Utah Mountains
(Area - 6,268,400 ha)
Description - These north-to-south lying mountains are centered in Utah and
extend slightly into Wyoming and Idaho. They consist of the Wasatch and Uinta Ranges and
separate the Great Basin from the Colorado Plateau. The four primary vegetation types
reflect elevation and are similar to those in the Southern Rockies. Alpine tundra tops the
highest areas, and a subalpine fir and Englemann spruce zone lies below that. Both the
subalpine zone and the next lower zone, a montane area dominated by Douglas fir and
ponderosa pine, can be converted by fire into lodgepole pine or aspen stands. Pine in the
montane zone is often underlain by sagebrush and grasses. The fourth and lowest zone is a
woodland dominated by mountain-mahogany, scrub oak, or pinyon-juniper.
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Conservation recommendations and needs - This physiographic area is small by western standards, so the percentage of populations of breeding birds tend to be low (only Broad-tailed Hummingbird exceeds 20%). The many species with PT values equaling 3 indicates that monitoring efforts are insufficient to detect trends in the higher priority species.
As with most riparian areas in the West, changes in vegetative structure and composition resulting from hydrological alterations, certain grazing regimes, and invasion of invasive non-native plants threaten some bird populations. Management at lower elevations should strive for a dense understory with a reduction in salt cedar and improvement of cottonwood regeneration. Recreation, development, and overgrazing in montane areas can reduce the multi-aged, multi-storied structure, including snags, most beneficial to birds.
Pinyon-juniper habitat is extensive, but areas with large, old trees, including cone-bearing pinyon pine with an understory of native grass and forbs are increasingly rare due to harvest for fuelwood and certain grazing practices. A significant objective for this habitat type is location and maintenance of large tracts of such conditions.
The status of montane shrub birds and habitat is poorly known, but again, certain grazing pressure and invasion of non-native plants affecting vegetative structure and composition must be a concern. Shrub removal to enhance grasslands for cattle is detrimental to birds reliant on this habitat.
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