| California montane chaparral and woodlands | |
|---|---|
California montane chaparral and woodlands in the Transverse Ranges |
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| Ecology | |
| Biome | Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub |
| Bird species | 222[1] |
| Mammal species | 78[1] |
| Geography | |
| Area | 20,400 km2 (7,900 sq mi) |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Conservation | |
| Habitat loss | 2.7345%[1] |
| Protected | 63.53%[1] |
The California montane chaparral and woodlands ecoregion covers 7,900 square miles (20,000 km2), including the mountains of the Transverse, Peninsular, and Santa Lucia Ranges of California. It is part of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, with cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers. Elevations in the ecoregion reach 11,503 feet (3,506 m) on San Gorgonio Mountain, resulting in a wide variety of natural communities, from chaparral to mixed evergreen forest to alpine tundra.
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Shrublands of chamise and scrub oak tend to dominate the lower elevations of this ecoregion. A mosaic of manzanita and closed-cone pine forest appears at higher elevations. Bigcone Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga macrocarpa, is a notable resident of some of these communities. This ecoregion overlaps the ranges of several oak species, including canyon live oak (golden-cup oak), interior live oak, tan oak, and Engelmann oak. Mixed evergreen forest occurs from 4,500 to 9,500 feet (1,400 to 2,900 m) and includes incense-cedar, sugar pine, white fir, Jeffrey pine, ponderosa pine, and western juniper. Higher still are subalpine forests of limber pine, lodgepole pine, and Jeffrey pine.[2]
Approximately 30 percent of California montane chaparral remains intact, due to degradation activities of humans.[3] This is an ongoing threat, particularly in the central part of its range (Sonoma, Marin, Solano, Sacramento, Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties), in which overpopulation and agricultural pressure is most intense; montane chaparral is threatened chiefly by grazing and deforestation.[4]
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