Great Plains Ponderosa Pine Forest and Woodland
Global Name:
Black Hills-Northwestern Great Plains Ponderosa Pine Forest & Woodland
Global Rank:
G4G5
State Rank:
S4S5
(see reason below)
External Links
State Rank Reason
A common and widespread group that has seen negative impacts from increased frequency and severity of wildfires and some threats from invasive weeds.
General Description
This National Vegetation Classification Group is composed of Ponderosa Pine Forests and Woodlands. These ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) stands differ from the Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Forest and Woodlands in that they are typically found within the matrix of the Great Plains grasslands east of the Continental Divide on sites that are relatively dry and nutrient-poor (Howard, 2003). They are often surrounded by mixed-grass prairie. Ponderosa Pine dominates these open woodlands with Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) occurring on or co-dominating some sites, rarely Juniper may be the dominant species. These woodlands can be physiognomically variable, ranging from very sparse patches of trees on drier sites, to nearly closed-canopy forest stands on north slopes or in draws where available soil moisture is higher. The understory may be shrub or graminoid dominated, depending on the site. On sites with greater available soil moisture understories may be dense and support species commonly associated with Ponderosa Pine woodlands west of the Continental Divide. Fire suppression of the past century, increasingly severe drought and insect outbreaks have altered the natural processes of these habitats. Ponderosa Pine has expanded and/or increased in abundance in some areas due to fire suppression and has been reduced in others from high-intensity wildfires over the last several decades.
This group incorporates the Great Plains Ponderosa Pine Woodland and Savanna Ecological System and a portion of the Rocky Mountain Foothill Woodland-Steppe Transition Ecological System.
Diagnostic Characteristics
Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa); Great Plains Region; Xeric Conifer Forest and Woodland; Tree Cover generally from 10-50%; Soils with an A Horizon <10 cm; Low Intensity, Frequent Fire Regime.
Similar Systems
Range
This group occurs east of the Continental Divide in the Great Plains Region and extending to the foothills of several of the island ranges where it grades into G213. It occurs extensively along the Missouri River breaks, near the Little Belt Mtns and the Snowy Mtns, and in south-central Montana between the Bighorns and the Black Hills (along the Tongue and Powder Rivers), and in other areas of eastern Montana.
In Montana, G216 occurs in Level III Ecoregions 42 (Northwestern Glaciated Plains) and 43 (Northwestern Great Plains).
In Montana, G216 occurs or potentially occurs within these Major Land Resource Areas: 46 - Northern and Central Rocky Mountain Foothills; 52 - Brown Glaciated Plains; 58A,B,C,D - Northern Rolling High Plains; 60A,B – Pierre Shale Plains
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
Big Horn, Blaine, Carbon, Carter, Cascade, Chouteau, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Fergus, Garfield, Golden Valley, Hill, Judith Basin, Liberty, Mccone, Musselshell, Park, Petroleum, Phillips, Pondera, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Roosevelt, Rosebud, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Teton, Treasure, Valley, Wheatland, Wibaux, Yellowstone
Based on 2025 land cover layer.
Spatial Pattern
Large Patch-Matrix
Environment
This woodland group occurs primarily on gentle to steep slopes along escarpments, buttes, hills, canyons, rock outcrops, or ravines. Soils typically range from well-drained loamy sands to sandy loams formed in colluvium, weathered sandstone, limestone, scoria, or eolian sand. Elevations of stands in this group range primarily from 2,500 to 4,500ft with some outliers beyond this range.
Vegetation
Ponderosa Pine dominates these open woodlands of the Great Plains with Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) occurring on or co-dominating some sites, rarely Juniper may be the dominant species. The understory may be shrub or graminoid dominated, depending on the site. Shrubs associated with ponderosa pine dominated forests include bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), creeping Oregon grape (Mahonia repens), soapweed yucca (Yucca glauca), Western Snowberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis), chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), common juniper (Juniperus communis), horizontal juniper (Juniperus horizontalis), serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia), and skunkbush sumac (Rhus trilobata). The herbaceous understory can range from a sparse to a dense layer of species typical of the surrounding prairie. Mixedgrass Prairie species are usually common, such as big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis), sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), sun sedge (Carex inops ssp.heliophila), threadleaf sedge (Carex filifolia), prairie junegrass (Koeleria macrantha), green needlegrass (Stipa viridula), Littleseed Ricegrass (Oryzopsis micrantha), and western wheatgrass (Elymus smithii). Common herbaceous forbs include yarrow (Achillea millefolium), pussytoes (Antennaria species), Fringed Sage (Artemisia frigida), Blanketflower (Gaillardia aristata), silky lupine (Lupinus argenteus), crazyweed (Oxytropis species), alpine sweetvetch (Hedysarum alpinum), penstemon (Penstemon species), prairie cinquefoil (Potentilla gracilis), and goldenrod (Solidago species).
In Montana, this group is represented by 3 Alliances and 14 Associations which likely covers the diversity of vegetation types on the landscape.
