. Bison in Yellowstone National Park. VEGETATION The region in and around Yellowstone has great variations in elevation, soils, and climate, and is something of a botanical crossroads, with at least seven "distinct floras" present, ranging from desert to alpine (Despain 1990; Glick et al. 1991). About 1,700 species of plants have been identified in the region, but most of the landscape is dominated by only a few species. Approximately 60% of the federal lands in Greater Yellowstone is covered by forest, and the majority of that area, especially in the elevations between 7,500 feet an
. Bison in Yellowstone National Park. VEGETATION The region in and around Yellowstone has great variations in elevation, soils, and climate, and is something of a botanical crossroads, with at least seven "distinct floras" present, ranging from desert to alpine (Despain 1990; Glick et al. 1991). About 1,700 species of plants have been identified in the region, but most of the landscape is dominated by only a few species. Approximately 60% of the federal lands in Greater Yellowstone is covered by forest, and the majority of that area, especially in the elevations between 7,500 feet and 9,000 feet, is dominated by lodgepole pine. Between 6,000 feet and 7,000 feet depending on conditions, grasslands and shrub steppes are the native vegetation communities in river valleys, floodplains, and terraces, though many plants' distributions have been changed by cultivation. Distinctive vegetative communities also occur on private land and lower elevations in riparian areas bordering both moving and still waters. Lodgepole pine, in various stages of succession, is the primary tree species inside the park, covering about million acres of park land. Englemann spruce and subalpine fir are most often found in moist areas, and form the "climax" forest in areas underlain by the richer andesite soils. Whitebark pine is usually the dominant tree species at elevations above 8,400 feet. Douglas-fir and aspen occur at elevations ranging from 6,000 to 7,600 feet. These communities are chiefly associated with the Yellowstone, Lamar, and Madison River drainages. A few other species, such as cottonwood, found along stream corridors, and limber pine and Rocky Mountain juniper, found at lower elevations primarily in the northern end of the park, are intermittent species comprising a very small portion of the Yellowstone landscape. Nonforested areas consist of shrublands, grasslands, subalpine or other wet meadows, and alpine tundra. Several species of sagebrush, rabbitbru
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