Native Plant Restoration
Over 100 species of plants grow in St. George and the surrounding area. They did not occur here until European settlement in the mid 1800s. Resource managers are actively removing the most aggressive non-native species.
Fire in St. George
Fire is a natural part of the environment, as natural as a storm or a strong wind. It has been an integral part of shaping the landscape over the millennia in every way from helping to select the plants you see to aiding the erosion processes which created Zion Canyon and other surrounding landscape phenomena.
Over the last 150 years humans have tried to manage the land in different ways, always trying to balance our needs with what is best for the ecosystem. In St. George people have logged, grazed, farmed, lived on the land and suppressed fires as a part of these practices. Each activity had its own impact and these impacts can still be seen today. We have learned a great deal about the long term impacts of our practices in the past and are trying to reduce them wherever possible. The wise use of fire is an important tool in this effort.
Managing Wildland Fires in Zion National Park
Fires have burned on the plateaus above Zion Canyon for millions of years. Ponderosa pine forests are sustained by fires which usually start from lightning strikes. All fires were considered destructive until recently and were put out, creating unnatural changes in the forest ecosystem. To return forests to a more natural state, managers now use fire as a tool. Since 1991 almost 10,000 acres have been burned in the park. All fires are closely monitored to learn more about their ecological importance and to insure visitor safety.
Fire is a natural part of the environment, as natural as a storm or a strong wind. It has been an integral part of shaping the landscape over the millennia in every way from helping to select the plants you see to aiding the erosion processes which created Zion Canyon.
Over the last 150 years humans have tried to manage the land in different ways, always trying to balance our needs with what is best for the ecosystem. At Zion people have logged, grazed, farmed, lived on the land and suppressed fires as a part of these practices. Each activity had its own impact and these impacts can still be seen today. Since this land became a National Park, our needs and priorities for it have changed. We have learned a great deal about the long term impacts of our practices in the past and are trying to reduce them wherever possible. The wise use of fire is an important tool in this effort.
Though fire histories done in and near the park have shown that fire is an important part of Zion’s natural history, for many years people have feared and suppressed it. This has led to an accumulation of litter on the forest floor which would fuel a fire at a higher intensity than in the days before fire suppression. Higher intensity fires present hazards to the plants, animals, soils, and humans living in these areas. They are also more dangerous and costly to manage or suppress, which can present a hazard to the firefighters and taxpayers alike!
The Zion Fire Management Program uses fire and other management techniques to help reduce these hazards and restore balance to our ecosystems.
Plants in St. George
Sedimentation, uplift, and erosion have resulted in elevations ranging from 3600 to 8700 feet. The unique geology of massive cliff walls has created such diverse environments as: deserts, canyons, slickrock, hanging gardens, riparian, and high plateaus. St. George and the surrounding area contain 900-plus plant species.
Below is a list of some of the more common species.
Trees
Birch Family
Black/Water birch
Elm Family
Hackberry
Juniper Family
Arizona cypress
Utah juniper
Rocky Mountain juniper
Maple Family
Bigtooth maple
Boxelder
Oak or Beech Family
Gambel oak
