The upper montane forest is a

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 management, resource and envi ...

generally found above the

mixed coniferous forest Mixed coniferous forest is a vegetation type dominated by a mixture of broadleaf trees and conifers.Sierra Nevada Wildflowers, Karen Wiese, 2nd ed, 2013, p 13–14 It is generally located in mountains, below the upper montane vegetation type. Si ...

and below the

subalpine forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

vegetation types. Most of what grows in upper montane forests are conifers, because of the short growing season.

Pike and San Isabel National Forests

In the

Pike National Forest The Pike National Forest is located in the Front Range of Colorado, United States, west of Colorado Springs including Pikes Peak. The forest encompasses 1,106,604 acres (4,478 km2) within Clear Creek, Teller, Park, Jefferson, Douglas and E ...

and

San Isabel National Forest San Isabel National Forest is located in central Colorado. The forest contains 19 of the state's 53 fourteeners, peaks over high, including Mount Elbert, the highest point in Colorado. It is one of eleven national forests in the state of Color ...

of the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

, the upper montane forest is also called the "moist forest", with the mixed coniferous below called "dry forest", and the subalpine forest above called "cold forest". Stands may have a shade intolerant ponderosa pine (''

Pinus ponderosa ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is the ...

'') overstory, and a shade tolerant Douglas-fir (''

Pseudotsuga menziesii The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are three va ...

'') or white fir (''

Abies concolor ''Abies concolor'', the white fir, is a coniferous tree in the pine family Pinaceae. This tree is native to the mountains of western North America, including the Cascade Range and southern Rocky Mountains, and into the isolated mountain ranges ...

'') understory.

Lassen Volcanic Park

Lassen Volcanic Park Lassen Volcanic National Park is an American national park in northeastern California. The dominant feature of the park is Lassen Peak, the largest plug dome volcano in the world and the southernmost volcano in the Cascade Range. Lassen Volc ...

at the southern end of the

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

, the upper montane forest is also known as red fir forest. It has less diversity than the mixed coniferous forest below. It occurs between , consists of dense stands of red fir (''

Abies magnifica ''Abies magnifica'', the red fir or silvertip fir, is a western North American fir, native to the mountains of southwest Oregon and California in the United States. It is a high-elevation tree, typically occurring at elevation, though only rare ...

''), and has little understory and few animals. In the western areas that are more open, western white pine (''

Pinus monticola Western white pine (''Pinus monticola''), also called silver pine and California mountain pine, is a species of pine in the family Pinaceae. It occurs in mountain ranges of northwestern North America. It is the List of U.S. state trees, state tre ...

'') can commonly be found. Lodgepole pine (''

Pinus contorta ''Pinus contorta'', with the common names lodgepole pine and shore pine, and also known as twisted pine, and contorta pine, is a common tree in western North America. It is common near the ocean shore and in dry montane forests to the subalpine ...

'') occurs in areas of thin soils. Summer temperatures are low in the almost total shade of the red fir.

Sierra Nevada range

On the western slopes of 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, upper montane vegetation can be found at elevations from in the northern part of the range, in the central part, and in the southern part. On the eastern slopes, it is at higher elevations. Precipitation in areas of upper montane forest vegetation type is , mostly as snowfall. Summer high temperatures range from , and winter lows are below . Growing season is about four months because of long-lasting, deep snow. Overstory trees are typically cone shaped to shed the snow, with characteristic trees including lodgepole pine (''

''), Jeffrey pine (''

Pinus jeffreyi ''Pinus jeffreyi'', also known as Jeffrey pine, Jeffrey's pine, yellow pine and black pine, is a North American pine tree. It is mainly found in California, but also in the westernmost part of Nevada, southwestern Oregon, and northern Baja Califo ...

''), western white pine (''

'') California red fir (''

''), and Sierra juniper (''

Juniperus grandis ''Juniperus grandis'', known as Sierra juniper, Sierra western juniper, and western juniper, is a tree or tall shrub that is endemic to the Western United States. It is sometimes considered a variety or subspecies of ''Juniperus occidentalis'', w ...

''), and typical understory trees and shrubs such as huckleberry oak (''

Quercus vaccinifolia ''Quercus vacciniifolia'' (sometimes spelled ''Q. vaccinifolia''), the huckleberry oak, is a member of the ''Protobalanus'' section of genus ''Quercus''. It has evergreen foliage, short styles, very bitter acorns that mature in 18 months, and a ...

'') and red heather (''

Phyllodoce breweri ''Phyllodoce breweri'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae known by the common names purple mountain heath and Brewer's mountain heather. It is native to California, where it can be found in mountain ranges including the sout ...

''). The fire return interval is about 50-70 years. The soils in this zone is mainly granitic, and are fast-draining and acidic. The soil is mostly covered in needle litter: the understory has little vegetation.

References

{{reflist Montane forests