The Sierra de la Laguna pine-oak forests crown the Sierra de la Laguna mountain range at the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, within Los Cabos and eastern La Paz municipalities of Baja California Sur. Found above roughly 800 meters and ringed at lower elevations by dry forest and desert, they form the only temperate forests in the state, dominated by oaks (Quercus, including the endemic Q. devia) and pines (notably the endemic Pinus lagunae), alongside the Peninsular madrone (Arbutus peninsularis). Their elevation gives a subtropical to temperate climate that is markedly wetter than the surrounding lowlands, with rain concentrated in summer. This island of forest is a center of endemism, holding around 694 plant species of which roughly 85 occur nowhere else, and part of the range was designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve. For gardeners, the native Arbutus and Quercus offer cues to genera suited to mild, summer-rain mountain climates.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 23.4°N, 109.9°W.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
11b-12b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
11b-13a
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +2.6°F by mid-century. SSP3-7.0 (current trajectory) · CHELSA v2.1 bio06 sampled across 7 of 10 points within this ecoregion's bounding box.
At a glance
Dominant biome
Tropical & Subtropical Coniferous Forests
Realm
Neotropic
Approximate area
411 sq mi
Conservation tier
Half Protected (Dinerstein NNH 1)
About the tropical & subtropical coniferous forests biome
Subtropical and tropical forests dominated by conifers such as pines, typically in semi-arid climates with seasonal rainfall. They often occupy higher elevations and carry fire-adapted understories.
Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion
Computed from each plant's stated USDA zone range against this ecoregion's CHELSA-derived current zone range, with the CHELSA mid-century warming delta applied for the projection. Plants whose stated range falls outside both the current and projected zone end up dropped; the rest land in one of the three buckets below.
Climate-resilient picks · 52
These plants fit this ecoregion today AND remain in range under the mid-century SSP3-7.0 projection. Lead with these for a planting that holds up as the climate shifts.
No curated collection's plants all fit this ecoregion's zone range. We surface a collection only when every member would grow here — partial fits get filtered out rather than mislead. As the catalog and the curated set both grow, this section will fill in.
Related ecoregions
Other tropical & subtropical coniferous forests ecoregions to explore: