Blue Mountains (ecoregion)

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This article is about the ecoregion designated by the EPA. For the mountains, see Blue Mountains (Pacific Northwest).
Blue Mountains
Temperate coniferous forests
Borders
List
  • Northern Basin and Range (80)
Geography
CountryUnited States
States
  • Oregon
  • Idaho
  • Washington

The Blue Mountains ecoregion is a

World Wildlife Fund
's Blue Mountain forests ecoregion.

Setting

This ecoregion extends from the

Blue Mountains and contains a complex of basins and mountain ranges that, at average 2100-2900m, are lower and more open than the neighboring Cascades and Northern Rocky Mountains but do include some steep landscape of which Hells Canyon at 1,660m is North America's deepest gorge. The mountains of the ecoregion include the Strawberry Range, Greenhorn, Elkhorn, Aldrich and Maury Mountains in the Blue Mountains, the gentler Ochoco Mountains to the west and the rugged Wallowa Mountains to the east. Rivers include the Grande Ronde, Powder Rivers and Malheur Rivers, all tributaries of the Snake and the John Day and Umatilla Rivers, tributaries of the Columbia.[1]

Like the Cascades, but unlike the Northern Rockies, the Blue Mountains are mostly

metamorphosed rocks
.

Flora

Habitats within the ecoregion include desert-like shrubland,

Pseudotsuga menziesii), lodgepole pine (pinus contorta
), shrubs, meadows, grasslands and alpine plants.

Fauna

Birds of the area include bald eagle, northern spotted owl, Lewis's woodpecker, Williamson's sapsucker, red-breasted nuthatch, golden-crowned kinglet and many migratory species, with the riverbanks important habitat for this birdlife. Mammals that move through the mountain grasslands include elk (including the largest herd in North America at Hells Canyon), bighorn sheep and mule deer. Native fish include Chinook Salmon, Steelhead, Redband Trout, Coho Salmon, Bull Trout, and Pacific Lamprey.

Threats and preservation

These habitats are vulnerable to logging, livestock grazing, river and fire control schemes and only about 10% of the original forest remains intact. The region includes significant landholdings by the

Northern Rockies ecoregions.[2][3][4] Large blocks of intact forest remaining include: Eagle Cap Wilderness in the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest, Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, the North Fork John Day Wilderness, Wenaha–Tucannon Wilderness of Umatilla National Forest, Strawberry Mountain Wilderness in Malheur National Forest and the northern part of Ochoco National Forest
. These are all quite fragmented and logging of ponderosa pine in particular is an ongoing threat.

Level IV ecoregions

The Blue Mountains ecoregion has been subdivided into fourteen Level IV ecoregions, as described below. The EPA has not yet published an Ecoregions of Washington poster similar to the informational posters for Oregon and Idaho, and the Washington information presented here is not as complete as the information about the other two states.

Level IV ecoregions in the Blue Mountains. (Full map).

John Day/Clarno Uplands (11a)

The John Day/Clarno Uplands ecoregion forms a ring of

ponderosa pine forests
of the neighboring John Day/Clarno Highlands. Juniper woodlands have expanded markedly into the sagebrush-grassland during the twentieth century due to a combination of
water birch. The largest of the Blue Mountains subregions, the John Day/Clarno Uplands covers 5,022 square miles (13,007 km2) in Oregon, including all three units of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument and portions of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation and the Crooked River National Grassland.[2]

John Day/Clarno Highlands (11b)

The John Day/Clarno Highlands ecoregion is characterized by moderately to highly dissected hills and low mountains that are uniformly covered by Western ponderosa pine forest with a grass and shrub

national forests and lower elevations in the Mill Creek, Bridge Creek, Black Canyon and North Fork John Day wilderness areas.[2]

Maritime-Influenced Zone (11c)

Iskuulpa Creek in Ecoregion 11c

The Maritime-Influenced Zone ecoregion is the portion of the Blue Mountains ecoregion that directly intercepts marine weather systems moving east through the

Sandberg's bluegrass, and bluebunch wheatgrass. The region covers 1,391 square miles (3,603 km2) in Oregon, as well as small areas across the border in Washington, and includes public land within the Umatilla National Forest.[2][4]

Melange (11d)

The Melange ecoregion is characterized by dissected mid-elevation mountains with the complex

black currant, Columbia monk's hood, and bluebells. The region covers 1,228 square miles (3,181 km2) in Oregon and 285 square miles (738 km2) in Idaho, including parts of the Malheur, Umatilla, and Payette national forests and lower elevations in the Strawberry Mountain, Monument Rock, and North Fork John Day Wildernesses.[2][3]

Wallowas/Seven Devils Mountains (11e)

The Wallowas/Seven Devils Mountains ecoregion consists of deeply dissected mountains in the

Wallowa-Whitman, Nez Perce, and Payette national forests.[2][3]

Canyons and Dissected Highlands (11f)

The Canyons and Dissected Highlands ecoregion is characterized by steeply sloping, upper river canyons and dissected plateaus in the

