Foothill woodland is a California
vegetation type
Vegetation classification is the process of classifying and mapping the vegetation over an area of the earth's surface. Vegetation classification is often performed by state based agencies as part of land use, resource and environmental manageme ...
characterized by an overstory of broadleaf and coniferous trees, generally found in areas of higher elevations and more precipitation than
grassland
A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...
s and
oak savannah, and at lower elevations and less precipitation than
mixed coniferous.
Sierra Nevada range
In the
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
range, it is found on western slopes at elevations of in the northern part of the range, in the central part, and in the southern part.
[Sierra Nevada Wildflowers, Karen Wiese, 2nd ed, 2013, p. 12-13] Annual precipitation in its range is , with little precipitation in the summer.
[ Growing season is 6–10 months.][ Temperatures range in the summer, and in winter.][
In the Sierra Nevada range, it is characterized by a dominant overstory of Foothill Pine ('' Pinus sabiniana''), Blue Oak ('']Quercus douglasii
''Quercus douglasii'', known as blue oak, is a species of oak endemic to (and found only in) California, common in the Coast Ranges and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It is California's most drought-tolerant deciduous oak, and is a dominan ...
''), Interior Live Oak (''Quercus chrysolepis
''Quercus chrysolepis'', commonly termed canyon live oak, canyon oak, golden cup oak or maul oak, is a North American species of evergreen oak that is found in Mexico and in the western United States, notably in the California Coast Ranges. This ...
''), California Black Oak (''Quercus kelloggii
''Quercus kelloggii'', the California black oak, also known as Kellogg oak, is an oak in the red oak section (genus ''Quercus'', section ''Lobatae'', series ''Agrifoliae''), native to western North America. Although genetically separated from t ...
''), California Buckeye (''Aesculus californica
''Aesculus californica'', commonly known as the California buckeye or California horse-chestnut, is a species of buckeye native to California and southwestern Oregon.
Description
It is a large deciduous shrub or small tree, up to tall, w ...
''), and understory plants including ''Ceanothus
''Ceanothus'' is a genus of about 50–60 species of Actinorhizal plant, nitrogen-fixing shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae). Common names for members of this genus are buckbrush, California lilac, soap bush, or just ceano ...
spp.'', Toyon (''Heteromeles arbutifolia
''Heteromeles arbutifolia'' (; more commonly by Californian botanists), commonly known as toyon, is a common perennial shrub native to extreme southwest Oregon, California, and the Baja California Peninsula. It is the sole species in the genus ...
''), Dogwood (''Cornus
''Cornus'' is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Most are deciduous trees or shrub ...
spp.''), and Redbud (''Cercis occidentalis
''Cercis occidentalis'', the western redbud or California redbud (syn. ''Cercis orbiculata'' — Greene), is a small tree or shrub in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is found across the American Southwest, from California to Utah and Arizona.
I ...
'').[ It is often found on north facing slopes there is more moisture in the soils from protection from the sun ( slope effect).][
]
Regional decline
Foothill Woodlands have declined as a result of development. In California counties, 64% have noted decreases greater than 5%. More residential commercial development has been occurring. A number of range lands have and continue to be converted.
See also
*California interior chaparral and woodlands
The California interior chaparral and woodlands ecoregion covers in an elliptical ring around the California Central Valley. It occurs on hills and mountains ranging from to . It is part of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, ...
— ''sub-ecoregion, including the Sierra Nevada foothills''.
* List of Sierra Nevada plants in the Foothill Woodland and Chaparral Zone.
* — ''flora of ecoregion''.
*Sierra Nevada lower montane forest
The Sierra Nevada lower montane forest is a plant community along a strip along the western and eastern edges of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. This zone is also known as a yellow pine forest.
Moving southward, the elevation rang ...
— ''sub-ecoregion at adjacent higher elevations''.
References
{{reflist
Forests of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands