western 

 redcedor 



7^'-> western 

 j-r.l.''": ■ lorch 



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Figure 1. Some of the Principal Trees in Montana 



Peggy Todd 



What Grows Where? 



Many factors influence the kinds of trees 

 that grow in certain locations. Moisture, 

 soil, and elevation are three of these fac- 

 tors. Equally important is aspect or expo- 

 sure — which direction a mountain slope or 

 a foothill faces. Slopes that face south or 

 west are ordinarily dryer and warmer than 

 those that face north or east. A north-fac- 

 ing area usually holds snow or other mois- 

 ture longer. These are some of the 

 conditions that help determine the kinds of 

 trees that will grow in certain areas, their 

 size, and how dense a stand of timber may 

 be. 



. Most of Montana's forests (80 percent) lie 

 in the western third of the state. But 

 wherever they grow, the first trees above 

 the grasslands are usually ponderosa pine. 

 Douglas fir grows well in moist areas, and 

 in those places that receive even more 

 moisture, grand fir, redcedar, western 

 hemlock, and spruce grow. Below tim- 

 berline. dryer slopes have subalpine fir. 

 mountain hemlock, whitebark pine, and al- 

 pine larch; along the rivers cottonwoods 

 grow in groves. 



The following section includes the loca- 

 tions where the trees in figure 1 are most 

 likely to grow. 



Limber pine 



Limber pine is adapted to a dry climate, 

 so you wouldn't expect to see large num- 

 bers of these trees on moist locations. A 

 small, slow-growing tree, it grows in the 

 shallow, rocky soils common in the 

 foothills at 4.000 feet, and to the highest 

 elevations where trees can grow. The 

 growth of limber pine may be stunted in 

 very cold areas, but these trees often live to 

 be 400 to 500 years old. Rocky Mountain 

 juniper is also found in these forests, 

 which provide range for the deer and elk 

 that feed on the bluebunch wheatgrass and 

 fescues there. 



