This habitat description is reprinted by permission from the report: Kiilsgaard, C. 1999. "Land Cover Type Descriptions, Oregon Gap Analysis (1998 Land Cover for Oregon)." Oregon Natural Heritage Program, Portland, OR.
NORTHEASTERN OREGON MIXED CONIFER FOREST (41)
Geographic Distribution. Common mid-elevation forest cover type found throughout the various mountain ranges of northeastern Oregon. More common on north and east facing slopes.
Structure and Appearance. This cover type can take on a variety of structural and canopy appearances based on site history. In its unaltered form stands are typically two storied with an overstory of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) over smaller ponderosa, or grand fir (Abies grandis), western larch (Larix occidentalis), lodgepole pine (P. contorta), western white pine (P. monticola), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), or Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) depending on local environment. Selective logging, grazing, and fire suppression effects have significantly changed the appearance of this forest type.
Composition. Overstory conifers can be ponderosa pine, grand fir, western white pine, lodgepole pine, western larch, Engelmann spruce, and Douglas fir. Forest regeneration after wildfires favors recruitment of western larch and lodgepole pine. Cool, moist sites within this type typically contain Engelmann spruce and grand fir. Understory trees reflect the same species of conifers and occasionally will have western yew (Taxus brevifolia).
Shrub layer is prominent and diverse. Common tall shrubs include bigleaf huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum), rocky mountain maple (Acer glabrum), ninebark (Physocarpus malvaceus), Scouler's willow (Salix scouleriana) serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia). Mid and low shrubs include shiny-leaf spirea (Spiraea betulifolia), myrtle pachistima (Pachistima myrsinites), snowbrush (Ceanothus velutinus), grouse whortleberry (Vaccinium scoparium), bog blueberry (V. ulignosum), dwarf Oregon grapeOregon-grape (Mahonia nervosa), and the prostrate manzanitas (Arctostaphylos nevadensis and A. uva-ursi).
Commonly encountered forbs in this cover type include: false Solomon's seal (Smilacina racemosa), heartleaf arnica (Arnica cordifolia), rattlesnake plantain (Goodyera oblongifolia), white hawkweed (Hieracium albiflorum), Wilcox's penstemon (Penstemon wilcoxii), bigleaf sandwort (Arenaria macrophylla), woods strawberry (Fragaria vesca), meadowrue (Thalictrum occidentale), sweet cicely (Osmorhiza chilensis), sidebells pyrola (Pyrola picta), and trail plant (Adenocaulon bicolor).
Landscape Setting. This type can extend to grassland or shrubland cover types on its low elevation end but usually it is transitional between ponderosa pine on its lower end and subalpine fir/lodgepole pine at higher elevations.
References. Hall 1973, Johnson and Simon 1987, Johnson and Clausnitzer 1989, Kagan and Caicco 1992, Chappell et al. 1999.