Intermountain Basin Cliff, Scree and Sparsely Vegetated Badlands
Global Name:
Intermountain Basins Cliff, Scree & Badland Sparse Vegetation
Global Rank:
G4G5
State Rank:
S4S5
(see reason below)
External Links
State Rank Reason
These, rocky and sparsely-vegetated habitats are not threatened nor intrinsically vulnerable, and they are relatively common in the geographic areas where they occur.
General Description
This National Vegetation Classification Group composed of cliff, scree and sparsely-vegetated sites occurs in MT in the Bighorn Basin in Carbon and Big Horn Counties, where it reaches its northern extent. It also occurs in southwest Montana, but no specific sites or vegetation communities have been described or attributed to this area as of yet though it does occur in adjacent ID. It can be found from foothill to montane elevations on landforms that contain steep cliff faces, canyon walls and rocky outcrops derived from a variety of parent materials. It includes talus and scree fields immediately below cliff and outcrop faces as well as other, harsh, sparsely-vegetated sites. Vegetation inhabiting this group is typically sparse and may include conifers and shrubs adapted to limited soil moisture and soil development. Herbaceous cover is typically very sparse and limited to species adapted to inhabiting cliff faces, unstable rock and shallow soils. In Montana, this group is very similar to G565 Rocky Mountain Cliff, Scree & Rock Outcrops and is differentiated by geographic location and the specific sparse-vegetation communities occupying the site.
This group is equivalent to the Wyoming Basin Cliff and Canyon Ecological System.
Diagnostic Characteristics
Cliffs, Scree, Talus, Rock Outcrops, Canyons, Bedrock, Sparsely-Vegetated; Shallow and/or Poorly Developed Soils; <10% Vascular Plant Cover; Intermountain, Wyoming, and Bighorn Basins.
Similar Systems
Range
This group occurs in MT in the Bighorn or Wyoming Basin in Carbon and Big Horn Counties, where it reaches its northern extent. It also occurs in southwest Montana, but no specific sites or vegetation communities have been described or attributed to this area as of yet, though it does occur in adjacent ID.
In Montana, G570 occurs within or immediately adjacent to Level III Ecoregion 18 (Wyoming Basin), specifically in Level IV 18b (Bighorn Basin) and portions of Level III Ecoregion 17, primarily in the sw corner of the state.
In Montana, G570 occurs within Major Land Resource Areas: 32-Northern Intermountain Desertic Basins and into surrounding portions of 43B-Central Rocky Mountains, 44B - Central Rocky Mountain Valleys, and 46-Northern and Central Rocky Mountain Foothills.
Density and Distribution
Based on 2025 land cover layer. Grid on map is based on USGS 7.5 minute quadrangle map boundaries.
Mapped Distribution by County
Beaverhead, Big Horn, Carbon, Deer Lodge, Madison, Silver Bow
Based on 2025 land cover layer.
Spatial Pattern
Large Patch
Environment
This group consists of barren and sparsely vegetated substrates in an arid climate on steep cliff faces, in narrow canyons, on smaller rock outcrops, on scree and talus slopes, in areas of exposed bedrock and adjacent badlands topography. This group occurs in the lowest area of precipitation within MT. These communities are shaped by the parent material, climate, aspect, and physical weathering patterns making them distinct from neighboring vegetated communities (Larson et al 2000). Some substrates, such as marine shales, are strongly alkaline and/or saline which chemically limits plant growth. Soils are patchy, thin and/or poorly developed, and moisture for plant growth is primarily retained in crevices in the rock substrate. Limited soil availability, harsh microclimates, and water stress impose physiological constraints on plant establishment and growth and plant community development. Within this type, a mosaic of microhabitats may be present within cliff habitats, small ledges, overhangs, and cracks and crevices (Graham and Knight 2004). These microhabitats may provide critical habitat for endemic or rare plant species.
