Colorado Rockies forests

Colorado Rockies forests
Forest and lake in the Elk Mountains, Colorado
Ecology
RealmNearctic
BiomeTemperate coniferous forest
Borders
Bird species210[1]
Mammal species103[1]
Geography
CountryUnited States
States
Conservation
Habitat loss1.2653%[1]
Protected65.39%[1]

The Colorado Rockies forests is a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion of the United States. This ecoregion is located in the highest ranges of the Rocky Mountains, in central and western Colorado, northern New Mexico and southeastern Wyoming, and experiences a dry continental climate.[2][3]

Flora

The dominant vegetation type of this ecoregion is coniferous forest. In contrast with Rocky Mountain ecoregions to the north, lodgepole pine is rather rare, replaced by ponderosa pine and quaking aspen.[4] Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir, Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, limber pine and Gambel oak can also be found in the mountain forests.[5] Bristlecone pine is the dominant plant at the tree line/krummholz zone.[4] Aside from coniferous forests, the ecoregion contains meadows, foothill grasslands, riparian woodlands and alpine tundra.[6]

Fauna

Mammals include elk, mule deer, black bear, mountain lions, wolverine, Canada lynx, and American marten.[4][7] Grizzly bears may exist in this region but there has not been a confirmed sighting of a grizzly in Colorado since 1979.[7] Many bird species are found in this region, including white-tailed ptarmigans, western tanagers, dusky grouses, mountain chickadees, pine grosbeaks, gray jays, pygmy nuthatches, red crossbills, Clark's nutcrackers, American dippers, and Townsend's solitaires.[8] Raptors include red-tailed hawks and great horned owls.[8]

Threats and preservation

While this ecoregion is listed as "relatively stable/intact", it is threatened by logging, mining, oil and gas development, recreational-residential construction, domestic livestock grazing and introduction of exotic species. Protected areas include Rocky Mountain National Park and Indian Peaks Wilderness in north-central Colorado, South San Juan Wilderness in south-central Colorado, and parts of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains extending into north-central New Mexico.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; Spalding, M. D.; Boucher, T. M.; Robertson, J. C.; Heibel, T. J.; Ellison, K. (2010). Molnar, J. L. (ed.). The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-26256-0.
  2. ^ a b "Colorado Rockies forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  3. ^ "Colorado Rockies forests". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  4. ^ a b c "Colorado Rockies forests (NA0511)". WildWorld Full Report. WWF. Archived from the original on 2010-03-22.
  5. ^ Peet, RK (2000). "Forests and meadows of the Rocky Mountains". In Barbour, MG; Billings, WD (eds.). North American Terrestrial Vegetation (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 77–78. ISBN 978-0-521-55986-7.
  6. ^ World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Colorado Rockies forest". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08.
  7. ^ a b Noss, Reed. "Colorado Rockies Forest". One Earth. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  8. ^ a b "Birds". Rocky Mountain National Park. US National Park Service. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
Nearctic temperate coniferous forests ecoregions
Alberta Mountain forests Canada
Alberta-British Columbia foothills forests Canada
Arizona Mountains forests United States
Atlantic coastal pine barrens United States
Blue Mountains forests United States
British Columbia mainland coastal forests Canada, United States
Cascade Mountains leeward forests Canada, United States
Central and Southern Cascades forests United States
Central British Columbia Mountain forests Canada
Central Pacific coastal forests Canada, United States
Colorado Rockies forests United States
Eastern Cascades forests Canada, United States
Fraser Plateau and Basin complex Canada
Florida scrub United States
Great Basin montane forests United States
Haida Gwaii Canada
Klamath-Siskiyou forests United States
Middle Atlantic coastal forests United States
North Central Rockies forests Canada, United States
Northern California coastal forests United States
Northern Pacific coastal forests Canada, United States
Northern transitional alpine forests Canada
Okanagan dry forests Canada, United States
Piney Woods forests United States
Puget lowland forests Canada, United States
Sierra Juárez and San Pedro Mártir pine–oak forests Mexico
Sierra Nevada forests United States
South Central Rockies forests United States
Southeastern conifer forests United States
Wasatch and Uinta montane forests United States