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Soil Temperatures in Adjacent High Elevation Forests and Meadows of Montana¹

ABSTRACT

Little published data exist reporting growing season soil temperatures under native vegetation in the Northern Rocky Mountains. In this study soil and air temperatures were measured in meadow, ecotone, and forest vegetation at 2,300 m elevation on the Bangtail Ridge near Bozeman, Montana. Mean annual soil temperature measured at 50 cm was 3.0°C for meadow sites, 2.6°C for ecotone, and 1.8°C for forest sites. Winter soil temperatures for the three types were similar but summer soil temperatures were nearly 5° C warmer in meadows than in forests and intermediate in the ecotone. Temperature variation was greatest in the meadow, intermediate in the ecotone, and least in the forest.

¹ Contribution of the Montana Agric. Exp. Stn., Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT 59717. Published with the approval of the Director, Mont. Agric. Exp. Stn. as Journal Series no. 836. Supported in part by National Science Foundation Grants GB 7302 and GB 20960.

² Assistant Research Soil Scientist, Former Graduate Research Assistant (now Assistant Professor of Crop and Soil Science, New Mexico State Univ.), and Professor of Soils, Department of Plant and Soil Science, Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT 59717, respectively.

Received for publication March 6, 1978. Accepted for publication August 1, 1978.

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