Montane - Subalpine Dry Grassland
Global Name:
Central Rocky Mountain-Interior Montane Grassland & Meadow
Global Rank:
G4G5
State Rank:
S4S5
(see reason below)
External Links
State Rank Reason
These higher elevation grasslands are relatively common and widespread. They have been more stable and have not been impacted as much as the lower elevation grasslands by grazing, invasive species or development, as such they do not appear to be particluarly vulnerable or threatened.
General Description
This National Vegetation Classification Group occurs within the montane and subalpine zones of western and central Montana and are characterized by a sparse to dense cover of short to mid-stature, perennial bunchgrasses. Dominants and species composition vary widely by site factors such as elevation, slope, aspect, topographic position, soil depth and composition and to a lesser extent by geography. Idaho Fescue dominated or co-dominated sites are the most prevalent communities within this group and occur across its range and at many different sites. In the north, this group occurs from about 5,000-7,000ft and in southern Montana it is more commonly found from 6,000ft up to 9,500ft in some mountain ranges. Sites range from small meadows to large open grasslands surrounded by montane and subalpine forest types. They may be found on gentle to steep slopes on all aspects. Sites commonly occur in upper elevation Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), spruce-fir (Picea engelmannii-Abies lasiocarpa) and whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) forests. In subalpine settings, dry grasslands often occur as small meadows or large open parks surrounded by forest. In general, soil textures are much finer, and soils are often deeper than in the surrounding forests. Lower elevation communities within this group transition seamlessly into G273 Rocky Mountain Low Elevation - Dry Grassland Group. At the highest elevations, it transitions into alpine communities.
This group is equivalent to the Rocky Mountain Subalpine-Upper Montane Grassland Ecological System.
Diagnostic Characteristics
Dominated by Cool Season Bunchgrasses; Montane and Subalpine Zones; Rocky Mountain Region; Graminoid Cover >25%; Shrub Cover <10%
Typical Dominants: Idaho Fescue (Festuca idahoensis); Rough Fescue (Festuca campestris), Timber Oatgrass (Danthonia intermedia), Slender Wheatgrass (Elymus trachycaulus), Nelson's Needlegrass (Stipa nelsonii), Richardson's Needlegrass (Stipa richardsonii), Spike Fescue (Leucopoa kingii), Pinegrass (Calamagrostis rubescens)
Similar Systems
Range
Montane and subalpine grasslands occur in almost all of the mountain ranges in the state on both sides of the Continental Divide. They occur in all of the mountains of western Montana and are very extensive in southwestern ranges such as the Anaconda-Pintlar, Pioneers, Snowcrest, Gravelly, Blacktail, Centennial and Beaverhead Mountains. East of the Continental Divide, the group is well represented on high exposed ridges on the Blackfeet Reservation, and along the eastern edge of Glacier National Park. It extends south along the Rocky Mountain Front to west-central Montana and south-central Montana, including the Gallatin, Madison, Absaroka, Beartooth, Pryor, and Bighorn Ranges. It also occurs in the island mountain ranges of central Montana.
In MT, G267 occurs within these Level III Ecoregions: 15 (Northern Rockies), 16 (Idaho Batholith), 17 (Middle Rockies), 41 (Canadian Rockies), and the very western portion of 42 (Northwestern Glaciated Plains).
In Montana, G267 occurs within these Major Land Resource Areas: 43A - Northern Rocky Mountains, 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, Blaine, Broadwater, Carbon, Cascade, Chouteau, Deer Lodge, Fergus, Flathead, Gallatin, Glacier, Golden Valley, Granite, Hill, Jefferson, Judith Basin, Lake, Lewis and Clark, Liberty, Lincoln, Madison, Meagher, Mineral, Missoula, Park, Phillips, Pondera, Powell, Ravalli, Sanders, Silver Bow, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Teton, Toole, Wheatland
Based on 2025 land cover layer.
Spatial Pattern
Large Patch
Environment
This grassland group occurs within the montane and subalpine zones of western and central Montana. In the north, it occurs from about 5,000-7,000ft and in southern Montana it is more commonly found from 6,000ft up to 9,500ft in some mountain ranges. Sites range from small meadows to large open grasslands surrounded by high elevation forest types. They may be found on gentle to steep slopes on all aspects. Sites commonly occur in upper elevation Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), spruce-fir (Picea engelmannii-Abies lasiocarpa) and whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) forests. At the highest elevations, it transitions into alpine communities. Soils range from shallow to deep depending on topography but tend to be deeper than soils in adjacent forest communities or in alpine plant communities. Annual precipitation falls mainly as snow in the mountains with spring rains and early summer convective storms common providing moisture during the growing season.
