Klamath-Siskiyou forests (WWF ecoregion)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Klamath-Siskiyou forests are a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon and is part of the ecoregion system established by the World Wildlife Fund (other systems and definitions exist). The ecoregion extends across 50,300 square kilometres (19,400 sq mi) of the southern Cascade Range and neighboring mountain ranges.

Contents 1 Ecology 2 References 3 Line notes 4 External links

[edit] Ecology

The ecoregion harbors rich biodiversity,^[1] with several distinct plant communities, including temperate rain forests, moist inland forests, oak forests and savannas, high elevation forests, and alpine grasslands. Thirty conifer species inhabit the region, including seven endemic species, making the region one of the richest coniferous forest regions of the world in species diversity. The region also has several edaphic plant communities, adapted to specific soil types, notably serpentine outcrops.

Conifer species include Coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii subsp. menziesii), Lawson's Cypress (also known as Port Orford Cedar, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa), Sugar Pine (Pinus lambertiana), Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana), White Fir (Abies concolor subsp. lowiana), Red Fir (A. magnifica subsp. shastensis), Weeping Spruce (Picea breweriana), Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), and Pacific Yew (Taxus brevifolia). These forests mark the northern extent of the range for California Buckeye,^[2]

[edit] References

• Norse, Elliott A.; Raven, Peter H. (1989). Ancient Forests of the Pacific Northwest: Sustaining Biological Diversity and Timber Production in a Changing World. Wilderness Society (U.S.). Washington, D.C.: Island Press. ISBN 1-5596-3016-7. 

[edit] Line notes

[edit] External links

• Conifers of Northwest California
• Klamath-Siskiyou forests (World Wildlife Fund)
• Klamath-Siskiyou Forests images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu (slow modem version)
• CNPS: Rare and Endemic Conifers of Northwest California

Coordinates: 41°30′N 123°18′W / 41.5°N 123.3°W / 41.5; -123.3

This ecoregion article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e

This Oregon location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e