Ponderosa Pine Forest - Code: Ne1E

Another archetypal forest of the west, Ponderosa Pine Forest is possibly the most abundant forest habitat in western North America. Found in foothills and lower montane zones, this habitat is generally pleasant, mild and fairly dry. Annual precipitation is generally 15 to 20 inches (380 to 510 mm) though it can be slightly higher along the Pacific coast and Sierra Nevada. In the western part of the range most of the precipitation falls as snow during the winter months but in the Rocky Mountains most of the precipitation comes as late summer monsoon thunderstorms. 
Structurally Ponderosa Pine Forest can range from a closed canopy forest with little to no understory to an open grassy savanna-woodland. Historically these open grassy Ponderosa woodlands were the most common form this habitat took but they require frequent, low-intensity fires to maintain them and many have become overgrown over the last century. Even the densest of Ponderosa forests should still feel quite open and have a long line of sight. Ponderosa Pine Forests vary significantly in height with warmer, drier ponderosa forests only reaching 30-45ft (9-14m). Ponderosa Pine Forests in the north and especially western parts of their range can be towering reaching heights of 70-120ft (20-35m) with occasional trees over 200 ft (60m) tall!
The canopy is not particularly diverse and is always heavily dominated by Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa). Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Limber Pine (Pinus flexilis), Single-leaf Pinyon (Pinus edulis), White Fir (Abies concolor), and various junipers (Juniperus spp.) can occasionally be found in the canopy but a rarely a major component. 
The understory in this habitat also tends to be negligible. Sapling Ponderosa Pines are often the most noticeable component. Small oaks can also be an obvious part of the understory - particularly Gambell Oak (Quercus gambelii) in the east and California Black Oak (Quercus kellogii) in the west. Other common shrubs include antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentana), ninebark (Physocarpus spp.), snowberry (Symphoricarpos spp.), bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), big sagebrush (Artemesia tridentata) and buckbrush (Ceanothus spp.). Historically shrubs were almost completely absent as the fire return interval in this habitat was 2-5 years. A dense understory is a clear sign of an unhealthy Ponderosa Pine Forest.
In all but the densest Ponderosa Pine Forests, the ground-layer is full of grasses and grass-like sedges. The grass-like understory is the most diverse vegetative component of this habitat and varies widely throughout the range. Pine grass (Calamogrostis candensis), sedges (Carex spp.), fescues (Festuca spp.), bluebunch wheatgrass (Elymus spicatus), and gramas (Bouteloua spp.) are all major components of Ponderosa Pine Forest ground cover.