National Vegetation Classification
Download the complete NVC hierarchy for Montana
TT2 B02 Temperate-Boreal Forest and Woodland
TT2.b S92 Cool Temperate Forest and Woodland
TT2.b3 F112 Temperate Continental Conifer Forest and Woodland
TT2.b3.Nb D337 Rocky Mountain Foothills and Montane Forest and Woodland
TT2.b3.Nb.3 M501 Central Rocky Mountain Montane Forest and Woodland
TT2.b3.Nb.3.e G216 Black Hills-Northwestern Great Plains Ponderosa Pine Forest and Woodland
A2352 Pinus ponderosa - Juniperus scopulorum Northwest Plains Open Woodland Alliance
CEGL000201 Pinus ponderosa / Schizachyrium scoparium Open Woodland
CEGL000747 Juniperus scopulorum / Piptatheropsis micrantha Woodland
CEGL000841 Pinus ponderosa / (Andropogon gerardii, Schizachyrium scoparium) Open Woodland
CEGL000873 Pinus ponderosa / Quercus macrocarpa Open Woodland
CEGL008955 Pinus ponderosa / Juniperus scopulorum Northern Plains Woodland
A3464 Pinus ponderosa Plains-Montane Dry-mesic Forest and Woodland Alliance
CEGL000187 Pinus ponderosa / Mahonia repens Forest
CEGL000844 Pinus ponderosa / Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Woodland
CEGL000849 Pinus ponderosa / Carex inops ssp. heliophila Woodland
CEGL000859 Pinus ponderosa / Juniperus communis Woodland
CEGL000860 Pinus ponderosa / Juniperus horizontalis Woodland
CEGL000878 Pinus ponderosa Scree Woodland
A3465 Pinus ponderosa Plains-Montane Mesic Forest Alliance
CEGL000192 Pinus ponderosa / Prunus virginiana Forest
CEGL000204 Pinus ponderosa / Symphoricarpos occidentalis Forest
CEGL000840 Pinus ponderosa / Amelanchier alnifolia Woodland
*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
Frequent, low-intensity surface fires were common within these habitats prior to European settlement (Arno 1980; Graham and Jain 2005; Pfister etal. 1977). Fire return intervals averaged approximately 15 years, although infrequent mixed- to high-severity fires may also occur at longer time scales (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2012). The thick, insulating bark and deep rooting habit characteristic of ponderosa pines allows individuals to withstand low-severity fires, although younger trees with thinner bark are more vulnerable (Graham and Jain 2005). Individuals in low density stands have a better likelihood of surviving surface fires than trees in higher density stands (Howard 2003).
Comparatively fewer insects attack ponderosa pines in the Great Plains Region than those occurring west of the Continental Divide (Howard 2003). Mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) is the most damaging insect to ponderosa pine throughout Montana. Mountain pine beetles generally occur at endemic levels and target trees with weakened defenses due to drought, lightning strikes, pathogen infections, and old age (Graham and Jain 2005). Outbreaks may reach epidemic levels when stands are characterized by high densities of large, stressed trees, a common attribute of stands in which low-intensity fires have been suppressed (Negron et al. 2008; Howard 2003).
Grazing by domestic livestock may reduce associated grasses, and in cases of extreme overgrazing, cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) may become established. Frequent low-intensity surface fires promote grass production (Howard 2003), but may also encourage invasion by non-native species (Symstad et al. 2014). Wind, ice, and snow also cause infrequent disturbance resulting in the formation of canopy openings where regeneration can occur, creating multi-aged stands (Graham and Jain 2005). In the absence of canopy-opening disturbance events, seedling establishment is significantly reduced approximately 70 years after a stand-replacing event (Lundquist and Negron 2000).
Management
In the absence of natural fire, periodic prescribed burns, selective thinning, and reduction of ladder and basal fuels to prevent crown fires can be used to maintain and restore this group to similar pre-settlement conditions. Thinning understory trees and manually removing ladder fuels and heavy fuels from the base of large trees may be necessary in order to prevent old growth mortality during prescribed burning (Kolb et al. 2007). An additional benefit of thinning is to reduce the probability of insect and disease outbreaks, as these are more common in high density stands (Graham and Jain 2005). When insect outbreaks are active, a combination of control actions including thinning, removal of infested trees, and application of targeted insecticides can be used, although control efforts are best utilized at smaller scales and for high-value stands (Howard 2003).
Periodic burning is used to expose mineral soils, increase nutrient availability, reduce competition, stimulate native grass and forb production, increase basal diameter growth of overstory ponderosa pine, and provide favorable seedbeds. In some cases, especially on sites heavily infested with cheatgrass, frequent prescribed burning at low intensities may stimulate greater cheatgrass cover following fire, especially if the burn did not eliminate the seed bank. Controlling invasive species like cheatgrass prior to prescribed burning may help to reduce post-burn outbreaks (Symstad et al. 2014) and increasing the time between prescribed fires may inhibit cheatgrass by increasing surface fuels (both herbaceous and litter), which directly inhibits cheatgrass establishment (Keeley and McGinnis 2007). Minimizing the extent of high severity burning by pre-fire thinning, or by applying prescribed burns in cooler, wetter conditions may also reduce the probability of post-burn outbreaks as higher burn intensity may correspond to greater probability of invasion by non-native species (Symstad et al. 2014).
