Print Report
CEGL000898 Pseudotsuga menziesii / Cercocarpus montanus Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Douglas-fir / Alderleaf Mountain-mahogany Woodland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This Colorado Plateau woodland association occupies dry, sometimes rocky sites on the slopes of ravines, canyons and mountains in central and southern Utah and northwestern Colorado, where it occurs in isolated stands at the lower end of the Pseudotsuga menziesii zone. Sites are gentle to steep (7-60% slopes), occur between 1738 and 2575 m (5700-8450 feet) elevation, and are oriented to all aspects, although warm west and south aspects are rare. Rocks, gravel and litter cover most of the unvegetated surface. Parent materials include sandstones and shale, weathering into rapidly drained sandy loams, silt loams or clay loams. Total vegetation cover ranges from 25 to 90%. The 10- to 20-m tall canopy is open and dominated by Pseudotsuga menziesii with 10-35% cover. Other trees are generally present in the canopy and subcanopy, including Juniperus scopulorum, Pinus edulis, Juniperus osteosperma, and occasionally Abies concolor. There is an open shrub layer dominated by Cercocarpus montanus with between 5 and 15% cover. Associated shrubs include Amelanchier utahensis, Cercocarpus intricatus, Ephedra viridis, Fraxinus anomala, Fendlera rupicola, Rhus trilobata, Shepherdia rotundifolia, and Symphoricarpos oreophilus. If Quercus gambelii is present, it has less than 5% cover. The herbaceous layer is moderately diverse, provides sparse cover, and includes the graminoids Carex rossii, Achnatherum hymenoides, Hesperostipa comata, Poa fendleriana, and Poa secunda.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Because the shrub layer is somewhat mixed, it may sometimes be difficult in the field to distinguish this association from the broadly defined but somewhat more mesic ~Pseudotsuga menziesii / Symphoricarpos oreophilus Forest (CEGL000462)$$.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This woodland association occurs in isolated stands at the lower end of the Pseudotsuga menziesii zone in Utah (Youngblood and Mauk 1985) and northwestern Colorado. Total vegetation cover ranges from 25 to 90%. The 10- to 20-m tall canopy is open and dominated by Pseudotsuga menziesii with 10-35% cover. Other trees are generally present in the canopy and subcanopy, including Juniperus scopulorum, Pinus edulis, Juniperus osteosperma, and occasionally Abies concolor. There is an open shrub layer dominated by Cercocarpus montanus with between 5 and 15% cover. Associated shrubs include Amelanchier utahensis, Cercocarpus intricatus, Ephedra viridis, Fraxinus anomala, Fendlera rupicola, Rhus trilobata, Shepherdia rotundifolia, Symphoricarpos oreophilus, Yucca harrimaniae, and Yucca angustissima. If Quercus gambelii is present, it has less than 5% cover. The herbaceous layer is moderately diverse, provides sparse cover, and includes the graminoids Carex rossii, Achnatherum hymenoides, Achnatherum nelsonii, Hesperostipa comata, Poa fendleriana, and Poa secunda. Common forbs include Eriogonum umbellatum, Lepidium montanum, and Packera multilobata (= Senecio multilobatus).
Dynamics: This association occupies a narrow environmental zone where temperatures are low enough and soil moisture high enough to support Pseudotsuga menziesii and yet is dry enough to prevent Cercocarpus montanus from being overwhelmed by shrubs that dominate in more mesic conditions.
Environmental Description: This Colorado Plateau woodland association occurs on dry, sometimes rocky sites on the slopes of ravines, canyons and mountains in central and southern Utah and northwestern Colorado. Sites are gentle to steep (7-60% slopes), occur between 1738 and 2575 m (5700-8450 feet) elevation, and are oriented to a variety of aspects, although warm west and south aspects are rare. Rocks, gravel and litter cover most of the unvegetated surface. Parent materials include sandstones and shale, weathering into coarse-textured, rapidly drained sandy loams, silt loams or clay loams.
Geographic Range: This association has been documented from central and southern Utah and northwestern Colorado. It is likely to occur in cool canyons throughout the Colorado Plateau and also in the foothills of southwestern Colorado.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AZ?, CO, NM?, UT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683716
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4?
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.1 White Fir - Douglas-fir - Blue Spruce Forest Macrogroup | M022 | 1.B.2.Nb.1 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Nb.1.c White Fir - Douglas-fir Southern Rocky Mountain Dry Forest Group | G226 | 1.B.2.Nb.1.c |
| Alliance | A3454 Douglas-fir Southern Rocky Mountain Forest & Woodland Alliance | A3454 | 1.B.2.Nb.1.c |
| Association | CEGL000898 Douglas-fir / Alderleaf Mountain-mahogany Woodland | CEGL000898 | 1.B.2.Nb.1.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Pseudotsuga menziesii / Cercocarpus montanus Habitat Type (Youngblood and Mauk 1985)
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- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.
- Youngblood, A. P., and R. L. Mauk. 1985. Coniferous forest habitat types of central and southern Utah. General Technical Report INT-187. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Ogden, UT. 89 pp.