Klamath Mountains (ecoregion)

Klamath Mountains
Bear Mountain in the Siskiyou Wilderness of California
Ecology
Realm	Nearctic
Biome	Temperate coniferous forests
Borders	List California interior chaparral and woodlands Cascades Central Pacific coastal forests Eastern Cascades Slopes and Foothills Sierra Nevada Willamette Valley
Bird species	220[1]
Mammal species	87[1]
Geography
Area	50,245 km2 (19,400 sq mi)
Country	United States
States	California Oregon
Coordinates	41°30′N 123°18′W / 41.5°N 123.3°W / 41.5; -123.3
Conservation
Conservation status	Critical/Endangered[2]
Global 200	Yes
Habitat loss	4.4045%[1]
Protected	56.99%[1]

The Klamath Mountains ecoregion of Oregon and California lies inland and north of the Coast Range ecoregion, extending from the Umpqua River in the north to the Sacramento Valley in the south. It encompasses the highly dissected ridges, foothills, and valleys of the Klamath and Siskiyou Mountains. It corresponds to the Level III ecoregion designated by the Environmental Protection Agency and to the Klamath-Siskiyou forests ecoregion designated by the World Wide Fund for Nature.^[3]

The ecoregion, also known as a geomorphic province,^[4] was unglaciated during the Pleistocene epoch, when it served as a refuge for northern plant species. Its mix of granitic, sedimentary, metamorphic, and extrusive rocks contrasts with the predominantly volcanic rocks of the Cascades ecoregion to the northeast. The mild, subhumid climate of the region is characterized by a lengthy summer drought. It supports a mosaic of both northern Californian and Pacific Northwestern conifers and hardwoods.^[5]