| Cascade Mountains leeward forests | |
|---|---|
 Stein Valley Nlaka'pamux Heritage Park | |
 | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Nearctic |
| Biome | Temperate coniferous forests |
| Borders | |
| Bird species | 187[1] |
| Mammal species | 81[1] |
| Geography | |
| Area | 46,300 km2 (17,900 sq mi) |
| Countries | |
| States | |
| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | Relatively Stable/Intact |
| Habitat loss | 67.07%[1] |
| Protected | 43.48%[1] |
TheCascade Mountains leeward forests are atemperate coniferous forestecoregion ofNorth America, as defined by theWorld Wildlife Fund (WWF) categorization system.
This is a band of mountain habitat running north–south along the leeward side of theCascade Mountains inBritish Columbia,Canada andWashington,United States, with theOkanagan Highland to the south on the US-Canada border and theChilcotin Ranges to the north.[2]
This is a varied mountain landscape of rugged, snowy peaks, glaciers and alpine meadows. In the southern ranges the temperature varies from 15 °C (59 °F) in summer to −3.5 °C (26 °F) in winter with the northern ranges 2–3 °C (4–5 °F) cooler.
Higher elevationsubalpine slopes are home to Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) andlodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) while lowermontane forests consist of lodgepole pine, quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), white spruce (Picea glauca) andRocky Mountain Douglas-fir.
Wildlife of the mountains includesbighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis),mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus),grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) andblack bear (Ursus americanus),black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus),coyote (Canis latrans) andcougar (Puma concolor couguar)[2] with smaller mammals such as thenorthern flying squirrel. The birds includespotted owl,dusky grouse (Dendragapus obscurus) and a number of birds of prey. TheFraser River is particularly important for salmon and also acts as a barrier to the movement of wildlife within the region.
Most of this forest is still intact although threatened by logging, mining and other human intervention. Large blocks ofintact forest includeNorth Cascades National Park in Washington and the following areas of British Columbia;Big Creek Provincial Park andSpruce Lake Protected Area, theStein Valley Nlaka'pamux Heritage Park,E. C. Manning Provincial Park,Tsʼilʔos Provincial Park,Cathedral Provincial Park and Protected Area,Skagit Valley Provincial Park,Marble Range Provincial Park,Cascade Recreation Area andEdge Hills Provincial Park nearFraser Canyon.
Media related toCascade Mountains leeward forests at Wikimedia Commons