Laserfiche WebLink
<br />The area is forested and not generally grazed by domestic livestock due <br />to the rough nature of the terrain, the timber stands, and lack of <br />usable forage. Vegetation in this area corresponds to the Lower Montane <br />Forest Climax Region as defined by Marr (1967). The area is an <br />evergreen forest of open broad-crowned trees with grassy openings. <br />Shrubs, herbs, and grasses are sparse under the trees. <br /> <br />Vegetational studies of the site during the 1979 field season showed the <br />three principal habitat types present were ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, <br />and ri pari an. These habitat types graded into one another to form <br />narrow ecotones. <br /> <br />Vegetation at the site is the result of differences or combinations of <br />soil and topography. Grasses are more dominant on the lowermost slopes <br />where soil is relatively fine textured and deep. Where the terrain is <br />fl at, trees and grasses are present. On steeper slopes, forests <br />continue to the valley floor. South-facing slopes, due to the year- <br />round exposure to sunlight, are drier and the vegetation is sparse <br />reflecting these existing drier conditions. <br /> <br />Riparian vegetation is restricted to the valley floor, and is composed <br />of box elder, river birch, ponderosa pine, and Douglas fir. Scattered <br />Colorado blue spruce is found in the shadier locations. Smaller <br />riparian vegetation includes mountain maple, red-osier dogwood, willow, <br />chokecherry, and snowberry. Preval ent grasses are bl uegrass, redtop, <br />and sQui rrel tail. Forbs and sedges i ncl ude pi nk bergamont, wi] drose, <br />gol den rod , and scourf ng rush; and the groundcover i ncl udes mul ch and <br />rock. <br /> <br />Ponderosa pine habitat comprises the majority of vegetation within the <br />inundation area at the Crescent site. The ponderosa pine community is <br />predominantly found on the south and east-facing slopes and varies from <br />dense stands with a scattered understory to open treeless stands with an <br />understory comprised of sedges and grasses. Juniper is found in the <br />park-like bottom lands along South Boulder Creek. <br /> <br />~erbaceous cover varies from north- to south-facing slopes. On the dry <br />south-facing slopes, stands are more open with shrubs, such as pasture <br />sagebrush and gooseberry present. Grasses here include dropseed, <br />fescue, and brome. Sedges are also included in the understory. <br />Mountain mahogany and skunk brush are common in the open forest. The <br />herb and shrub understory is greater in the ponderosa pine areas than <br />that of the Douglas fir stands. <br /> <br />Many ponderosa pi ne in thi s area have been infected wi th the mountai n <br />pine bark beetle, and a considerable number have died. Many trees are <br />also parasitized by mistletoe. <br /> <br />Dougl as fi r is the domi nant tree on the steep north- faci ng slopes. <br />Ponderosa pi ne, juniper, and serviceberry make up only a small <br />percentage of the total canopy. The crowns of the trees generally touch <br />which reduces the amount of available sunlight. The understory is less <br />diverse than that of the ponderosa pine stands. Kinnikinnik and <br /> <br />12 <br />