and Rocky Loamy Plains H—Central Great Plains Winter Wheat and Range and Hills, Western Part ............................................. 287 Region ...................................................................... 195