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CEGL000214 Pinus ponderosa - Pseudotsuga menziesii / Purshia tridentata Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Ponderosa Pine - Douglas-fir / Antelope Bitterbrush Woodland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This dry woodland association is documented from stands growing on hills and mountains on the eastern slope of the Cascade Range in Washington and on high plateaus in the northern Colorado Plateau of Utah. Stands occur on warm, well-drained sites on upper slopes, shoulders and ridgetops with poor soils, and often with much bedrock exposure. A few stands occur on well-drained outwash deposits in valley bottoms. Sites are moderately steep (7-16° slopes), occasionally greater than 50%. Elevations range between 610 and 1465 m (2000-4800 feet) in Washington but are close to 2745 m (9000 feet) in Utah. Soils are shallow, stony, rapidly drained sandy loams and loamy sands derived from colluvium, alluvium or granitic till. Total vegetation cover ranges from 10 to 60%, but in general stands are relatively sparsely vegetated. The canopy is open (less than 40% cover) and consists of a mix of Pinus ponderosa and Pseudotsuga menziesii, occasionally with scattered Pinus contorta. The sparse subcanopy may also contain Pinus edulis and Juniperus scopulorum. Shrubs form a discontinuous, patchy layer dominated by Purshia tridentata. Associated shrubs include Artemisia nova, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Mahonia repens, Amelanchier spp., Ceanothus velutinus, Spiraea betulifolia, and Symphoricarpos oreophilus. The herbaceous layer is typically sparse, rarely with more than 10% total cover. Documented species include Achillea millefolium, Balsamorhiza sagittata, Carex geyeri, Elymus elymoides, Lomatium triternatum, Apocynum androsaemifolium, Packera multilobata, Phlox austromontana, and Poa fendleriana.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Total vegetation cover ranges from 10 to 60%, but in general stands are relatively sparsely vegetated. The canopy is open (less than 40% cover) and consists of a mix of Pinus ponderosa and Pseudotsuga menziesii, while a few stands may also contain scattered Pinus contorta. A sparse subcanopy may be present and is composed of the canopy species occasionally joined by Pinus edulis and Juniperus scopulorum. Shrubs form a discontinuous, patchy layer in canopy openings dominated by Purshia tridentata with between 5 and 20% cover. Associated shrubs are few and are inconsistent among sites. Some species reported include Artemisia nova, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Mahonia repens, Amelanchier spp., Ceanothus velutinus, Spiraea betulifolia, and Symphoricarpos oreophilus. The herbaceous layer is typically sparse, rarely with more than 10% total cover. Herbaceous species reported from Washington include Achillea millefolium, Balsamorhiza sagittata, Carex geyeri, Elymus elymoides, Lomatium triternatum, and Apocynum androsaemifolium. Species more typical of Utah stands include Packera multilobata (= Senecio multilobatus), Phlox austromontana, and Poa fendleriana.
Dynamics: Stands often lack the understory density necessary to carry fire, but small burns caused by lightning strikes are frequent and help to maintain the open character of this association.
Environmental Description: This woodland association is documented from stands growing on hills and mountains on the eastern slope of the Cascade Range in Washington and on high plateaus in the northern Colorado Plateau of Utah. Sites are relatively warm and dry on upper slopes, shoulders and ridgetops with poor soils, and often with much bedrock exposure. A few sites occur on well-drained outwash deposits in valley bottoms. Sites are moderately steep (7-16° slopes), with a few stands on slopes greater than 50%. Elevations range between 610 and 1465 m (2000-4800 feet) in Washington but are close to 2745 m (9000 feet) in Utah. The unvegetated surface has high cover of rock or litter. Soils are shallow, stony, rapidly drained sandy loams and loamy sands derived from colluvium, alluvium or granitic till.
Geographic Range: This association is known from eastern Washington as well as southeastern Utah. It may also occur in eastern Oregon, California and southern British Columbia.
Nations: CA?,US
States/Provinces: BC?, CA?, OR, UT, WA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683235
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 1 Forest & Woodland Class | C01 | 1 |
| Subclass | 1.B Temperate & Boreal Forest & Woodland Subclass | S15 | 1.B |
| Formation | 1.B.2 Cool Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation | F008 | 1.B.2 |
| Division | 1.B.2.Nb Rocky Mountain Forest & Woodland Division | D194 | 1.B.2.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Nb.2 Ponderosa Pine - Douglas-fir - Limber Pine Central Rocky Mountain Dry Forest Macrogroup | M501 | 1.B.2.Nb.2 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Nb.2.b Douglas-fir - Ponderosa Pine Central Rocky Mountain Forest Group | G210 | 1.B.2.Nb.2.b |
| Alliance | A3392 Douglas-fir - Ponderosa Pine / Shrub Understory Central Rocky Mountain Forest & Woodland Alliance | A3392 | 1.B.2.Nb.2.b |
| Association | CEGL000214 Ponderosa Pine - Douglas-fir / Antelope Bitterbrush Woodland | CEGL000214 | 1.B.2.Nb.2.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Pinus ponderosa - Pseudotsuga menziesii / Purshia tridentata var. tridentata / Wyethia mollis (Sawyer et al. 2009) [82.400.06]
= Pinus ponderosa-Pseudotsuga menziesii/Purshia tridentata Woodland (Crawford et al. 2009)
= Pseudotsuga menziesii - Pinus ponderosa / Purshia tridentata Plant Association (Williams and Smith 1990)
> Pseudotsuga menziesii / Arctostaphylos uva-ursi - Purshia tridentata Plant Association (Williams and Lillybridge 1983)
= Pinus ponderosa-Pseudotsuga menziesii/Purshia tridentata Woodland (Crawford et al. 2009)
= Pseudotsuga menziesii - Pinus ponderosa / Purshia tridentata Plant Association (Williams and Smith 1990)
> Pseudotsuga menziesii / Arctostaphylos uva-ursi - Purshia tridentata Plant Association (Williams and Lillybridge 1983)
- Bourgeron, P. S., and L. D. Engelking, editors. 1994. A preliminary vegetation classification of the western United States. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, Western Heritage Task Force, Boulder, CO. 175 pp. plus appendix.
- Clark, D., M. Dela Cruz, T. Clark, J. Coles, S. Topp, A. Evenden, A. Wight, G. Wakefield, and J. Von Loh. 2009. Vegetation classification and mapping project report, Capitol Reef National Park. Natural Resource Report NPS/NCPN/NRTR--2009/187. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 882 pp.
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- WNHP [Washington Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data files. Washington Natural Heritage Program, Department of Natural Resources, Olympia, WA.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.
- Williams, C. K., and B. G. Smith. 1990. Forested plant associations of the Wenatchee National Forest. Unpublished draft prepared by the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland, OR. 217 pp.
- Williams, C. K., and T. R. Lillybridge. 1983. Forested plant associations of the Okanogan National Forest. R6-Ecol-132b-1983. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland, OR. 140 pp.