The Central Basin and Range ecoregion is composed of northerly trending, fault-block ranges and intervening, drier basins. In the higher mountains, woodland, mountain brush, and scattered open forest are found. Lower elevation basins, slopes, and alluvial fans are either shrub- and grass-covered, shrub-covered, or barren. The potential natural vegetation, in order of decreasing elevation and ruggedness, is scattered western spruce-fir forest, juniper woodland, Great Basin sagebrush, and saltbush-greasewood. The Central Basin and Range is internally-drained by ephemeral streams and once contained ancient Lake Lahontan. In general, Ecoregion 13 is warmer and drier than the Northern Basin and Range (80) and has more shrubland and less [...]
