Colorado Rockies forests

The Colorado Rockies forests is a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion of the United States. This ecoregion is located in the highest ranges of the Southern Rocky Mountains, in central and western Colorado, northern New Mexico and southeastern Wyoming, and experiences a dry continental climate.^[2]^[3] This ecoregion is the same as the Southern Rockies ecoregion in the EPA classification scheme from Omernik.^[2]^[4]

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.^[5]Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir, Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, limber pine and Gambel oak can also be found in the mountain forests.^[6]Bristlecone pine is the dominant plant at the tree line/krummholz zone.^[5] Aside from coniferous forests, the ecoregion contains meadows, foothill grasslands, riparian woodlands and alpine tundra.^[7]

Fauna

Mammals include elk, mule deer, black bear, mountain lions, wolverine, Canada lynx, and American marten.^[5]^[8]Grizzly bears may exist in this region but there has not been a confirmed sighting of a grizzly in Colorado since 1979.^[8] Many bird species are found in this region, including white-tailed ptarmigan, western tanagers, dusky grouse, mountain chickadees, pine grosbeaks, Canada jays, pygmy nuthatches, red crossbills, Clark's nutcrackers, American dippers, and Townsend's solitaires.^[9] Raptors include red-tailed hawks and great horned owls.^[9]

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]

References

1 2 3 4Hoekstra, 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.
1 2 3"Colorado Rockies forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
↑"Colorado Rockies forests". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
↑Omernik, JM (1995). "Ecoregions: a framework for managing ecosystems". The George Wright Forum. 12 (1). George Wright Society: 35–50. JSTOR 43597408.
1 2 3"Colorado Rockies forests (NA0511)". WildWorld Full Report. WWF. Archived from the original on 2010-03-22.
↑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.
↑World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Colorado Rockies forest". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08.
1 2Noss, Reed. "Colorado Rockies Forest". One Earth. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
1 2"Birds". Rocky Mountain National Park. US National Park Service. Retrieved 2024-05-29.

External links

Media related to Colorado Rockies forests at Wikimedia Commons

[Atlas-1] 1 2 3 4Hoekstra, 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.

[WWF-2] 1 2 3"Colorado Rockies forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.

[3] "Colorado Rockies forests". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved 2024-05-29.

[4] Omernik, JM (1995). "Ecoregions: a framework for managing ecosystems". The George Wright Forum. 12 (1). George Wright Society: 35–50. JSTOR 43597408.

[WWF2-5] 1 2 3"Colorado Rockies forests (NA0511)". WildWorld Full Report. WWF. Archived from the original on 2010-03-22.

[6] 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.

[NatGeo-7] World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Colorado Rockies forest". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08.

[OneEarth-8] 1 2Noss, Reed. "Colorado Rockies Forest". One Earth. Retrieved 2024-05-29.

[NPSbirds-9] 1 2"Birds". Rocky Mountain National Park. US National Park Service. Retrieved 2024-05-29.

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Colorado Rockies forests

Flora

Fauna

Threats and preservation

See also

References

External links

関連するトピック

temperate coniferous forest

ecoregion

United States

Southern Rocky Mountains