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may occur any day of the year. Although winter low temperatures may be warmer than those in nearby lower valleys, typically staying above −10 °F (−23 °C), prodigious snows blanket the region well into spring. Some drifts may linger into summer. Convectional precipitation, typically
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in the southern Rocky
Mountains. Typical intervals between fires range from 50 to 300 years. White pines are tolerant of extreme environmental conditions and can be important postfire successional species. In high, windblown areas, trees often grow into grotesque shapes.
388:. Wilderness science in a time of change conference. Vol. 3. Missoula, Montana: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. pp. 84–92. Proceedings RMRS-P-15-VOL-3.
190:: whitebark pine mortality in some areas exceeds 90%. Entire forest vistas, like that at Avalanche Ridge near Yellowstone National Park's east gate, are expanses of dead, gray whitebarks.
382:
Keane, Robert E. (1999). "The importance of wilderness to whitebark pine research and management". In McCool, Stephen F.; Cole, David N.; Borrie, William T.; O'Loughlin, Jennifer (eds.).
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The climate of the Rocky
Mountains subalpine zone is never warm, with summer highs reaching 75 °F (24 °C) on only the warmest days near the
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On exposed, dry slopes at high elevations, subalpine white pine forests replace spruce-fir forests. Common species of the white pine forests include
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54:, the subalpine zone occupies elevations approximately from 9,000 to 12,000 feet (2,700 to 3,700 m); while in northern
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Due to harsh winters and a relative dearth of food sources, the subalpine harbors limited native animal species. While
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in upper subalpine forests of the northern Rocky
Mountains. However, the whitebark pine has been in decline due to
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and other hardy species. Previously burned areas may contain varying amounts, or even almost pure stands, of
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131:. In other areas, Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir mix with or give way to various pines, such as
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are commonly seen and heard in Rocky
Mountain subalpine regions, with others such as
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and generally the exclusion of trees found more commonly at lower elevations such as
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58:, the subalpine zone extends from 1,350 to 2,300 metres (4,400 to 7,500 ft).
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159:. Ground cover in a previously burned forest area often includes two species of
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are among the few important native mammals. A few birds, such as the
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A Sierra Club
Naturalist's Guide: The Southern Rockies
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Petit, Charles (January 30, 2007). "Science
Section".
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Snook, J.S.; Meyers, M.P.; Poulos, G.S.; Wesley, D.A.
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in the central and north-central Rocky
Mountains, and
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Plant
Checklist for the Rocky Mountain National Park
111:, the region is characterized by a concentration of
462:Plant communities of the Western United States
79:, often forms rapidly and frequently includes
417:(1st ed.). San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.
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385:Wilderness as a place for scientific inquiry
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170:in the northern Rocky Mountains,
99:A subalpine fir near treeline in
354: This article incorporates
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368:United States Geological Survey
103:, twisted into an unusual shape
467:Forests of the Rocky Mountains
457:Ecology of the Rocky Mountains
452:Climate of the Rocky Mountains
257:Ecology of the Rocky Mountains
32:Rocky Mountains subalpine zone
1:
413:Benedict, Audrey D. (1991).
289:Rocky Mountain National Park
262:Sierra Nevada subalpine zone
16:Biotic zone in North America
311:Alberta Online Encyclopedia
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293:U.S. National Park Service
307:"The Subalpine Subregion"
23:Spruce-fir forest in the
372: (verbatim source).
182:The whitebark pine is a
326:"Routt Divide Blowdown"
188:White Pine Blister Rust
356:public domain material
107:In the North American
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27:
285:"Subalpine ecosystem"
201:visit the subalpine,
143:, other firs such as
101:Glacier National Park
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22:
219:mountain chickadee
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38:immediately below
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360:T.J. Stohlgren.
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328:. Archived from
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184:keystone species
176:bristlecone pine
141:bristlecone pine
117:Engelmann spruce
25:Canadian Rockies
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295:. Feb 22, 2007.
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211:American marten
109:Rocky Mountains
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91:Flora and fauna
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50:. In northern
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237:less obvious.
168:whitebark pine
157:lodgepole pine
151:, and various
137:whitebark pine
129:lodgepole pine
125:ponderosa pine
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334:. Retrieved
330:the original
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233:and certain
213:and various
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68:montane zone
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31:
29:
172:limber pine
161:huckleberry
145:Douglas-fir
133:limber pine
36:biotic zone
446:Categories
336:2010-09-25
268:References
231:nuthatches
149:silver fir
52:New Mexico
252:Life zone
247:Ecoregion
215:squirrels
40:tree line
241:See also
197:and the
153:junipers
235:finches
81:graupel
62:Climate
56:Alberta
42:in the
34:is the
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209:, the
205:, the
199:cougar
358:from
195:bears
121:aspen
72:Frost
419:ISBN
227:owls
221:and
203:lynx
147:and
139:and
127:and
115:and
85:hail
30:The
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83:or
46:of
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276:^
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