Shrub live oak
Wavyleaf oak
Olive Family
Singleleaf ash
Desert/Velvet ash
Paradise Tree Family Tree of heaven
Pea Family
New Mexico locust
Black locust
Pine Family
White fir
Piñon
Single-leaf piñon
Ponderosa pine
Douglas fir
Rose Family
Apple tree
Pear tree
Tamarix Family
Tamarisk
Willow Family
Fremont cottonwood
Quaking aspen
Willow (11)
Shrubs
Agave Family
Datil yucca
Utah yucca
Barberry Family
Creeping mahonia
or Oregon grape
Buckwheat Family
Golden eriogonum
Cashew/Sumac Family
Squawbush
Poison ivy
Composite Family
Old man sagebrush
Big sagebrush
Waterwillow (2)
Rabbitbrush (5)
Broom/Snakeweed
Bush encelia
Dogwood Family Red-osier dogwood
Goosefoot Family
Four-wing saltbush
Grape Family
Canyon grape
Heath Family
Manzanita (2)
Honeysuckle Family
Elderberry (2)
Snowberry (3)
Joint-Fir Family
Mormon tea (3)
Mint Family
Desert sage
Mustard Family
Prince’s Plume
Oleaster Family
Russian olive
Roundleaf buffaloberry
Herbs
Bellflower Family
Cardinal flower
Borage Family
Yellow forget-me-not
Golden cryptanth (10 other)
Puccoon (3)
Buckwheat Family
Slickrock sulfurflower
Zion desert trumpet
White-flowered
Thompson eriogonum
Wild rhubarb
Buttercup Family
Golden columbine
Western columbine
Larkspur (3)
Sand buttercup (6 other)
Cactus Family
Purple torch
Hedgehog cactus
Claret cup (2)
Utah beavertail
Cholla (2)
Engelmann prickly pear
Cliff prickly pear
Prickly pear (5)
Caper Family
Yellow beeplant
Cattail Family
Cattail (2)
Composite Family
Western yarrow
Pussy toes (4)
Tansy aster (2)
Glaucous aster
Siskiyou aster (3 other)
Desert marigold (2)
Arrowleaf balsamroot
Arizona thistle
New Mexico thistle
Utah thistle (5 other)
Utah daisy
Zion daisy (12 other)
Sunflower (6)
Goldenaster (3)
Broom senecio (6 other)
Goldenrod (6)
Wirelettuce (3)
Goatsbeard (2)
Duckweed Family
Duckweed
Evening-Primose Family
Yellow day primrose
White tufted evening primrose
Pale evening-primrose
Hummingbird trumpet
Figwort Family
Early paintbrush
Giant red paintbrush
Wyoming paintbrush
Slickrock paintbrush
Scarlet monkeyflower (6 other)
Eaton penstemon
Low penstemon
Jones penstemon
Royal penstemon
Palmer penstemon
Utah penstemon (10 other)
Flannel mullein
Flax Family
Lewis/Blue flax (2 other)
Four O’clock Family
Fragrant sand verbena
Colorado four o’clock
Gentian Family
Elkweed
Whitemargin gentian
Geranium Family
Filaree
Wild geranium
Goosefoot Family
Russian thistle
Gourd Family
Wild or Coyote gourd
Lily Family
Tapertip onion
Patis onion
Benstem mariposa
Sego lily
Bluedicks
Death camas (2)
False solomon-seal (2)
Madder Family
Bedstraw (7)
Madder
Mallow Family
Globemallow (4)
Milkweed Family
Butterfly milkweed (4 other)
Mistletoe Family
Juniper mistletoe
Mustard Family
Rockcress (4)
Chorispora
Zion draba (4 other)
Western wallflower
Watercress
Twinpod (3)
Orchid Family
Giant helleborine
Orpine Family
Stonecrop (2)
Pea Family
Stinking milkvetch
Zion milkvetch (21 other)
Zion sweetpea (2 other)
Deerclover (6)
Lupine (8)
Thompson peteria
Sweet-clover (2)
Utah clover (3 other)
Vetch (2)
Phlox Family
Skyrocket or Scarlet gilia
Arizona skyrocket
Nuttall gilia
Desert/Mountain phlox
Zion Canyon phlox
Pink Family
Sandwort (4)
Common chickweed
Pondweed Family
Leafy pondweed
Potato Family
Sacred datura
Groundcherry (2)
Nightshade (4)
Primose Family
Zion shooting star
Purslane Family
Spring beauty
Bitterroot (2)
Miners lettuce
Rose Family
Rockmat/Rockspiraea
Saxifrage Family
Alumroot
Woodland star (2)
Spiderwort Family
Spiderwort
Spurge Family
Whitemargin spurge
Violet Family
Wanderer violet (2 other)
Waterleaf Family
Phacelia (11)
Scorpion weed
Grasses
Grass Family Big bluestem
Purple/ Red three-awn
Side-oats grama (4 other)
Cheatgrass
Jones reedgrass
Fescue (5)
Needle and thread grass
Indian ricegrass
Rush Family
Rush (8)
Sedge Family
Sedge (12)
Bulrush (6)
Ferns & Allies
Fern Family
Maidenhair fern (2)
Scouring Rush Family
Meadow horsetail
Scouring rush (3)