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CEGL000142 Pinus contorta var. contorta / Carex obnupta Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Beach Pine / Slough Sedge Forest
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This early- to mid-seral association occurs sporadically along the coast between northern California and southwestern Washington, where it occurs in depressions on deflation plains and on ancient marine terraces. A high water table in winter, or impeded drainage from iron-cemented hardpan, precludes invasion by upland species of shrubs and trees. The depressions fill with 1-3 feet of standing water in winter and early spring, but dry up by early summer. Sand in dried-up depressions may be stained with iron. Peat does not develop at these sites because summer drying oxidizes any organic material. Pinus contorta trees 40-130 years old dominate these stands, although most stands are 30-75 years old. Old-growth stands are rare. Canopy cover is between 70-85%, and Pinus contorta is the only reproducing conifer present. The sparse shrub layer, ranging from 1-25% cover, contains Morella californica, Gaultheria shallon, and Vaccinium ovatum, growing on mounds in and around the depressions. Carex obnupta dominates the ground layer, with density varying inversely with depth and duration of winter flooding. Moss cover ranges from 2-95% cover, with drought-tolerant Warnstorfia exannulata, Fontinalis antipyretica var. oregonensis, Sphagnum mendocinum, and Polytrichum commune being most conspicuous. Live basal area is very low. The seasonally high water table inhibits invasion of upland species, and this association persists long after surrounding vegetation has developed into upland forest. Long-term infilling by organic material causes transition to upland vegetation.
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: Pinus contorta trees 40-130 years old dominate these stands, although most stands are 30-75 years old. Old-growth stands are rare. Canopy cover is between 70-85%, and Pinus contorta is the only reproducing conifer present. The sparse shrub layer, ranging from 1-25% cover, contains Morella californica (= Myrica californica), Gaultheria shallon, and Vaccinium ovatum, growing on mounds in and around the depressions. Carex obnupta dominates the ground layer, with density varying inversely with depth and duration of winter flooding. Moss cover ranges from 2-95% cover, with drought-tolerant Warnstorfia exannulata, Fontinalis antipyretica var. oregonensis (= Fontinalis howellii), Sphagnum mendocinum, and Polytrichum commune being most conspicuous. Live basal area is very low.
Dynamics: The seasonally high water table inhibits invasion of upland species, and this association persists long after surrounding vegetation has developed into upland forest. Long-term infilling by organic material causes transition to upland vegetation.
Environmental Description: This early- to mid-seral association occurs sporadically along the coast between northern California and southwestern Washington, where it occurs in depressions on deflation plains and on ancient marine terraces. A high water table in winter, or impeded drainage from iron-cemented hardpan, precludes invasion by upland species of shrubs and trees. The depressions fill with 1-3 feet of standing water in winter and early spring, but dry up by early summer. Sand in dried-up depressions may be stained with iron. Peat does not develop at these sites because summer drying oxidizes any organic material.
Geographic Range: This association occurs sporadically along the coast between northern California and southwestern Washington. Most occurrences are restricted to the central coast of Oregon, between Coos Bay and Heceta Head.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CA?, OR, WA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683648
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2
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 | A3755 Lodgepole Pine Swamp Forest Alliance | A3755 | 1.B.3.Ng.1.e |
| Association | CEGL000142 Beach Pine / Slough Sedge Forest | CEGL000142 | 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: = Pinus contorta / Carex obnupta (Wiedemann 1984)
= Pinus contorta var. contorta / Carex obnupta (McCain and Christy 2005) [93 plots]
= Pinus contorta var. contorta / Carex obnupta Association (Christy 2004)
= Pinus contorta var. contorta/Carex obnupta (Meidinger et al. 2005) [PNWCOAST_093]
= Shore Pine / Slough Sedge Seasonally Flooded Forest (Pinus contorta var. contorta / Carex obnupta) (Christy et al. 1998) [(p.60)]
= Pinus contorta var. contorta / Carex obnupta (McCain and Christy 2005) [93 plots]
= Pinus contorta var. contorta / Carex obnupta Association (Christy 2004)
= Pinus contorta var. contorta/Carex obnupta (Meidinger et al. 2005) [PNWCOAST_093]
= Shore Pine / Slough Sedge Seasonally Flooded Forest (Pinus contorta var. contorta / Carex obnupta) (Christy et al. 1998) [(p.60)]
- 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.
- Christy, J. A. 1979. Report on a preliminary survey of Sphagnum-containing wetlands on the Oregon Coast. Oregon Natural Area Preserves Advisory Committee. Oregon State Land Board, Salem. 92 pp.
- Christy, J. A. 2001a. Low-elevation Sphagnum wetlands in western Oregon. Report to Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10. Oregon Natural Heritage Program, Portland. 90 pp.
- Christy, J. A. 2004. Native freshwater wetland plant associations of northwestern Oregon. Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center, Oregon State University, Portland, OR.
- Christy, J. A., J. S. Kagan, and A. M. Wiedemann. 1998. Plant associations of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area - Siuslaw National Forest, Oregon. Technical Paper R6-NR-ECOL-TP-09-98. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland, OR. 196 pp.
- Egler, F. E. 1934. Communities and successional trends in the vegetation of the Coos Bay sand dunes, Oregon. M.S. thesis, University of Minnesota, St. Paul. 39 pp.
- 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.
- McCain, C., and J. A. Christy. 2005. Field guide to riparian plant communities in northwestern Oregon. Technical Paper R6-NR-ECOL-TP-01-05. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland. 357 pp.
- Meidinger, D., C. Chappell, C. Cadrin, G. Kittel, C. McCain, K. Boggs, J. Kagan, G. Cushon, A. Banner, and T. DeMeo. 2005. International Vegetation Classification of the Pacific Northwest: International correlation of temperate coastal forest plant associations of Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska. Contributors: B.C. Ministry of Forests, USDA Forest Service, B.C. Conservation Data Centre, Alaska Natural Heritage Program, Washington Natural Heritage Program, and Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center.
- Sawyer, J. O., and T. Keeler-Wolf. 1995. A manual of California vegetation. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento. 471 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.
- Wiedemann, A. M. 1966. Contributions to the plant ecology of the Oregon coastal sand dunes. Ph.D. dissertation, Oregon State University, Corvallis. 255 pp.
- Wiedemann, A. M. 1984. The ecology of Pacific Northwest coastal sand dunes: A community profile. USDI Fish and Wildlife Service Report FWS/OBS-84/04. 130 pp.
- Wiedemann, A. M. 1993. Dry coastal ecosystems of northwestern North America. Pages 341-358 in: E. van der Maarel, editor. Ecosystems of the World 2B: Dry Coastal Ecosystems - Africa, America, Asia and Oceania. Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.