Vegetation
These montane and subalpine grasslands are characterized by a sparse to dense cover of short to mid-stature, perennial bunchgrasses. Sites on shallow, rocky to gravelly soils may have a low cover of graminoids (<10-25%). These often occur on steeper slopes, upper slopes or along ridgetops. Well-developed expressions of these communities, occurring on deeper soils and gentler slopes often have graminoid cover >50%. Common species in this group, include Idaho Fescue (Festuca idahoensis), Rough Fescue (Festuca campestris), Timber Oatgrass (Danthonia intermedia), Nelson’s Needlegrass (Stipa nelsonii), Richardson’s Needlegrass (Stipa richardsonii), Prairie Junegrass (Koeleria macrantha), Slender Wheatgrass (Elymus trachycaulus), Pinegrass (Calamagrostis rubescens), Tufted Hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa), and Spike Fescue (Leucopoa kingii). Many of the dominant species occur across the range of the type while Spike Fescue is limited to extreme southern Montana and Richardson’s Needlegrass is more prevalent in the northern half of the state. Dominants and species composition vary widely by site factors such as elevation, slope, aspect, topographic position, soil depth and composition and to a lesser extent by geography. Idaho Fescue dominated or co-dominated sites are the most prevalent communities within this group and occur across its range and at many different sites. Lower elevation communities within this group transition seamlessly into G273 Rocky Mountain Low Elevation - Dry Grassland, particularly sites dominated by Idaho Fescue and Rough Fescue. At higher subalpine elevations, Alpine Timothy (Phleum alpinum), Tufted Hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa), Spike Trisetum (Trisetum spicatum), Hood’s sedge (Carex hoodii), Carex obtusata, and Carex scirpoidea are common components.
These grasslands support a rich, forb flora, including many species that occur in lower elevation grasslands, including arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata), yarrow (Achillea millefolium), silky lupine (Lupinus sericeus), sticky geranium (Geranium viscosissimum), nine-leaf biscuitroot (Lomatium triternatum), prairie cinquefoil (Potentilla gracilis), Penstemons, little larkspur (Delphinium bicolor), wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana), paintbrush (Castilleja species), boreal bedstraw (Galium boreale), prairie smoke (Geum triflorum), fringed sage (Artemisia frigida), western sagewort (Artemisia ludoviciana), prairie alumroot (Huechera parviflora), rosy pussytoes (Antennaria rosea), woolly groundsel (Packera cana), Phlox spp., buckwheat (Eriogonum species), fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium), and cut-leaf daisy (Erigeron compositus). Common subalpine components include Blue-leaved Cinquefoil (Potentilla glaucophylla and Rocky Mountain Goldenrod (Solidago multiradiata).
Shrub species may be scattered among these grasslands, especially shrubby cinquefoil (Dasiphora fruticosa), Woods’ rose (Rosa woodsii), bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), and common juniper (Juniperus communis).
In Montana, this group is represented by 17 Associations grouped into 3 Alliances within the National Vegetation Classification, which likely captures the range of vegetation types present in the state within this group.
