Madrean Pine/Oak Woodland occupies a belt from about 5,000 to 7,000 or more feet in elevation between oak woodland and below pure pine forest above. Of course Pinus and Quercus species dominate the overstory, while the understory is often sparse. Oak and pine species vary with latitude and other factors. As one heads south the amount of pine/oak woodland, as well as numbers of pine and oak species, increase.
The Sierra de Bacadéhuachi is a poorly sampled extension of the Sierra Madre Occidental (SMO) located in east-central Sonora near the town of Bacadéhuachi. Sampling of moths using mercury vapor and ultraviolet lights occurred in summer and fall 2011, and spring 2012 at Rincón de Guadalupe, located in pine-oak forest at 1680 m elevation. Approximately 400 taxa of moths were identified from this locality. Species occurrences demonstrate connections to the famously diverse Yécora area, to the higher, more mesic SMO in Chihuahua, as well as the Rocky Mountains to the north.
Aldo Leopold's son, Starker Leopold, reviews changes to the Rio Gavilan region in the northern Sierra Madre since he was a kid.
The pine-oak forests of the Sierra Madre Occidental, a mountain range in NW Mexico, have recently been recognized as an area of high endemism and biodiversity. Selective logging threatens three bird species endemic to this habitat, who depend on standing dead trees (snags). This report is based on an 11 month field survey that aimed to locate old- growth remnants and to assess the status of the endemic birds. Old-growth is defined here as a forest that has never been logged mechanically.
