Soil Landscapes Soil Climates Soil Datasets Personnel Site Map Soil Information Home CEI Home Links

MLRA 39 - Arizona and New Mexico Mountains

Arizona,Colorado, New Mexico,and Utah
111,140 km2 (42,910 mi2)

Land Use:
Most of this area is covered with timber of commercial quality, including an extensive stand of ponderosa pine. Lumbering is an important industry. This area, which constitutes the primary watershed for much of Arizona, contains numerous lakes and live streams and an abundance of wildlife. Recreation, including hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, and skiing, is an important land use. At higher elevations the timbered areas grade to stands of pinyon and juniper, and at lower elevations they grade to chaparral and grassland. The woodland consists of relatively open stands; the understory is grass and browse. The woodland is used as range for summer grazing of cattle and sheep. Irrigated cropland is inextensive along the narrow bottoms of the live streams. Corn, alfalfa, small grains, and vegetables are the major crops and are used mostly on the farms where they are produced. In Utah, wheat and pinto beans are produced on dry cropland. Concerns of management include maintaining proper grazing distribution, controlling juniper that invades rangeland, and controlling gullying. Wind and water erosion are hazards on dry cropland.


Land Use | Elevation and Topography | Climate | Water | Soils | Potential Natural Vegetation

Ecogegions | Land Resource Regions

PA Soil Landscapes | US Soil Survey | US Landscapes

Soil Information Home | CEI Home | Links
Soil Landscapes | Soil Climates | Soil Datasets | Personnel | Site Map

Comments and Questions

12/16/98