| Cross Timbers | |
|---|---|
 The outline of the Cross Timbers as defined by the EPA | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Nearctic |
| Biome | Central forest-grasslands transition |
| Borders | |
| Geography | |
| Country | United States |
| States |
|
The term Cross Timbers, also known as Ecoregion 29, Central Oklahoma/Texas Plains, is used to describe a strip of land in the United States that runs from southeastern Kansas across Central Oklahoma to Central Texas.[1] Made up of a mix of prairie, savanna, and woodland,[2][3] it forms part of the boundary between the more heavily forested eastern country and the almost treeless Great Plains,[2][3][4] and also marks the western habitat limit of many mammals and insects.[2]
No major metropolitan areas lie wholly within the Cross Timbers, although roughly the western half of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex does, including the cities of Fort Worth, Denton, Arlington, and Weatherford.[3] The western suburbs of the Tulsa metropolitan area and the northeastern suburbs of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area also lie within this area.[2] The main highways that cross the region are I-35 and I-35W going north to south (although they tend to skirt the Cross Timbers' eastern fringe south of Fort Worth) and I-40 going east to west. Numerous U.S. Highways also cross the area.[2][3] I-35 means a portion of Austin and Travis County is also included in the Cross Timbers.[1]
- ^ a b Level III Ecoregions of the Coterminous United States (Map). Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original on 2008-04-08. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
- ^ a b c d e Ecoregions of Oklahoma (PDF) (Map). Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 2008-09-24.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c d Ecoregions of Texas (PDF) (Map). Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
- ^ Ecoregions of Nebraska and Kansas (PDF) (Map). Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 2008-09-24.[permanent dead link]