Utah Juniper Woodland
Global Name:
Intermountain Utah Juniper Open Woodland
Global Rank:
GNR
State Rank:
S4
(see reason below)
External Links
State Rank Reason
Type is restricted in range and area but has few threats and is likely relatively stable. The long-term trend may be an increase in extent.
General Description
This National Vegetation Classification Group is a minor type in Montana where it reaches its northerly extent in and around the Pryor Mountains. Communities are dominated by open stands of Utah Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma). Communities that are co-dominated by Limber Pine or Rocky Mountain Juniper with Utah Juniper are part of G209. Sites that contain Utah Juniper with Douglas-fir are generally part of the Pseudotsuga menziesii/Juniperus osteosperma Forest Communities (CEGL000440), which are part of G215.
This group includes communities included in the Rocky Mountain Foothill Limber Pine - Juniper Woodland Ecological System.
Diagnostic Characteristics
Xeric, Conifer Woodlands; Wyoming and Bighorn Basins; Pryor Mountains.
Typical Dominants: Utah Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma)
Similar Systems
Range
In Montana, this group is restricted to a relatively small geographic area that includes the lower elevations of the Pryor Mountains and surrounding areas where Utah Juniper reaches its northern extent.
In Montana, G105 occurs in Level IV Ecoregions: 17m (Dry Mid-elevation Sedimentary Mountains of the Middle Rockies), 18b (Bighorn Basin), and 43v (Pryor-Bighorn Foothills of the Northwestern Great Plains).
In Montana, G105 occurs or potentially occurs within these Major Land Resource Areas: 32 - Northern Intermountain Desertic Basins; southern part of 46 - Northern and Central Rocky Mountain Foothills.
Spatial Pattern
Small Patch
Environment
These communities occur on the lower slopes and foothills of the Pryor Mountains. Elevations of these sites are mostly between 4,000-6,000ft and occur most commonly on southerly and westerly slopes or on dry, rocky ridgelines. Soils are generally shallow and derived from limestone or calcareous sandstone. Rock and gravel often cover >50% of the ground surface and bare soil is often as high as 20% or more. Soil subgroups include Ustic Torriorthents, Lithic Ustic Torriorthents, Lithic Ustollic Haplargids, and Ustollic Calciorthids. Surface textures varied from loam, sandy loam to silty clay with pH values from 7.4 to 8.0, and conductivity ranged from 200 to 310 uhmos/cm2 (DeVelice and Lesica 1993). Annual precipitation ranges from about 12-18 inches. Spring and early summer rainfall accounts for two-thirds of the annual precipitation (Knight et al. 1987).
Vegetation
Utah Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) forms the overstory dominant at these sites. Adjacent sites may be dominated by Limber Pine (Pinus flexilis) or Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) and these species may be present in Utah Juniper Woodlands as well. Low shrubs are often present, including Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), Low Sagebrush (Artemisia arbuscula), Black Sagebrush (Artemisia nova), Curl-leaf Mountain-Mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius) and Broom Snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae). Common herbaceous species include grasses such as Bluebunch Wheatgrass (Elymus spicatus), Purple Threeawn (Aristida purpurea), Sandberg’s Bluegrass (Poa secunda), Prairie Junegrass (Koeleria macrantha), Indian Ricegrass (Oryzopsis hymennoides) and Bottlebrush Squirrel-tail (Elymus elymoides). Threadleaf Sedge (Carex filifolia) is also present at many sites. Forb diversity is often high though coverage is low. Common species include Allium textile, Arenaria hookeri, Milkvetches (Astragalus spp), Cryptantha spp, Fleabanes (Erigeron spp), Buckwheats (Eriogonum spp), Goldenweed (Stenotus acaulis), Ipomopsis spicata, Penstemon spp, Phlox spp, and Woolly Groundsel (Senecio canus). Plains Pricklypear (Opuntia polyacantha) is also present at many sites.
DeVelice and Lesica (1993) described 3 primary Utah Juniper Community Types from the Pryor Mountains. These are the Juniperus osteosperma/Agropyron spicatum c.t. with two phases (Gutierrezia sarothrae and Artemisia nova); the Juniperus osteosperma/Artemisia tridentata c.t.; and the Juniperus osteosperma/Cercocarpus ledifolius c.t. with two potential phases (Artemisia nova phase on deeper soils and the nearly barren Agropyron spicatum (Elymus spicatus)) phase on shallow soils. The Juniperus osteosperma/Cercocarpus ledifolius c.t. was reported to cover 1990 acres and the Juniperus osteosperma/Artemisia tridentata c.t. 670 acres (Lesica 1994).
Alliances and Associations for this group in Montana likely need additional review as only one of each is currently attributed to the state, while DeVelice and Lesica (1993) described 3 primary Utah Juniper Community Types from the Pryor Mountains.
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.Na D010 Western North American Pinyon - Juniper Woodland and Scrub
TT2.b3.Na.1 M896 Intermountain Pinyon - Juniper Woodland
TT2.b3.Na.1.e G105 Intermountain Utah Juniper Open Woodland
A3497 Juniperus osteosperma Grassy Open Woodland 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
Junipers are slow-growing, long-lived trees (about 650 years for Juniperus osteosperma and 300 years for Juniperus scopulorum) (Burns and Honkala 1990a, Zlatnik 1999e, Scher 2002, Sawyer et al. 2009). Fires in these woodlands are thought to be infrequent because Utah Juniper and many shrubs such as Big Sagebrush are easily killed by burns and do not resprout (Barney and Frischknecht 1974, Everett 1986). In addition, many stands have an open canopy with insufficient understory to carry fire. Shrubs will often re-establish relatively quickly (about 10-20 years) if a seed source is nearby (Barney and Frischknecht 1974, Bunting 1987). However, Utah Juniper is relatively slow to recover following fire, and shrubs such as sagebrush may dominate the sites for decades (Jameson et al. 1962). Fire, drought and competition with grasses are thought to have kept Juniper communities restricted to rocky areas that do not burn frequently (Wright et al. 1979). There has been significant expansion of these woodlands over the last century into sagebrush-dominated shrublands. An altered fire regime (such as fire suppression, thus longer return intervals) is considered a primary cause of this expansion. Invasion by Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) commonly occurs within arid environments including Juniper woodlands and has the potential to alter fire regimes by providing a fine, continuous fuel layer that was previously absent at these sites.
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
K. Schulz; Triepke et al. (2021)
Montana Version Authors
S. Mincemoyer
Version Date
12/4/2024
References
- Web Search Engines for Articles on "Intermountain Utah Juniper Open Woodland"