Vegetation
Vegetation is very sparse or patchy within this group and includes areas where soil and moisture have accumulated such as in cracks and crevices and at the base of cliff faces and rock outcrops. Vegetation communities and plant species specific to this group and occurring in MT are poorly documented and in need of additional research. Currently, only the Pseudoroegneria spicata - Eriogonum brevicaule Plant Association is attributed to MT. Plant species frequently occurring may include scattered shrubs, such as Rubber Rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa), Broom Snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae), Shadscale (Atriplex confertifolia), and grasses such as Indian Ricegrass (Oryzopsis hymenoides) and Sandberg Bluegrass (Poa secunda), and the forbs Hooker's Sandwort (Arenaria hookeri), Cryptantha spp. and Rayless Tansy-aster (Xanthisma grindelioides).
In Montana, this sparsely-vegetated, cliff and badlands group includes 2 Alliances with only 1 Alliance having a described Association within the National Vegetation Classification. Additional review of Alliances and Associations is needed.
National Vegetation Classification
Download the complete NVC hierarchy for Montana
TT5 B05 Desert and Semi-desert
TT5.a S61 Cool Semi-desert
TT5.a1 F121 Cool Desert and Semi-desert Shrub-Steppe
TT5.a1.Na D040 Western North American Cool Semi-Desert Scrub and Grassland
TT5.a1.Na.5 M118 Intermountain Basins Cliff, Scree and Badlands
TT5.a1.Na.5.a G570 Intermountain Basins Cliff, Scree and Badlands
A4052 Ephedra spp. - Leymus salinus - Eriogonum corymbosum Badlands Sparse Vegetation Alliance
CEGL001667 Pseudoroegneria spicata - Eriogonum brevicaule Sparse Vegetation
A4053 Eriogonum ovalifolium - Fallugia paradoxa - Andropogon hallii Lava and Cinder Sparse Vegetation Alliance
*Disclaimer: Some Alliances and Associations are considered provisional. Some require further documentation to verify their occurrence in the state
and some may be modified or deleted in future revisions after collection of additional data and information.
Dynamic Processes
These rock-dominated and sparsely-vegetated communities are influenced by the type of parent rock, elevation, aspect, climate, and both physical and chemical weathering patterns. Erosional and depositional processes are locally important. All of these processes and characteristics can have a strong influence over which species occur within these habitats (Larson et al 2000).
Management
This group is generally not a focus for management or restoration activities. Avoiding or preventing impacts to areas within this type, particularly those that support rare taxa or Species of Concern is the primary means of management.
Restoration Considerations
See Management Section.
Species Associated with this Community
- How Lists Were Created and Suggested Uses and Limitations
Animal Species Associations
Please note that while all vertebrate species have been systematically associated with vegetation communities, only a handful of invertebrate species have been associated with vegetation communities and invertebrates lists for each vegetation community should be regarded as incomplete. Animal species associations with natural vegetation communities that they regularly breed or overwinter in or migrate through were made by:
- Using personal observations and reviewing literature that summarize the breeding, overwintering, or migratory habitat requirements of each species (Dobkin 1992, Hart et al. 1998, Hutto and Young 1999, Maxell 2000, Werner et al. 2004, Adams 2003, and Foresman 2012);
- Evaluating structural characteristics and distribution of each vegetation community relative to the species' range and habitat requirements;
- Examining the observation records for each species in the state-wide point observation database associated with each vegetation community;
- Calculating the percentage of observations associated with each vegetation community relative to the percent of Montana covered by each vegetation community to get a measure of "observations versus availability of habitat".
Species that breed in Montana were only evaluated for breeding habitat use. Species that only overwinter in Montana were only evaluated for overwintering habitat use. Species that only migrate through Montana were only evaluated for migratory habitat use. In general, species are listed as associated with a vegetation community if it contains structural characteristics known to be used by the species. However, species are not listed as associated with a vegetation community if we found no support in the literature for the species’ use of structural characteristics of the community even if point observations were associated with it. If you have any questions or comments on animal species associations with vegetation communities, please contact the Montana Natural Heritage Program's Senior Zoologist.
