generally have little bare soil or rock exposed. We collected no 

 additional soils data for this type. 



Other Studies- This is one of the most common subalpine forest 

 types in the Rocky Mountains and has been documented by numerous 

 authors. Similar communities occur in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, 

 New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming (Bourgeron and 

 Engelking 1992) . In Montana, ABILAS/VACSCO has been described 

 near and east of the Continental Divide by Pfister et al. (1977). 



Natural Heritage Program Rank- G5/S5 



5. Pinus f lexilis / Festuca idahoensis c.t. 

 (PINFLE/FESIDA; limber pine/Idaho fescue) 



(1 Stand) 



Environment- PINFLE/FESIDA is common on dry, wind-exposed, upper 

 slopes and ridges at elevations around 8,000 feet. Adjacent 

 drier sites predominantly feature Festuca idahoensis grasslands 

 or the Pinus f lexilis / Juniperus communis type. 



Vegetation- Pinus f lexilis dominates the tree stratum on most 

 sites. Pseudotsuqa menziesii is often well represented. The 

 undergrowth is dominated by Festuca idahoensis and is often forb- 

 rich. Characteristic species in the Pryor Mountains include 

 Achillea millefolium , Aqoseris glauca , Aster conspicuus , and 

 Galium boreale . Juniperus communis may be v/ell represented in 

 stands transitional to the Pinus f lexilis / Juniperus communis 

 type. Combined bryophyte and lichen cover seldom exceeds 5% of 

 the ground surface. 



Soils- Soils underlying the PINFLE/FESIDA type are usually 

 derived from calcareous parent materials. Ground surfaces 

 generally have little bare soil and rock cover of 10% or less. 

 The soil subgroup at our single soil characterization site v,'as a 

 Argic Cryoboroll. The single pH measurement was 6.8, and 

 conductivity was 161 uhmos/cm- (1 stand). 



Other Studies- This type has been previously described east of 

 the Continental Divide in Montana by Pfister et al. (1977) . 

 Similar communities occur in Idaho and Wyoming (Bourgeron and 

 Engelking 1992) . 



Natural Heritage Program Rank- G5/S5 



6. Pinus f lexilis / Juniperus communis c.t. 

 (PINFLE/JUNCOM; limber pine/common juniper) 



(4 Stands) 



Environment- PINFLE/JUNCOM generally occurs on southerly slopes 

 and ridges at elevations betv;een 6,500 and 8,000 feet. Adjacent 



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