Alpine and Subalpine Vegetation of the Wallowa, Seven Devils and Blue Mountains

摘要

The vegetation of high elevations in the mountains of northeast Oregon and adjacent Idaho has been previously described. In 1987 some of the higher elevation plant communities of the Wallowa and Seven Devils Mountains were included in the classification and management guide Plant Associations of the Wallowa-Snake Province. The higher elevation vegetation of the Blue Mountains was incorporated in the classification and management guide Plant Associations of the Blue and Ochoco Mountains. The remote topography, difficult accessibility, and high variation in types of vegetation and plant communities limited the information and data available for those publications. In 1993, and continuing through 2002, an effort was made to bolster the number of plots providing data about subalpine and alpine vegetation and to visit a greater representation of high-elevation landscapes to provide better information for land managers, specialists, scientists, and recreationists. In all, 582 permanent plots have been installed for the purposes of this study and are now available for documenting change in the future. The objectives of this study were to complete the upland classification of vegetation for subalpine and alpine environments, provide a guide for managers to use in determining vegetation types and their potential based on environmental factors, and establish a scientific basis for restoration activities based on probable successional pathways.