MONTANE

The Montane Ecosystem

The Montane Ecosystem occurs at elevations between approximately 5,600 and 9,500 feet. Dry, south-facing slopes of the Montane often have open stands of large ponderosa pines. Spacing of ponderosa pines is somewhat related to available soil moisture. Grasses, other herbs and shrubs may grow between the widely spaced trees on dry slopes. As the pines become old, their bark changes from gray-brown to cinnamon-red, and the bark releases a pleasant fragrance when warmed by the sun. The long needles of ponderosa pines are attached to the stems in groups of two's and three's.

North-facing slopes of the Montane escape some of the sun's drying action, so their soils contain more available water. As a result, the trees grow closer together and competition for sunlight produces a tall, slender growth form. The trees may be a mixture of Douglas fir, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine and an occasional Engelmann spruce. A few shade-tolerant plants grow on the floor of the forest.

Montane soils with high moisture content may support groves of quaking aspen, whose leaves turn golden-yellow in the autumn and whose whitish bark is easy to recognize. Along streams or the shores of lakes, other water-loving small trees may be found. These include various willows, mountain alder, and water birch with dark-colored bark. In a few places, blue spruce may grow near streams and sometimes hybridize with Engelmann spruce. Flat Montane valleys may frequently have water-logged soil and be unable to support growth of evergreen forests.

Plants and Animals of the Montane Ecosystem

Trees:
Ponderosa Pine	Douglas Fir
Quaking Aspen	Lodgepole Pine
Shrubs:
Antelope Bitterbrush	Wax Currant
Kinnikinnick	Big Sage
Common Juniper	Rocky Mountain Juniper
Holly Grape
Herbaceous Plants:
Mountain Ball Cactus	Needle and Thread Grass
Daisy	Locoweed
Geranium	Whiskbroom Parsley
Blue Grama	Pasque Flower
Gumweed	Penstemon
June Grass	Sedge
Mariposa Lily	Spike Fescue
Miner's Candle	Sulphur Flower
Dwarf Mistletoe	Wallflower
Mountain Muhly	Blue Columbine
Reptiles:
Western Garter Snake
Birds:
Mountain Bluebird	Solitary Vireo
Western Bluebird	Black-Billed Magpie
Mountain Chickadee	Common Nighthawk
Red Crossbill	Pygmy Nuthatch
American Crow	Great Horned Owl
Golden Eagle	Raven
Cassin's Finch	American Robin
Northern Flicker	Pine Siskin
Northern Goshawk	Townsend's Solitaire
Steller's Jay	Yellow-Rump Warbler
Tree Swallow	Woodpecker (Downy and Hairy)
Western Tanager	Western Wood Pee Wee
House Wren
Mammals:
Badger	Yellow-Bellied Marmot
Black Bear	Deer Mouse
Bobcat	Porcupine
Chipmunk	Bighorn Sheep
Nuttall's Cottontail	Montane Shrew
Coyote	Golden Mantle Ground Squirrel
Mule Deer	Abert's Squirrel
Elk	Meadow Vole
Skunk	Weasel (long-tailed)
Mountain Lion	Bushy Tailed Wood Rat
Otter	Moose