FIR-SPRUCE 



Vegetation 



The Fir-spruce ecosystem is characterized by 

 open to dense forest of low to tall needleleaf 

 evergreen trees with patches of shrubby under- 

 growth and scattered herbs. Fifty percent or 

 more of the stand is silver fir, subalpine fir, 

 red fir, white fir, mountain hemlock, Engelmann 

 spruce, or blue spruce, singly or in combination, 

 except where western white pine comprises 

 20 percent or more, in which case the ecosystem 

 would be classified as white pine. 



Kiichler Communities 

 Silver fir-Douglas-fir forest 

 Fir-hemlock forest 

 Red fir forest 

 Western spruce-fir forest 

 Spruce-fir-Douglas-fir forest 

 Southwestern spruce-fir forest 



K-3 



K-4 



K-7 



K-14 



K-19 



K-20 



Kare and Endangered Species 



Grizzly bear 

 California bighorn 



Area Economically Depressed 



70 percent 



HEMLOCK-SITKA SPRUCE 



Vegetation 



This ecosystem is defined as 50 percent or 

 more of the forest stand being in western hem- 

 lock and/or Sitka spruce. Other tree species 

 which may be present to a lesser degree are 

 Douglas-fir, grand fir, and western redcedar. 

 Some of the most common shrubs are vine 

 maple, red whortleberry. Cascades mahonia, 

 California dewberry, and coast rhododendron. 

 Usual herbs are American twinflower, holly- 

 fern, gold thread and redwood violet. 



Kiichler Communities 

 K-1 Spruce-cedar-hemlock forest 



Kare and Endangered Species 



Glacier bear 

 Grizzly bear 



Area Economically Depressed 

 20 percent 



LARCH 



Vegetation 



Larch forests are commercially defined as 

 those in which 50 percent or more of the stand 

 is larch except where western white pine com- 

 prises 20 percent or more of the timber volume. 



Ecologically, larch is considered serai to 

 stands of grand fir and stands of Douglas-fir. 

 This dense type produces 75 to 150 pounds of 



understory herbage per acre. However, where 

 it is patch clearcut, planted to trees, and seeded 

 to grass, it will produce 2,000 to 3,000 pounds 

 of herbage per acre for 10 to 15 years. Under- 

 story species are commonly of the same genera 

 as found in spruce-fir stands and some of the 

 Douglas-fir stands. 



Kiichler Communities 

 K-13 Grand fir-Douglas-fir forest 



Area Economically Depressed 

 20 percent 



LODGEPOLE PINE 



Vegetation 



Lodgepole pine forests are commercially de- 

 fined as stands with 50 percent or more lodge- 

 pole pine. Ecologically, they are serai to some 

 of the western interior coniferous forests. 

 "Doghair" stands (i.e. — many stems per acre) 

 often develop after fires. Understory species, if 

 present, are of about the same genera as found 

 in stands of interior Douglas-fir, larch, and 

 spruce-fir. Herbage production can be to 50 

 pounds per acre in dense stands or 2,000 to 

 3,000 pounds per acre where clearcuts, burns, 

 or stand conversions to a different coniferous 

 stand are carried out. Of course, the produc- 

 tivity declines with time and in 10 to 20 years 

 will return to a very low production status. 



Kiichler Communities 



K-8 Lodgepole pine-subalpine forest 



Rare and Endangered Species 



California bighorn 

 California condor 



Area Economically Depressed 

 35 percent 



REDWOOD 



Vegetation 



The vegetation is a dense forest of very tall 

 evergreen, needleleaf trees, sometimes with 

 much undergrowth. Twenty percent or more 

 of the stand is redwood. The dominant plants 

 are redwood and Douglas-fir. Other major com- 

 ponents of the vegetation include grand fir, 

 salal, Pacific waxmyrtle, coast rhododendron, 

 western hemlock, and box blueberry. 



K-6 



Kiichler Communities 

 Redwood forest 



Rare and Endangered Species 

 California condor 



Area Economically Depressed 

 100 percent 



100 



