The pine forest vegetation community is represented by vast stands of Pinus ponderosa in the northern part of our region along the Mogollon Rim and into the White Mountains. The northern part of the Sierra Madre Occidental are another center of pine forest distribution in our region. Many higher elevation Sky Islands have pine forest as the primary vegetation community above pine/oak woodland and below mixed conifer community.
The Wallow Fire in mid-June of 2011 became the largest wildfire in Arizona history. Much of the forest it burned, however, was not destroyed. Forest conditions were enhanced in more than half of the areas we encountered. Here are some photos from months after the fire.
There appears to be no good treatment for Sambucus complex in the Sonoran/Madrean/Sky Island region. This photo is of the high-elevation version, which generally grows at 7000 feet of more (and is not red elder, Sambucus racemosa).
We studied annual variation in reproductive activity and productivity of the Thick-billed Parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha) during a five year period (1997-2001), in five nesting areas at the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico. Two breeding areas continue to be the breeding strongholds for the species. We documented 491 nesting pairs and determined the outcome of 162 accessible nests. A nesting pair laid in average 2.7 eggs, and produced 1.6 fledlings per egg-laying pair.
Bird survey trip by Aaron Flesch and crew. Most of the mountain range burned in a fire in 2011, but there is very little damage due to the fact this range seems to burn every few years.
