WILDLIFE HABITATS AND BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY IN THE ROCKY-MOUNTAINS ANDNORTHERN GREAT-PLAINS

We identify wetlands, riparian woodlands and shrublands, green ash woo dlands, aspen forests, pinyon-juniper woodlands, and pure and mixed fo rests of ponderosa pine as important wildlife habitats in the U.S. For est Service's Rocky Mountain Region. The relationships of vertebrate s pecies to each of these types are discussed relative to habitat requir ements and species conservation. The importance of late-successional l odgepole pine, Douglas-fir, and spruce-fir forests is discussed in the context of regional landscapes and the maintenance of biological dive rsity.