Pinyon-Juniper Woodland (Upper Sonoran Life Zone)

Non-technical Description: The Pinyon-Juniper Woodland is a forest of short (usually less than 20-feet tall) evergreen trees mixed with a variety of desert and upland shrubs or open grasslands on the lower slopes of mountains.

The Pinyon-Juniper Woodland association is found in mountain ranges at elevations of about 5,500 to 7,500 feet where average precipitation exceeds 8 inches. The vegetation in this life zone is dominated by two kinds of conifers: pinyon pine trees (Pinus spp.) and juniper trees (Juniperus spp.). In the Las Vegas region, there are two species of Pinyon Pine and several species of Juniper.

In the mountains immediately around Las Vegas, the only pinyon is Singleleaf Pinyon Pine. In the Zion and Grand Canyon region, the pinyon is Two-needle Pinyon Pine.

In the mountains immediately around Las Vegas, there are several species of juniper. The most common species is Utah juniper. Rocky Mountain Juniper can be found in the Spring Mountains (Mt. Charleston), Sheep Range, and the Virgin Mountains. California Juniper occurs in some of the mountain ranges south of Las Vegas (Newberry and South McCullough mountains). One-Seed Juniper, once thought to occur north of Las Vegas, can be found east of Las Vegas starting in Arizona.

Common shrubs in the Pinyon-Juniper Woodland include Blackbrush, Bitterbrush, Rabbitbrush, Cliffrose, Shrub Live Oak, Curlleaf Mountain Mahogany, and Manzanita. At higher elevations, Sagebrush becomes common. Bunchgrasses can be common.

Several types of cactus are common Pinyon-Juniper Woodland. Cholla and Pricklypear can be quite common, Hedgehog Cactus can also be locally abundant, and the tiny Pincushion Cactus can be occasionally found.