Forest Creek - Rough Canyon RNA

Forest Creeks Research Natural Area (RNA) was established to represent first- to third-order streams originating in the ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) zone as well as mountain alder (Alnus incana) -redosier dogwood (-Cornus sericea) and redosier dogwood-mockorange (Philadelphus lewisii) riparian plant associations. Upper elevation slopes of the RNA are gentle to moderate but drop more steeply into Rough Canyon along lower slope segments. Steep slopes are typically composed of basalt talus. Slopes are oriented northwest-southeast, and streamflow is generally to the southeast in both units. Both drainage basins are dissected into gently sloping plateaus. Mountain alder, redosier dogwood, mockorange, water birch (Betula occidentalis), bitter cherry (Prunus emarginata), chokecherry (P. virginiana var. melanocarpa), and willow (Salix spp.) make up the shrub layer surrounding the channel. Beaked sedge (Carex utriculata), smallwing sedge (C. microptera), fowl mannagrass (Glyceria striata), and Baltic rush (Juncus arcticus var. littoralis) are common herbaceous species. Low sagebrush (Artemisia arbuscula), rigid sagebrush (A. rigida), sulphur-flower buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum), rock onion (Allium macrum), arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata) and the colorful wallflower phoenicaulis (Phoenicaulis cheiranthoides) are common terrestrial plants.