Colorado State Water Plan 1974 ‎(Phase I)‎

• Year: 1974
• Title: Colorado State Water Plan
• CWCB Section: Agency-wide
• Publications - Doc Type: Historical

General Description of the Environment
Alpine
The alpine vegetal association usually occurs at elevations higher than
11,000 feet which is the approximate elevation of the timberline. Vegetal
production is meager and the plant communities are fragile exhibiting extremely
slow recuperation rates following disturbance. The species usually found in the
alpine meadows are sedges, bluegrasses, spike trisetum, alpine timothy, willows,
bistort, bluebells, gentian, clovers, and kobresia.
Alpine barren areas consist of shale, 'rock slides, snow fields, and glaciers.
They are areas where growing conditions are too harsh for plants to become
established.
Forests
Forest vegetation occurs at elevations below 11,000 feet and above 7,000
feet. Some forests have an understory of vegetation that is excellent forage and
is often used for summer range.
The spruce-fir forest occurs at the higher elevations and below these are
lodgepole pine, Douglas fir, and quaking aspen. Much of the forest has dense
stands of trees and little undergrowth. Some of the important herbaceous species
are tufted hair-grass, blue joint, sedges, and rushes. At still lower elevations
are forests consisting mainly of ponderosa pine, intermixed with extensive areas
of quaking aspen. Other important plants are mountain muhly, Arizona fescue,
slender wheatgrass, and oatgrasses. Common shrubs are big sagebrush, service-
berry, snowberries, mountain mahogany, and bitterbrush. Streambank and
meadow communities throughout the forest areas consist of woody plants such as
willows, cottonwoods, aspen, birches, and dogwood. This zone also has potential
for increasing water yield through intensive management of the vast areas of aspen,
and other woody plant communities.
Oakbrush
Oakbrush is found below the forests and includes shrub types that commonly
occur as a transition between forest and other vegetation types. Common shrubs
of this type are oaks, mountain mahogany, serviceberry, ceanothus, bitterbrush,
cliffrose, chokecherry, snowberry, and rose. Other plants commonly found in
this zone are big sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, needle-and-thread, june- •
grass, and annual bromes.
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