Photo: NPS — Public Domain
USNot Listed COSpecial Concern
Townsend's Big-eared Bat
Corynorhinus townsendii pallescens
mammal Caves
Piñon-Juniper Woodland
Mesas and foothills, mostly on the West Slope
By Threatened Colorado , Two Colorado natives , About us
Last reviewed , Checked against NPS sources , Sources (4)
4,900–8,000 ft
Low, open woodlands of piñon pine and juniper cover just over 5 million acres, about 21% of Colorado's forested land. Annual precipitation is typically 10 to about 15 inches.
Why it matters
Piñon-juniper is mainly a West Slope woodland, with smaller stands in south-central Colorado and on the eastern plains, the Colorado State Forest Service says.
It "provides habitat for many of Colorado's rarest plants" and for the gray vireo, one of the state's rare birds, and people have long gathered its pine nuts.
Plants
- piñon pine
- juniper
Under pressure
- Denser woodland, bigger fires. "Tree densities have increased in some areas to the point that larger proportions of piñon-juniper woodland now support damaging crown fires," the Forest Service says. Wildfire & Fire Suppression
Where to see it
Mesa Verde National Park
Piñon-juniper woodland is one of the park's largest plant communities.
Colorado National Monument
Piñon-juniper densely covers the higher ground above the cliffs; the trees are usually less than 20–30 feet tall.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
The canyon rims are mostly piñon-juniper and scrub oak.