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CEGL000202 Pinus ponderosa / Spiraea betulifolia Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Ponderosa Pine / Shinyleaf Meadowsweet Forest
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This is a montane woodland or forest type found on mesic sites on the eastern flank of the Bighorn Mountains of north-central Wyoming at moderate elevations of 1650 to 1800 m (5400-5900 feet). This association occupies easterly slopes that are somewhat steep to steep (23-28°). Soils are sandy loams, derived from granitic parent materials. The overstory is formed by Pinus ponderosa, and the understory is a mixture of low shrubs, grasses, and forbs dominated by the low shrubs Spiraea betulifolia and (often) Symphoricarpos albus. Conspicuous by their absence are Rhus trilobata, Physocarpus monogynus, and Pseudoroegneria spicata. The herbaceous layer is a mix of perennial forbs and graminoids, averaging 25-30% cover. Important grasses include Festuca idahoensis, Leucopoa kingii, and Poa palustris. Common forbs include Balsamorhiza sagittata, Clematis columbiana, Galium boreale, Lupinus argenteus, and Maianthemum racemosum. Nonvascular species are present, but not abundant. Sites supporting this association are more mesic than sites supporting ~Pinus ponderosa / Pseudoroegneria spicata Woodland (CEGL000865)$$ and ~Pinus ponderosa / Festuca idahoensis Woodland (CEGL000857)$$, and drier than ~Pinus ponderosa / Physocarpus monogynus Forest (CEGL000190)$$ sites.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association has been described from only three stands, all on the eastern side of the Bighorn Mountains of north-central Wyoming. The primary source for this type, Hoffman and Alexander (1976), contains a description of the type but no data from the two stands they sampled.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The overstory is formed by Pinus ponderosa, and the understory is a mixture of low shrubs, grasses, and forbs dominated by the low shrubs Spiraea betulifolia and (often) Symphoricarpos albus. Conspicuous by their absence are Rhus trilobata, Physocarpus monogynus, and Pseudoroegneria spicata (= Elymus spicatus). The herbaceous layer is a mix of perennial forbs and graminoids, averaging 25-30% cover. Important grasses include Festuca idahoensis, Leucopoa kingii (= Festuca kingii), and Poa palustris. Common forbs include Balsamorhiza sagittata, Clematis columbiana, Galium boreale, Lupinus argenteus, and Maianthemum racemosum (= Smilacina racemosa). Nonvascular species are present, but not abundant.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This is a montane woodland or forest type found on mesic sites on the eastern flank of the Bighorn Mountains of north-central Wyoming at moderate elevations of 1650 to 1800 m (5400-5900 feet). This association occupies easterly slopes that are somewhat steep to steep (23-28°). Soils are sandy loams, derived from granitic parent materials.
Geographic Range: This association has been described reliably only from the eastern flank of the Bighorn Mountains of north-central Wyoming. It may extend north along the Bighorns into Montana, but no information has been found to indicate that. Johnston (1987) reports it from the Black Hills National Forest, but his source of information is unclear and the habitat type publication for the Black Hills (Hoffman and Alexander 1987) does not describe this association.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: SD, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683636
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1G2
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.a Ponderosa Pine Central Rocky Mountain Open Woodland Group | G213 | 1.B.2.Nb.2.a |
| Alliance | A3446 Ponderosa Pine / Shrub Understory Central Rocky Mountain Woodland Alliance | A3446 | 1.B.2.Nb.2.a |
| Association | CEGL000202 Ponderosa Pine / Shinyleaf Meadowsweet Forest | CEGL000202 | 1.B.2.Nb.2.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Pinus ponderosa / Spiraea betulifolia Habitat Type (Hoffman and Alexander 1976)
- 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.
- Hoffman, G. R., and R. R. Alexander. 1976. Forest vegetation of the Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming: A habitat type classification. Research Paper RM-170. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 38 pp.
- Hoffman, G. R., and R. R. Alexander. 1987. Forest vegetation of the Black Hills National Forest of South Dakota and Wyoming: A habitat type classification. Research Paper RM-276. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 48 pp.
- Johnston, B. C. 1987. Plant associations of Region Two: Potential plant communities of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas. R2-ECOL-87-2. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. Lakewood, CO. 429 pp.
- Jones, G. P., and W. Fertig. 1998a. Ecological evaluation of the Mann Creek potential Research Natural Area within the Bighorn National Forest, Sheridan County, Wyoming. Prepared for the Bighorn National Forest, USDA Forest Service by the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database. 91 pp.
- Jones, G., and S. Ogle. 2000. Characterization abstracts for vegetation types on the Bighorn, Medicine Bow, and Shoshone national forests. Prepared for USDA Forest Service, Region 2 by the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming.
- Terwilliger, C., K. Hess, and C. Wasser. 1979a. Key to the preliminary habitat types of Region 2. Addendum to initial progress report for habitat type classification. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. Fort Collins, CO.
- WNDD [Wyoming Natural Diversity Database]. No date. Unpublished data on file. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.