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CEGL000855 Pinus ponderosa / Crataegus douglasii Riparian Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Ponderosa Pine / Black Hawthorn Riparian Woodland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This plant association is a low elevation woodland in Wyoming, Montana, western Idaho, eastern Washington, and eastern Oregon. The association occurs in narrow ravines to moderately wide valley bottoms where developed soils reach to more than 2 m below the surface. The association varies from upland Ponderosa pine associations in that many species in the understory are riparian obligates. Midstory shrub layers are dominated by Crataegus douglasii, Rosa woodsii, and Alnus sp. Herbaceous understory species include Achillea millefolium, Maianthemum stellatum, Potentilla gracilis, and Galium boreale.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association is defined as a PNV vegetation type. The classification of this association is based on data from a very limited study area in eastern Oregon (Kauffman et al. 1985). The association includes three of Crowe and Clausnitzer''s (1997) Pinus ponderosa / Symphoricarpos albus stands that have 75% cover of Crataegus douglasii. Crowe and Clausnitzer (1997) recognize Crataegus douglasii as a persistent early-seral shrub in their stands. Daubenmire and Daubenmire (1968) discuss establishment of Crataegus douglasii on moist sites of the Pinus ponderosa / Symphoricarpos albus habitat type after trees are removed. Crataegus is intolerant of shade, but it may persist for many years in these stands. Daubenmire and Daubenmire (1968) note the presence of a stand of even-aged pine with a dense Crataegus understory and hypothesizes that the age of the trees either corresponds to a temporary reduction in shrub density or that Crataegus and other shrubs are recent invaders.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The association is poorly described, and canopy cover or density information are not available. It is dominated by an open to partially closed canopy of the needle-leaved evergreen tree Pinus ponderosa. A tall-shrub layer is dominated by the broad-leaved deciduous Crataegus douglasii, typically 3-6 m tall. A shorter shrub layer is composed of the broad-leaved deciduous species Symphoricarpos albus and Rosa woodsii. The herbaceous layer is dominated by a mix of grasses and forbs, including the perennial grass Elymus glaucus, and the forbs Achillea millefolium, Moehringia macrophylla, Fragaria virginiana, Symphyotrichum foliaceum (= Aster foliaceus), and Packera pseudaurea (= Senecio pseudaureus). Species richness is reported to be high, but no species list is available. The understory of most stands is dominated by introduced species, particularly the grasses Poa pratensis and Bromus tectorum and the forbs Taraxacum officinale, Ranunculus acris, and Trifolium repens.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association is found in the foothills zone of a mountainous region which is physiographically part of the Columbia Plateau. Elevational range is unknown, but probably is between 915 and 1525 m (3000-5000 feet). It occurs in riparian zones of moderate-sized streams and rivers. Average discharge along the studied creek (Kauffman et al. 1985) is 119 cfs, with peak flows occurring in late April, May and early June. Peak flows can commonly be more than 500 cfs. Soils are derived from stream-deposited alluvium and are relatively deep and well-drained. Most stands have a thick layer of decomposing litter (primarily pine needles) and duff (8-23 cm deep) over a loamy-textured A horizon varying form 20-58 cm deep. Aerated C horizons immediately underlie the thick surface horizon, composed of coarse sands with unconsolidated gravels and pebbles. Sometimes clay balls are interspersed throughout the coarse-textured materials. Depth to the water table in spring is typically greater than 81 cm. The presence of Pinus ponderosa in these riparian zones is highly correlated with the coarse-textured, aerated C horizons. The climate is considered Temperate Continental, with warm, dry summers, and cold winters. Marine air masses often move up the Columbia River valley from the Pacific coast and moderate both summer and winter temperatures. Average annual precipitation is from 38-63 cm (15-25 inches), most of which occurs as snow from November to May.
Geographic Range: The plant association is known from both the Great Plains-Palouse Dry Steppe including eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, and western Idaho, and the Great Plains Steppe including northwestern Wyoming.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: ID, MT, OR, WA, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683388
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1
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.3 Temperate Flooded & Swamp Forest Formation | F026 | 1.B.3 |
Division | 1.B.3.Nc Rocky Mountain-Great Basin Montane Flooded & Swamp Forest Division | D195 | 1.B.3.Nc |
Macrogroup | 1.B.3.Nc.1 Engelmann Spruce - Narrowleaf Cottonwood / Red-osier Dogwood Riparian & Swamp Forest Macrogroup | M034 | 1.B.3.Nc.1 |
Group | 1.B.3.Nc.1.a Engelmann Spruce - Blue Spruce - Narrowleaf Cottonwood Riparian & Swamp Forest Group | G506 | 1.B.3.Nc.1.a |
Alliance | A3797 Ponderosa Pine - Rocky Mountain Juniper - White Fir Riparian Woodland Alliance | A3797 | 1.B.3.Nc.1.a |
Association | CEGL000855 Ponderosa Pine / Black Hawthorn Riparian Woodland | CEGL000855 | 1.B.3.Nc.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Pinus ponderosa / Crataegus douglasii - Symphoricarpos albus Association (Crowe et al. 2004)
= Pinus ponderosa / Symphoricarpos albus - Floodplain (Crowe and Clausnitzer 1997) [(p.72)]
= Pinus ponderosa / Symphoricarpos albus - Floodplain (Crowe and Clausnitzer 1997) [(p.72)]
- 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.
- Crawford, R. C. 2001. Initial riparian and wetland classification and characterization of the Columbia Basin in Washington. Prepared for Environmental Protection Agency and Bureau of Land Management, Spokane District. Washington Natural Heritage Program, Washington Department of Natural Resources, Olympia. 83 pp.
- Crowe, E. A., B. L. Kovalchik, and M. J. Kerr. 2004. Riparian and wetland vegetation of central and eastern Oregon. Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center, Institute for Natural Resources, Oregon State University, Portland. 473 pp. [http://oregonstate.edu/ornhic/ publications.html]
- Crowe, E. A., and R. R. Clausnitzer. 1997. Mid-montane wetland plant associations of the Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman national forests. Technical Paper R6-NR-ECOL-TP-22-97. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland, OR.
- Daubenmire, R. 1968a. Analysis and description of plant communities. Pages 62-70 in: Plant communities: A text book of plant synecology. Harper & Row, New York.
- Daubenmire, R. F., and J. B. Daubenmire. 1968. Forest vegetation of eastern Washington and northern Idaho. Washington State University Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Bulletin No. 60. 104 pp.
- IDCDC [Idaho Conservation Data Center]. 2005. Wetland and riparian plant associations in Idaho. Idaho Conservation Data Center, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Boise. [http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/tech/CDC/ecology/wetland_riparian_assoc.cfm] (accessed 14 June 2005).
- Kagan, J. S., J. A. Christy, M. P. Murray, and J. A. Titus. 2004. Classification of native vegetation of Oregon. January 2004. Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center, Portland. 52 pp.
- Kauffman, J. B., W. C. Krueger, and M. Vaura. 1985. Ecology and plant communities of the riparian area associated with Catherine Creek in northeastern Oregon. Technical Bulletin 147. Eastern Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Corvallis. 35 pp.
- MTNHP [Montana Natural Heritage Program]. 2002b. List of ecological communities for Montana. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Montana State Library, Helena, MT.
- ORNHP [Oregon Natural Heritage Program]. No date. Unpublished data files. Oregon Natural Heritage Program, The Nature Conservancy, Portland, OR.
- 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.