The forests of the Navajo encompass approximately 596,725 acres of the Chuska Mountains and the Defiance Plateau, and include commercial timberland (Navajo Nation Forest Management Plan 2005), which are predominately ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) with minor acreages of other commercial species, such as Douglas-fir (Pseudostuga menziesii) and Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) (Figure 9.4.2). Atop the Chuska Mountains at an elevation of 9,780 feet is a spectacular upland ponderosa pine forest. Mixed conifer stands of blue spruce (Picea pungens), subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa), Douglas-fir (Pseudostuga menziesii var. glauca), and aspen (Populus tremuloides) are found on the north-facing slopes of the canyons and ridges. Along the flanks at lower elevations, Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) accompanies the ponderosa pine, and this latitudinal belt gives way below (5,500-7,000 feet) to pinyon pine (Pinus edulis)-Juniper (Juniperus spp.) woodlands with a sage brush (Salvia spp.) community intermixed. The Statewide Strategy Chuska Landscape encompasses approximately 250,000 acres of the commercial timber landscape of the Chuska Mountain and Defiance Plateau.
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▲ Figure 9.4.2. Vegetation composition in the Chuska Mountains landscape.
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