Sonoran Cottonwood-Willow Riparian Forest

Background

Description and distribution  This community consists of a winter-deciduous, broad-leaved streamside forest to about 60' tall, dominated by Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii) with dense understories of willow (Salix) species. The site characteristics include deep, well-watered, loamy alluvial soils along the near-channel floodplains of perennial desert rivers. In the Plan area, it occurs in Stubbe, Cottonwood, Whitewater, Mission, Big Morongo, and Chino canyons, in Dry Morongo Creek, in scattered locations in the Whitewater River channel east of Monroe Ave., and on the Coachella Valley Preserve. The total acreage of this community in the Plan area is 1,180 acres, of which about 36% currently occurs on public land or private conservation land. Associated covered species. The species associated with this community are desert tortoise, least Bell's vireo, Peninsular bighorn sheep, yellow warbler, yellow-breasted chat, southwestern willow flycatcher, summer tanager, and triple ribbed milkvetch (in the Whitewater, Big Morongo, and Mission Creek areas). Associated covered species. The covered species associated with this community is desert tortoise.