Wallowa-Whitman, Nez Perce, and Payette National Forests, the Wenaha–Tucannon Wilderness, and the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area.[2][3][4]

Canyons and Dissected Uplands (11g)

The Canyons and Dissected Uplands ecoregion is characterized by deep river canyons and dissected plateaus at an elevation of 1,000 to 5,000 feet (304 to 1,524 m). The

poison-ivy, red-twig dogwood, snowberry, and Rocky Mountain maple. The region covers 1,091 square miles (2,826 km2) in Oregon, 859 square miles (2,225 km2) in Idaho, and smaller areas in Washington, including much of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area and parts of the Wallowa-Whitman, Payette, and Nez Perce national forests.[2][3][4]

Continental Zone Highlands (11h)

Bristlecone pines in the Malheur National Forest

The Continental Zone Highlands ecoregion is a moderately dissected, mountainous volcanic plateau, with scattered

stiff sagebrush, elk sedge, pinegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, and Idaho fescue. The region covers 1,555 square miles (4,027 km2) in Oregon, including parts of the Ochoco and Malheur National Forests.[2]

Continental Zone Foothills (11i)

The Continental Zone Foothills ecoregion consists of foothills, hills, and scattered buttes lying between Oregon's Blue and Wallowa mountains and the northwestern

game birds also use the fruits of bitterbrush. The second largest of the Blue Mountains subregions, the Continental Zone Foothills is located in the easternmost part of the region, covering 3,715 square miles (9,622 km2) in Oregon and 591 square miles (1,531 km2) in Idaho.[2][3]

Blue Mountain Basins (11k)

The Blue Mountain Basins ecoregion is characterized by flat to rolling

black greasewood. The region covers 1,984 square miles (5,139 km2) in Oregon, along the I-84 corridor between La Grande and Baker City and in the Wallowa Valley near Enterprise.[2]

Mesic Forest Zone (11l)

The disjunct Mesic Forest Zone ecoregion is characterized by a dissected, volcanic plateau and mid-elevation mountains containing the highest forested areas in the Blue Mountains, western Wallowa Mountains, and western Seven Devils Mountains. Elevation varies from 4,000 to 7,700 feet (1,219 to 2,347 m). The climate is influenced by maritime air traveling up the Columbia River Gorge, with higher precipitation than other forested regions in the Blue Mountains. Snow persists late into the spring. The ashy soil holds moisture during the dry season and supports a productive spruce-fir forest. The region's boundaries correspond to the distribution of true fir forest before the modern era of fire suppression and high grade logging. Cold slopes feature subalpine fir,

mountain hemlock, lodgepole pine, big huckleberry, grouse huckleberry, Utah honeysuckle, sidebells pyrola, roundleaved violet, and northwestern sedge. Cool moist slopes feature grand fir, western larch, queen's cup beadlily, and prince's pine. Drier slopes feature Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, Rocky Mountain maple, ninebark, pinegrass, elk sedge, and bigleaf sandwort. Lower, drier sites support ponderosa pine. The region covers 2,226 square miles (5,765 km2) in Oregon, 47 square miles (122 km2) in Idaho, and small areas in Washington, including parts of the Malheur, Ochoco, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman national forests, and significant portions of the Mill Creek, Bridge Creek, Black Canyon, Monument Rock, North Fork John Day, North Fork Umatilla, and Eagle Cap wildernesses.[2][3][4]

Subalpine-Alpine Zone (11m)

The slopes of Sacajawea Peak lie in the subalpine and alpine zones

The Subalpine-Alpine Zone ecoregion includes high elevation,

exotic species on rocky subsoil. The region covers 540 square miles (1,399 km2) Oregon, in the heart of the Eagle Cap and Strawberry Mountain Wildernesses, and 71 square miles (184 km2) in Idaho, in the Payette National Forest.[2][3]

Deschutes River Valley (11n)

The Deschutes River Valley ecoregion, named for the

sweet clover are introduced species. The region covers 1,576 square miles (4,082 km2) along the Deschutes and Crooked rivers in Oregon, in a triangle defined roughly by Warm Springs, Prineville, and Bend. It includes parts of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation and the Crooked River National Grassland.[2]

Cold Basins (11o)

The Cold Basins ecoregion contains cold, wet valleys and basins and

Kentucky bluegrass in the wetlands and wet meadows. The smallest of the Blue Mountains subregions, the Cold Basins covers 400 square miles (1,036 km2) in several disjunct areas in central and eastern Oregon.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Blue Mountains forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from Thorson, TD; Bryce, SA; Lammers, DA; et al. Ecoregions of Oregon (PDF). United States Geological Survey. (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs; with a Reverse side).
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from McGrath, CL; Woods, AJ; Omernik, JM; et al. Ecoregions of Idaho (PDF). United States Geological Survey. (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs; with a Reverse side).
  4. ^ a b c d e U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Draft: Level III and IV Ecoregions of the Northwestern United States (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-04-12, retrieved 2010-09-27 Cited for Washington information instead of an Ecoregions of Washington poster, which has not yet been located.
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