M332Dg Big Belt Foothills

Landscape Characteristics:

Foothills and lower slopes of the Big Belt mountains that formed in limestone. Elevations range from 3500 to 5000 feet. Drainage density is moderate.

Climate:

Mean annual precipitation ranges from 10 to 25 inches, about 40 percent falling as snow. The soil temperature and moisture regimes are frigid (cryic at higher elevations) and typic ustic.

Potential Vegetation:

Douglas-fir forest

Relationships of Dominant Map Unit Components:

Landform Geology Soil Taxa
Foothills Limestone Ustochrepts/Haploborolls
Mountainsides Limestone Cryochrepts/Cryoborolls

Disturbance and Land Use:

The primary natural disturbance is fire. Land use is predominantly grazing and timber harvest.