Yellow Pine Forest (Transition Life Zone)

Non-technical Description: A middle-elevation forest of tall (often over 75-feet tall), evergreen (pine) trees in an open woodland or mixed with a variety of upland shrubs. These pine trees have long needles and long, spreading branches.

The Yellow Pine Forest association occurs at middle-elevations on the higher mountains (over 7,000 feet). The forest is dominated by Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa). The understory can be open or shrubby, but usually there is a moderate understory of shrubs including Curlleaf Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius), Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.), Shrub Live Oak (Quercus turbinella), and Manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.). Other trees in the Yellow Pine Forest include Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides).