Northern
Rockies
|
Included
in this area are the Northern Rocky Mountains and outlying ranges in
both the United States and Canada, and also the inter-montane Wyoming
Basin and Fraser Basin. The Rockies are dominated by a variety of
coniferous forest habitats. Drier areas are dominated by ponderosa pine,
with Douglas fir and lodgepole pine at higher elevations and Engelman
spruce and subalpine fir even higher. More mesic forests to the north
and west are dominated by western larch, grand fir, western red cedar,
and western hemlock. High priority forest birds include the Flammulated
Owl, Lewis's and Black-backed Woodpecker, Olive-sided Flycatcher,
Townsend's Warbler, Rufous Hummingbird, Black Swift and Blue Grouse.
Barrow's Goldeneye, Harlequin Duck and Trumpeter Swan breed in
high-elevation lakes and streams. The Wyoming Basin and other
lower-lying valleys are characterized by sagebrush shrubland and
shrub-steppe habitat, much of which has been degraded by conversion to
other uses or invasion of non-native plants. High priority birds include
Sage Grouse, Ferruginous Hawk, Brewer's Sparrow and Sage Thrasher. |