Table 1. Areas of vegetative cover types in Chihuahuan Desert, physiographic area 56. Forest coverages are taken from USFS FIA data, nonforest cover types are modified from USGS data. Habitat coverages with superscript * are combined from both databases by adding USGS coverage in the "nonforest" section of the USFS database.

Cover types

Area (ha)

Area (ac)

Percent of Total

Ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, fir forest *

114,200

281,188

0.64

Pinyon pine-juniper forest *

322,100

795,909

1.79

Mixed hardwood forest *

7,500

18,533

0.04

Chaparral forest

22,700

56,092

0.13

Open oak, bluestem woodland

80,800

199,657

0.45

Irrigated agriculture, corn, wheat

58,700

145,048

0.33

Bluestem, wheatgrass grassland

12,500

30,888

0.07

Grama grassland

311,000

768,481

1.73

Sagebrush prairie

15,805,400

39,055,143

88.12

Greasewood brushland

766,900

1,895,010

4.28

Barren land, sparse vegetation

83,700

206,823

0.47

Water *

64,800

160,121

0.36

Urban

75,200

185,819

0.42

No data *

210,300

519,651

1.17

 Totals

17,935,800

44,319,361

100