Plant Species Associations
Please note that while diagnostic, dominant, or codominant vascular plant species for a vegetation community have been systematically assigned to those communities and vascular plant Species of Concern were systematically evaluated for their associations with vegetation communities, the majority of Montana’s vascular plant species have not been evaluated for their associations with vegetation communities and no attempt has been made to associate non-vascular plants, fungi, or lichens with vegetation communities. Plant species associations with natural vegetation communities were made in a manner similar to that described above for animals, but with review of Lesica et al. (2022) and specimen collection data from the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria. If you have any questions or comments on plant species associations with vegetation communities, please contact the Montana Natural Heritage Program's Program Botanist.
Suggested Uses and Limitations
Species associations with vegetation communities should be used to generate potential lists of species that may occupy broader landscapes for the purposes of landscape-level planning. These potential lists of species should not be used in place of documented occurrences of species or predicted habitat suitability models (this information can be requested at: https://mtnhp.mt.gov/requests/), or systematic surveys for species and onsite evaluations of habitat by trained biologists. Users of this information should be aware that the land cover data used to generate species associations is based on satellite imagery from 2016 and was only intended to be used at broader landscape scales. Land cover mapping accuracy is particularly problematic when the vegetation communities occur as small patches or where the land cover types have been altered over the past decade. Thus, particular caution should be used when using the associations in assessments of smaller areas (e.g., evaluations of public land survey sections). Finally, although a species may be associated with a particular vegetation community within its known geographic range, portions of that vegetation community may occur outside of the species' known geographic range.
Literature Cited
- Adams, R.A. 2003. Bats of the Rocky Mountain West; natural history, ecology, and conservation. Boulder, CO: University Press of Colorado. 289 p.
- Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria. https://www.pnwherbaria.org/ Last accessed May 30, 2025.
- Dobkin, D. S. 1992. Neotropical migrant land birds in the Northern Rockies and Great Plains. USDA Forest Service, Northern Region. Publication No. R1-93-34. Missoula, MT.
- Foresman, K.R. 2012. Mammals of Montana. Second edition. Mountain Press Publishing, Missoula, Montana. 429 pp.
- Hart, M.M., W.A. Williams, P.C. Thornton, K.P. McLaughlin, C.M. Tobalske, B.A. Maxell, D.P. Hendricks, C.R. Peterson, and R.L. Redmond. 1998. Montana atlas of terrestrial vertebrates. Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, University of Montana, Missoula, MT. 1302 p.
- Hutto, R.L. and J.S. Young. 1999. Habitat relationships of landbirds in the Northern Region, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station RMRS-GTR-32. 72 p.
- Lesica P., M. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2022. Manual of vascular plants, 2nd Edition. Brit Press. 779 p.
- Maxell, B.A. 2000. Management of Montana's amphibians: a review of factors that may present a risk to population viability and accounts on the identification, distribution, taxonomy, habitat use, natural history, and the status and conservation of individual species. Report to U.S. Forest Service Region 1. Missoula, MT: Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana. 161 p.
- Werner, J.K., B.A. Maxell, P. Hendricks, and D. Flath. 2004. Amphibians and reptiles of Montana. Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Publishing Company. 262 p.
- Species of Concern Associated with this Community
Vascular Plants
Mammals
Birds
Reptiles
Original Concept Authors
K.A. Schulz, M.S. Reid and G. Kittel (2015)
Montana Version Authors
S. Mincemoyer
Version Date
12/5/2024
References
- Literature Cited AboveLegend:
View Online Publication
Graham, L. and R.L. Knight. 2004. Multi-Scale Comparisons of Cliff Vegetation in Colorado. Plant Ecology 170(2): 223-234- Larson, D. W., U. Matthes, J. A. Gerrath, N. W. K. Larson, J. M. Gerrath, J. C. Nekola, G. L. Walker, S. Porembski, and A. Charlton. 2000. "Evidence for the Widespread Occurrence of Ancient Forests on Cliffs". Journal of Biogeography. 27 (2): 319-331.
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