pine, lodgepole pine, and Engelmann spruce are 

 found here.'o 



Nine forest ecosystems are found mostly in the 

 interior portions of Oregon, Washington, and Cali- 

 fornia. Of these, the largest and perhaps most impor- 

 tant for several uses is the ponderosa pine ecosystem, 

 which totals almost 16 million acres. About half of 

 this area is in CaUfornia, where ponderosa pine is 

 found in the interior coast ranges and on the lower 

 west slopes and east side of the Sierra Nevada. In 

 Oregon and Washington, ponderosa pine is found on 

 the easternmost slopes of the Cascades and at lower 

 elevations in the mountains east of the Cascades. 

 Stand composition varies from pure stands to stands 

 with numerous associates; depending upon location, 

 these associates include western larch, Douglas-fir, 

 sugarpine, true firs, lodgepole pine and incense-cedar. 

 Ponderosa pine forests are favored for camping, 

 hunting, and hiking, due largely to the open parklike 

 nature of mature stands. They also are important to 

 the livestock industry for grazing, and have sup- 

 ported the important western pine lumber industry 

 for over a century. 



The fir-spruce ecosystem in these three States totals 

 13.5 million acres. It is found at medium to high ele- 

 vations in most mountain ranges from southern Cali- 

 fornia to the Canadian border. The fir-spruce forests 

 of California are dominated by white fir and Califor- 

 nia and shasta red firs; in Oregon and Washington, 

 Pacific silver fir, noble fir, alpine fir, grand fir, and 

 Engelmann spruce are the primary species. The fir 

 forests were for decades of little importance for 

 timber, but were valued as part of the scenic beauty of 

 the high mountains. As the more accessible pine 

 forests have been harvested, the fir forests have been 

 increasingly utilized for timber, and in many areas are 

 now approaching the pine forests in terms of total 

 output. 



The lodgepole pine ecosystem totals 4.2 million 

 acres, and is found at high elevations in California's 

 Sierra Nevada, and in many mountain locations from 

 the Cascades east in Oregon and Washington. 



Western larch and western white pine are two 

 conifer ecosystems whose occurrence and acreage are 

 limited in these States. 



The western hardwood ecosystem is well repre- 

 sented in each State, and totals 9 million acres. In 

 California and southern Oregon, California black 

 oak, tanoak, live oaks, and Pacific madrone are 

 major species; further north, red alder and bigleaf 

 maple are the primary species. This ecosystem is often 

 found on disturbed sites that formerly were domi- 

 nated by conifers. Often found intermingled with 



'"American Forests 72(5), 1966, and 73. Nov. 9, 1976. 



Ponderosa pine — a characteristic forest in the Sierra Nevada 

 mountains and on the eastern slopes of the Cascades. 



conifer forests, the hardwood ecosystem is highly 

 valued for wildlife habitat. The three other ecosys- 

 tems found in these States — chaparral, pinyon- 

 juniper, and miscellaneous woodlands — total 19 mil- 

 lion acres (table 2.9). 



46 



