M331Am Gallatin Foothills/Spanish Breaks

Landscape Characteristics:

Steep, dissected mountains and rolling foothills that formed in sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. Elevations range from 5000 to 10500 feet. Drainage density is moderate to high.

Climate:

Mean annual precipitation ranges from 20 to 100inches, about 60 percent falling as snow. The soil temperature and moisture regimes are cryic and typic ustic.

Potential Vegetation:

Douglas-fir forest/Western spruce-fir forest

Relationships of Dominant Map Unit Components:

Landform Geology Soil Taxa
Mountains Sandstone/shale/limestone Cryochrepts/Cryoboralfs
Foothills Gneiss/schist Cryoborolls/Argiborolls/Fluvaquents

Disturbance and Land Use:

The primary natural disturbances are fire, insects, disease, and some mass wasting. Land use is predominantly timber harvest, livestock grazing, and ranching.