The Black Hills, Bear Lodge Mountains, and Devils Tower - Mountains and Plains: The Ecology of Wyoming Landscapes - page 274

species are common, such as big bluestem, indian rice-
grass, and prairie sandreed. Westward, big sagebrush
becomes more common. Streamside meadows in the
same area have prairie cordgrass, tufted hairgrass, wild
iris, and a variety of sedges. inland saltgrass is com-
mon where the soils are saline and frequently moist.
the interesting interaction of prairie dogs and bison on
the mixed-grass prairie of Wind cave national Park has
been discussed in chapter 6.
At higher elevations, grasslands are found on the
Limestone Plateau and in the central Area near Deer-
field Reservoir. those on the Limestone Plateau have
been classified as Black Hills montane grasslands and
are identifiable by the presence of three grasses—prairie
dropseed, Richardson's needlegrass, and timber oat-
grass. 22 the montane grasslands also have an abun-
dance of colorful forbs, as custer described in 1874.
Several very large grasslands occur in the area, such as
Gillette and Reynolds prairies. only a few of the grass-
lands are still dominated by native plants, as most have
been partially or completely converted to hay grasses,
mainly timothy and smooth brome. those still domi-
nated by native species are valued highly by conserva-
tion biologistss.
Foothill shrublands are common in the region, typi-
cally on the Hogback Rim and lower parts of the Lime-
stone Plateau . 23 S kunkbush sumac and Rocky Mountain
juniper are common throughout the area, mountain-
mahogany occurs in the southwestern part of the Hills,
and snowbrush and russet buffaloberry are common in
the northern foothills.

wood are left in place for the benefit of wildlife and the
maintenance of biological diversity. Research has shown
that at least 23 birds and 10 mammals in the Black Hills
depend on dead trees for food, nest sites, roosts, perches,
and dens. 25 Sometimes the pines are thinned to provide
more light, water, and nutrients for the growth of other
desired species, such as bur oak or aspen. As tree density
is reduced, the growth and diversity of grasses, forbs,
and shrubs usually increase . 26
Some believe there are too many roads in the Black
Hills and that wood harvesting has taken precedence
over other resource values, such as outdoor recreation,
watershed protection, and biological diversity. Limit-
ing vehicular access is always controversial, but, though
some roads have been closed, road density (miles of
road per square mile) in the Black Hills is still the high-
est of any national forest in the region.
the Black Hills also provide an abundance of live-
stock forage. 27 excessive grazing still occurs in some
places (see chapter 6), especially in riparian meadows
and shrublands. Stream valleys, where much of the
private land is located, also are a preferred location
for summer homes. With livestock grazing and homes
concentrated in riparian zones, the habitat for big
game, sensitive species, and other kinds of wildlife is
diminished.

Fire Suppression, Tree Density, and Streamflow

Perhaps the most subtle and far-reaching effect of land
management during the past century has been fire sup-
pression, which is known to increase ponderosa pine
density. As discussed in chapter 11, surface fires char-
acterized many ponderosa pine forests and woodlands,
occurring historically every 10-25 years, depending
on topographic position, elevation, and slope expo-
sure. Surface fires kill most young trees, but usually not
the older trees because of their thick bark. Such fires
also maintain a more open forest with relatively low
amounts of fuel . 28 S uppression led to the accumulation
of such large amounts of fuel that normally easy-to-
control fires became stand-replacing wildfires.
Although surface fires are thought to have been char-
acteristic of pre-european ponderosa pine forests, the
journals of early explorers suggest that crown fires also
occurred. 29 For example, in 1880 H. newton and W. P.
Jenney wrote:

Land Management Issues

Timber Harvesting and Livestock

tree growth in the ponderosa pine forests of the Black
Hills and Bear Lodge Mountains is the highest in the
region because of the longer, warmer growing season
and comparatively high summer rainfall . 24 Ponderosa
makes up 95 percent of the harvested wood. consider-
able attention has been given to timber harvesting pre-
scriptions that minimize adverse effects on other forest
values. For example, clearcutting is generally avoided,
with selective or shelterwood harvesting preferred, and
some standing dead trees (snags) and coarse downed