National Vegetation Classification
Download the complete NVC hierarchy for Montana
TT4 B04 Temperate-Boreal Grassland and Shrubland
TT4.b S58 Temperate Grassland and Shrubland
TT4.b1 F116 Temperate Lowland-Montane Grassland and Shrubland
TT4.b1.Ne D022 Western North American Grassland and Shrubland
TT4.b1.Ne.3 M547 Rocky Mountain Grassland and Meadow
TT4.b1.Ne.3.c G267 Central Rocky Mountain-Interior Montane Grassland and Meadow
A1323 Leucopoa kingii - Carex elynoides - Phlox pulvinata Central Rocky Mountain Subalpine-Alpine Grassland Alliance
CEGL001910 Leucopoa kingii Grassland
CEGL001911 Leucopoa kingii - Carex elynoides Grassland
CEGL001912 Leucopoa kingii - Oxytropis campestris Grassland
CEGL001913 Leucopoa kingii - Phlox pulvinata Grassland
A3965 Festuca idahoensis - Carex scirpoidea - Danthonia intermedia Central Rocky Mountain Subalpine Dry Grassland Alliance
CEGL001611 Festuca idahoensis - Carex obtusata Grassland
CEGL001623 Festuca idahoensis - (Festuca campestris) / Potentilla diversifolia Grassland
CEGL001897 Festuca idahoensis Grassland
CEGL001898 Festuca idahoensis - Carex filifolia Grassland
CEGL001899 Festuca idahoensis - Carex scirpoidea Grassland
CEGL001901 Festuca idahoensis - Leucopoa kingii Grassland
A3966 Festuca idahoensis - Calamagrostis rubescens - Achnatherum nelsonii Central Rocky Mountain Montane Mesic Grassland Alliance
CEGL001612 Festuca idahoensis - Danthonia intermedia Grassland
CEGL001614 Festuca idahoensis - Elymus trachycaulus Grassland
CEGL001625 Festuca idahoensis - Achnatherum richardsonii Grassland
CEGL001707 Achnatherum nelsonii - Koeleria macrantha Grassland
CEGL001900 Festuca idahoensis - Deschampsia cespitosa Grassland
CEGL005860 Achnatherum nelsonii - Lupinus sericeus Grassland
CEGL005862 Calamagrostis rubescens Grassland
*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
Fires have historically helped to maintain these montane and subalpine grasslands by removing conifers encroaching into these habitats. Fire return intervals in montane grassland- Douglas-fir ecotones in southwestern Montana are estimated at 35 to 40 years, although they may be shorter in the grasslands proper (Arno and Gruell, 1983). With fire suppression, shrubs may increase, and trees may encroach into these grasslands, resulting in a loss of habitat. Conversely, fires burning in stands of Mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana) which is common in southwestern Montana, may result in elimination of sagebrush and development of these grassland habitats.
Management
In the absence of natural fire, periodic prescribed burns and appropriate grazing management practices can be used to maintain this group. Rough fescue is highly palatable throughout the grazing season, so tends to attract livestock use. Summer overgrazing for a two to three year period can result in the loss of Rough Fescue (Willms and Rode 1998). Even at moderate stocking rates, livestock grazing decreases cover of Rough Fescue, especially during summer months. Oatgrass tends to replace rough Fescue under moderate or heavy grazing pressure (Willms and Rode, 1998). Proper Grazing management or removing livestock grazing from these sites can avert the loss of Rough fescue and the replacement with less desirable species.
Invasive species threaten many of these grasslands. On lower elevation, drier sites, Sulfur Cinquefoil (Potentilla recta), Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia virgata), and Spotted Knapweed species (Centaurea stoebe) are problematic. Mesic sites within this group are threatened by the Meadow Hawkweed complex (Hieracium pratense, H. floribundum, H. piloselliodes), Orange Hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum), Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), Tall Buttercup (Ranunculus acris), and Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense). Introduced grasses such as Smooth Brome (Bromus inermis), Common Timothy (Phleum pratense) and Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis), are common and widespread within these habitats.
Restoration Considerations
Restoration strategies will depend largely on the disturbance and severity. Modified grazing practices and periodic prescribed fires can help this group recover without additional restoration. On reclamation sites where soil preparation is required, soil disking techniques that discourage uniform soils and seed beds are preferable. Feathering and smoothing topsoil may benefit invasive species such as Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) and smooth brome (Bromus inermis), while uneven soil conditions may inhibit their growth, allowing rough fescue (Festuca campestris) and other desirable grasses to establish more readily (Desserud 2006).
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
Invertebrates
- 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 and K.A. Schulz 2015
Montana Version Authors
S. Mincemoyer, L. Vance, T. Luna, S.V. Cooper
Version Date
12/4/2024
References
- Literature Cited AboveLegend:
View Online Publication
- Additional ReferencesLegend: View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?- Mueggler, W. F. and W. L. Stewart. 1980. Grassland and shrubland habitat types of western Montana. USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-66, Intermountain Forest and Range Exp. Sta., Ogden, Utah. 154 pp.
Shiflet, T. N., editor. 1994. Rangeland cover types of the United States. Society for Range Management. Denver, CO. 152 pp.
- Web Search Engines for Articles on "Central Rocky Mountain-Interior Montane Grassland & Meadow"
