Nevada Mountains

Landforms, Trees, and Vegetation

By David Alan Charlet

Nevada is one of the most mountainous states in the US. Yet mapping out exactly where one range begins and another ends has never been done—until now. In this volume David Charlet provides maps and descriptions for all 319 mountain ranges in the state.

Divided into three parts, the book presents a simple system recognizing the primary landscape features of Nevada. Part I describes the methods used to define the boundaries of the ranges and divides the state into meaningful landforms. Part II describes the ecological life zones and their vegetation types. Part III describes the individual mountain ranges. Each mountain range entry contains a descriptive narrative and a data summary that includes the county or counties in which the range occurs, whether the author has visited and collected plants there, the highest point, the base elevation, a brief discussion of the geology, any historic settlements or post offices located in the range, the distribution of life zones, and a list of all conifers and flowering trees.

The result of over thirty years of exploration and study throughout the state, this is a long-overdue compendium of Nevada’s mountains and associated flora. This book is a required reference for anyone venturing out into the Nevada wilds.

David Charlet is professor of biological sciences at the College of Southern Nevada. His Atlas of Nevada Conifers (1996, University of Nevada Press) is a trusted reference book for biologists working in the state. He continues to work with federal and state agencies to produce vegetation maps for Nevada.

Table of Contents:
List of Figures
List of Tables
Foreword by Donald K. Grayson
Preface
Acknowledgments
Part I: Nevada Mountains
A Brief History of Nevada Physical Geography Mapmaking
Methods
Geographic Names
Landscape Base Map Preparation
Results
Conclusion
Part II: Nevada Vegetation
Vegetation Zones

Alpine Zone

Subalpine Zone

Montane Zone

Pygmy Conifer Zone

Sagebrush Zone

Saltbush Zone

Blackbrush Zone

Creosotebush Zone

Absolute Desert Zone

Azonal Vegetation in Nevada

Sand Dunes and Sand Sheets

Bedrock and Cliff

Riparian

Lentic (Lakes and Ponds)

Marshes

Meadows

Part III: Vegetation of Nevada’s Mountains
Formatted by mountain range (318 entries)

Appendix A. Nevada Mountain Ranges as Mapped in This Work
Appendix B. Nevada’s Other Features as Mapped in This Work
Appendix C. Nevada Valleys as Mapped in This Work
Appendix D. Checklist of Nevada Flowering Trees
Appendix E. Checklist of Nevada Conifers
References

Praise and Reviews:

“The work is exceptional for its detail and expertise. Only Dr. Charlet has the intimate familiarity with Great Basin woody vegetation and each of the 300+ mountain ranges visited to pull off this phenomenal accomplishment. The descriptions make me want to get out there and explore. I thought I’d traveled abundantly through Nevada’s backcountry and savored much of what it has to offer, but reading this book makes me realize how much I still need to see!”
—Peter Weisberg, professor, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno

“A substantial and important publication for those working in or visiting Nevada with an interest in its topography and vegetation. This book has required dedication, effort, and botanical knowledge of the region that few others could match. It is a valuable reference of Nevada mountain range information not available anywhere else. I look forward to taking this book into the field as I visit areas that are familiar and areas that are new. The book is well organized and well written.”
—Robin Tausch, scientist emeritus, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Great Basin Ecology Lab