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CEGL001787 Thuja plicata - Tsuga heterophylla / Lysichiton americanus / Sphagnum spp. Treed Fen
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Western Red-cedar - Western Hemlock / American Skunk-cabbage / Peatmoss species Treed Fen
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association occurs in poor fens or bogs of wet coastal Washington and British Columbia. Topography can be basins or gentle slopes. Soils are generally saturated and composed of sphagnum, fibrous and heath peat, and woody material. The open, relatively stunted tree canopy is dominated by evergreen conifers Thuja plicata and Tsuga heterophylla. Picea sitchensis is also frequent. The shrub layer, rooted on woody debris, is dominated by evergreen Gaultheria shallon, with frequent Menziesia ferruginea, Frangula purshiana (mostly in Washington), and Vaccinium ovalifolium. The herbaceous layer is characterized by abundant Lysichiton americanus and Blechnum spicant. Sphagnum spp. usually dominate the moss layer and are always present. This association is distinguished by an open tree canopy of Thuja and Tsuga with at least 5% cover of Lysichiton americanus and Sphagnum spp., and the absence or paucity of both Ledum and Myrica.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: British Columbia wetland ecologist says it is common in hypermaritime and maritime zones there. Detailed comparison of floristic composition in British Columbia and Washington has not been undertaken.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The open, relatively stunted tree canopy is dominated by evergreen conifers Thuja plicata and Tsuga heterophylla. Picea sitchensis is also frequent. The shrub layer, rooted on woody debris, is dominated by evergreen Gaultheria shallon, with frequent Menziesia ferruginea, Frangula purshiana (mostly in Washington), and Vaccinium ovalifolium. The herbaceous layer is characterized by abundant Lysichiton americanus and Blechnum spicant. Sphagnum spp. usually dominate the moss layer and are always present. This association is distinguished by an open tree canopy of Thuja and Tsuga with at least 5% cover of Lysichiton americanus and Sphagnum spp., and the absence or paucity of both Ledum and Myrica.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Topography can be basins or gentle slopes. Soils are generally saturated and composed of sphagnum, fibrous and heath peat, and woody material.
Geographic Range: This association is reported to be common in hypermaritime coastal British Columbia, and also occurs in outer coastal Washington.
Nations: CA?,US
States/Provinces: BC?, WA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683415
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3G4
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.Ng Vancouverian Flooded & Swamp Forest Division | D193 | 1.B.3.Ng |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.3.Ng.1 Vancouverian Flooded & Swamp Forest Macrogroup | M035 | 1.B.3.Ng.1 |
| Group | 1.B.3.Ng.1.e Western Hemlock - Red Alder / Yellow Skunk-cabbage Swamp Forest Group | G853 | 1.B.3.Ng.1.e |
| Alliance | A4285 Western Hemlock - Sitka Spruce / American Skunk-cabbage Swamp Forest Alliance | A4285 | 1.B.3.Ng.1.e |
| Association | CEGL001787 Western Red-cedar - Western Hemlock / American Skunk-cabbage / Peatmoss species Treed Fen | CEGL001787 | 1.B.3.Ng.1.e |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Thuja plicata - Tsuga heterophylla / Gaultheria shallon / Lysichiton americanus / Sphagnum spp. community type (Kunze 1994) [(p. 77)]
< Thuja plicata - Tsuga heterophylla- Lysichiton americanus (MacKenzie and Moran 2004)
= Thuja plicata-Tsuga heterophylla/Lysichiton americanus/Sphagnum spp. Woodland (Crawford et al. 2009)
< Thuja plicata - Tsuga heterophylla- Lysichiton americanus (MacKenzie and Moran 2004)
= Thuja plicata-Tsuga heterophylla/Lysichiton americanus/Sphagnum spp. Woodland (Crawford et al. 2009)
- Crawford, R. C., C. B. Chappell, C. C. Thompson, and F. J. Rocchio. 2009. Vegetation classification of Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic national parks. Plant association descriptions and identification keys: Appendices A-G. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NCCN/NRTR--2009/D-586. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 586 pp.
- Kunze, L. M. 1994. Preliminary classification of native, low elevation, freshwater wetland vegetation in western Washington. Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program. 120 pp.
- MacKenzie, W. H., and J. R. Moran. 2004. Wetlands of British Columbia: A guide to identification. Land Management Handbook No. 52. Research Branch, British Columbia Ministry of Forests and Lands, Victoria, BC. 287 pp.
- 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.