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M333Aa Pend Oreille/Selkirk Low Mountains and Valleys

Landscape Characteristics:

Low mountains, hills, and valleys that formed in quartzite, siltite, argillite, and granitic rocks. Thick layers of volcanic ash form the surface of most soils. Elevations range from 2100 to 6300 feet. Drainage density is low to moderate.

Climate:

Mean annual precipitation ranges from 25 to 50 inches, about 50 percent falling as snow. The soil temperature and moisture regimes are mesic and typic xeric (cryic and udic at higher elevations). Rain on snow events occasionally occur during the winter months.

Potential Vegetation:

Cedar-hemlock-pine forest/Western ponderosa forest

Relationships of Dominant Map Unit Components:

Landform Geology Soil Taxa
Valley floors/fans/terraces/toeslopes Alluvium/outwash Udivitrands/Aquands
Mountainsides/uplands Quartzite/siltite/argillite/granitics Udivitrands/Dystrochrepts
Mountaintops/ridges Colluvium/quartzite/siltite Haplocryands/Cryochrepts/Fulvicryands/Cryumbrepts

Disturbance and Land Use:

The primary natural disturbance is fire, insects and disease, and mass wasting. Land use is predominantly intensive timber harvest, rural development, and agricultural activities.