Sierra Madre Oriental pine–oak forests

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Sierra Madre Oriental pine–oak forests

The Sierra Madre Oriental pine–oak forests are a temperate forest region in northeastern and central Mexico, reaching into Texas in the United States. They grow at elevations from about 1,000 to 3,500 meters (3,300–11,500 feet) along the Sierra Madre Oriental ridge, which runs north–south between the Gulf Coastal Plain to the east and the Mexican Plateau to the west. The forests also occur in the nearby Sierra Norte de Puebla. The ecoregion covers about 65,600 square kilometers (25,300 square miles).

Geography
The forests extend across Veracruz, Hidalgo, Querétaro, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, and northern Puebla. They reach into Coahuila north of Monterrey and continue as isolated “sky islands” into the Big Bend region of western Texas. The southern part of the range blends into the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine–oak forests near Puebla. North of Monterrey, the forests become discontinuous and exist as isolated high-elevation pockets.

Flora
Pine species dominate, including Nelson’s pinyon, Mexican pinyon, smooth-bark Mexican pine, and Arizona pine. Wetter eastern slopes have Mexican pinyon and Juniperus deppeana; drier western slopes favor the weeping pinyon. The area is known for its very diverse oaks—about 55 native species, with 19 endemics. There are many red oaks and white oaks, including several endemics. Notable endemic oaks include several named species such as ariifolia, edwardsiae, flocculenta, furfuracea, galeanensis, hirtifolia, hypoxantha, miquihuanensis, runcinatifolia, rysophylla, saltillensis, and verde; some species like canbyi occur in the northern Sierra, with other endemics in nearby ranges. The ecoregion also contains agave and other traditional plants.

Fauna
Mammals include the American black bear, mule deer, cougar, cliff chipmunk, collared peccary, white-nosed coati, jaguar, and coyote. The maroon-fronted parrot is endemic to this ecoregion. The Colima warbler breeds here. Other wildlife includes wild turkey, peregrine falcon, and golden eagle. The pine–oak forests in Coahuila form part of the monarch butterfly migration route.

Conservation
About 32% of the ecoregion is protected. Habitat loss affects roughly 7.6% of the area. Protected areas include El Chico National Park, El Potosí National Park, Cumbres de Monterrey National Park, Big Bend National Park (USA), Cerro de la Silla Natural Monument, El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Sierra de Tamaulipas Biosphere Reserve, and Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, among others. Globally, this ecoregion is considered a high-priority, critical/endangered habitat.