State or province

Montana, United States of America: 5 ecoregions. Each with its climate now and toward 2050, and its conservation tier.

Five ecoregions reach Montana and the Continental Divide separates them. East of it the Northern Shortgrass prairie covers the plains, with the Montana Valley and Foothill grasslands in the intermontane valleys. West and along the spine sit the Northern Rockies conifer forests and the South Central Rockies forests, and the Wyoming Basin shrub steppe reaches the southern edge. None of the five is in the Nature Imperiled tier, which is unusual and reflects how much of Montana is still in large unbroken blocks. For planting, the divide is the real line. The eastern plains are dry grassland with hard winters and wind, while the western valleys are milder, wetter and forested.