Excessive grazing can result in the loss of the most common perennial grasses and lead to an abundance of exotic grasses in this group. Cheatgrass establishment in low-elevation ponderosa pine forests is enhanced by disturbance that opens the understory, removes litter, or both. (Mack and Pyke 1983). Fall germination and rapid elongation of roots provides cheatgrass with a competitive advantage over native perennial species (Harris 1967). Prolific seed production also contributes to the competitive advantage of this grass over native grasses and associated perennial forbs.
Restoration Considerations
Restoration strategies for these habitats will depend largely on the particular impacts. Fire generally creates favorable conditions for ponderosa pine regeneration as surface fires remove litter and duff that inhibit seedling establishment and reduce competition with understory species (Howard 2003). Because lightly burned areas recover quickly from fire, reseeding is usually not necessary, especially if an intact native herbaceous understory was present before the fire. However, to offset invasion of exotics such as cheatgrass, re-seeding with competitive native grasses may be desirable after low-intensity or prescribed surface fires. Intense fires that occur during summer months cause considerable damage to native, perennial grasses. Ponderosa pine seeds are typically only viable in the seed bank for the year after dispersal (Howard 2003). Therefore, in cases where severe, stand replacing fires occur, reseeding or replanting efforts may be necessary. Severe mountain pine beetle outbreaks may also necessitate restoration efforts as ponderosa pine does not establish well on unburned soils (Graham and Jain 2005). In order to slow the rapid loss of the oldest age classes of ponderosa pine in this group, mechanical thinning and the restoration of historic fire return intervals is necessary to remove competition and potential overstocking on a site.
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
Amphibians
- Diagnostic, Dominant, or Codominant Plant Species for this Community
Vascular Plants
- Other Native Species Commonly Associated with this Community
Vascular Plants
Original Concept Authors
M.S. Reid, K.A. Schulz and H. Marriott
Montana Version Authors
S. Mincemoyer
Version Date
12/4/2024
References
- Literature Cited AboveLegend:
View Online Publication
Arno, S. F. 1980. Forest fire history in the northern Rockies. Journal of Forestry 78(8):460-465.- Graham, R.T. and T.B. Jain. 2005. Ponderosa pine ecosystems. pp. 1-32. In: Proceedings of the Symposium on Ponderosa Pine: Issues, Trends, and Management, Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-198. Albany CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, US Department of Agriculture, Klamath Falls, OR.
- Harris, G.A. 1967. Some competitive relationships between Agropyron spicatum and Bromus tectorum. Ecological Monographs 37:89-111.
- Howard, J. L. 2003. Pinus ponderosa var. scopulorum. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online}. U. S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.
- Keeley, J. E., and T. W. Mcginnis. 2007. "Impact of Prescribed Fire and Other Factors on Cheatgrass Persistence in a Sierra Nevada Ponderosa Pine Forest". International Journal of Wildland Fire. 16 (1): 96-106.
- Kolb, T.E.,J.K. Agee, P.Z. Fule, N.G. McDowell, K. Pearson, A.Sala, and R.H. Waring. 2007. Perpetuating old ponderosa pine. Forest Ecology and Management 249(3):141-157.
- Lundquist, J.E. and J.F. Negron. 2000. Endemic forest disturbances and stand structure of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) in the Upper Pine Creek Research Natural Area, South Dakota, USA. Natural Areas Journal 20(2):126-132.
- Mack, Richard N., and David A. Pyke. 1983. "The Demography of Bromus Tectorum: Variation in Time and Space". The Journal of Ecology. 71 (1): 69-93.
- Negron, J.F., K. Allen, B. Cook, J.R. Withrow Jr. 2008. Susceptibility of ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa (Dougl. ex Laws.), to mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, attack in uneven-aged stands in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming USA. Forest Ecology and Management 254: 327–334.
- Pfister, R. D., B. L. Kovalchik, S. F. Arno, and R. C. Presby. 1977. Forest habitat types of Montana. USDA Forest Service. General Technical Report INT-34. Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT. 174 pp.
- Symstad, A.J., W.E. Newton, and D.J. Swanson. 2014. Strategies for preventing invasive plant outbreaks after prescribed fire in ponderosa pine forest. Forest Ecology and Management 324:81-88.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory. 2012. Information from LANDFIRE on Fire Regimes of Northern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Communities. In: Fire Effects Information System. Missoula, MT: USDA Forest Servic
- Additional ReferencesLegend: View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?- Arno, S. 1979. Forest regions of Montana. Research paper Int-218, USFS Intermountain and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, Utah.
- Web Search Engines for Articles on "Black Hills-Northwestern Great Plains Ponderosa Pine Forest & Woodland"
