The Sierra Nevada upper montane forest is a vegetation type found below the treeline in the United States Sierra Nevada range. It is generally located above the mixed coniferous forest and below the alpine zone. Overstory trees are typically cone shaped to shed the snow. Characteristic trees including lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi), western white pine (Pinus monticola) California red fir (Abies magnifica), and Sierra juniper (Juniperus grandis), and typical understory trees and shrubs such as huckleberry oak (Quercus vaccinifolia) and red heather (Phyllodoce breweri). Environment On the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada range, upper montane vegetation can be found at elevations from in the northern part of the range, in the central part, and in the southern part. On the eastern slopes, it is at higher elevations. Precipitation in areas of upper montane forest vegetation type is , mostly as snowfall. Summer high temperatures range from , and winter lows are below . Growing season is about four months because of long-lasting, deep snow. References Forests of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Ecoregions of California Montane forests Temperate coniferous forests of the United States