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CEGL000873 Pinus ponderosa / Quercus macrocarpa Open Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Ponderosa Pine / Bur Oak Open Woodland
Colloquial Name: Ponderosa Pine / Bur Oak Open Woodland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This ponderosa pine / bur oak community type occurs mainly in the Black Hills of the western United States. Stands occur predominantly on rolling hills and ridgetops on calcareous substrates. The soils are sandy loams to silty loams. Pinus ponderosa is the only species found in the canopy in most stands. Quercus macrocarpa forms a discontinuous subcanopy. Common shrubs are Amelanchier alnifolia, Mahonia repens, Prunus virginiana, Symphoricarpos albus, and Spiraea betulifolia. Typical herbaceous species are Carex siccata, Apocynum androsaemifolium, Galium boreale, Maianthemum stellatum, Oryzopsis asperifolia, Lupinus argenteus, and Vicia americana.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type may be restricted to the Black Hills, but its distribution in Montana should be checked (Marriott and Faber-Langendoen 2000).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Pinus ponderosa is the only species found in the canopy in most stands of this community. Hoffman and Alexander (1987) sampled 4 stands of this type and found an average basal area of 36.2 m2/ha and an average density of 587 trees/ha. Quercus macrocarpa forms a discontinuous subcanopy with an average cover of 18%. The shrub strata had 60% cover, and the herbaceous strata had 18% cover. Common shrubs are Amelanchier alnifolia, Mahonia repens, Prunus virginiana, and Spiraea betulifolia. Typical herbaceous species are Carex siccata (= Carex foenea), Apocynum androsaemifolium, Galium boreale, Maianthemum stellatum, Oryzopsis asperifolia, Lupinus argenteus, and Vicia americana.
Dynamics: This type includes a floristically variable set of stands in which oak cover also is variable, and it may be that this community represents seral stages to several ponderosa pine communities. Both fire and timber harvest can produce increased oak cover with removal of pines (Marriott and Faber-Langendoen 2000). Fire scars indicate that these areas have burned in the past. Fire likely aided the regeneration of Quercus macrocarpa and played a major role historically in the maintenance of this type. With regular fire, coverage of Pinus ponderosa may have been less than observed today. This type, without fire, will likely succeed to a Pinus ponderosa-dominated type, with little oak.
Environmental Description: This community is found on rolling hills and ridgetops on calcareous substrates (Hoffman and Alexander 1987, Johnston 1987). Hoffman and Alexander (1987) report that it may also occur on soils derived from igneous substrates. The soils are sandy loams to clayey loams with a pH of 5.3-6.0.
Geographic Range: This ponderosa pine / bur oak community type occurs mainly in the Black Hills of the western United States, including Wyoming and South Dakota, but is also possible in southeastern Montana.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: MT, SD, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684120
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3
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.e Ponderosa Pine Northwestern Great Plains Forest & Woodland Group | G216 | 1.B.2.Nb.2.e |
| Alliance | A3466 Ponderosa Pine Northwest Great Plains Open Woodland Alliance | A3466 | 1.B.2.Nb.2.e |
| Association | CEGL000873 Ponderosa Pine / Bur Oak Open Woodland | CEGL000873 | 1.B.2.Nb.2.e |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: > Pinus ponderosa - Quercus macrocarpa / Prunus virginiana / Symphoricarpos albus / Mahonia repens (Thilenius 1972)
> Pinus ponderosa - Quercus macrocarpa / Prunus virginiana / Symphoricarpos albus / Schizachne purpurascens - Carex foenea (Thilenius 1972)
= Pinus ponderosa / Quercus macrocarpa Habitat Type (Hoffman and Alexander 1987)
= Pinus ponderosa / Quercus macrocarpa Plant Association (Johnston 1987)
= Pinus ponderosa / Quercus macrocarpa Woodland (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
> Pinus ponderosa - Quercus macrocarpa / Prunus virginiana / Symphoricarpos albus / Schizachne purpurascens - Carex foenea (Thilenius 1972)
= Pinus ponderosa / Quercus macrocarpa Habitat Type (Hoffman and Alexander 1987)
= Pinus ponderosa / Quercus macrocarpa Plant Association (Johnston 1987)
= Pinus ponderosa / Quercus macrocarpa Woodland (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
- BHCI [Black Hills Community Inventory]. 1999. Unpublished element occurrence and plot data collected during the Black Hills Community Inventory. Available upon request from the South Dakota Natural Heritage Program, Pierre, and Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Laramie.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., editor. 2001. Plant communities of the Midwest: Classification in an ecological context. Association for Biodiversity Information, Arlington, VA. 61 pp. plus appendix (705 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.
- MTNHP [Montana Natural Heritage Program]. 2002b. List of ecological communities for Montana. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Montana State Library, Helena, MT.
- MacCracken, J. G., D. W. Uresk, and R. M. Hansen. 1983b. Plant community variability on a small area in southeastern Montana. Great Basin Naturalist 43(4):660-668.
- Marriott, H. J., D. Faber-Langendoen, A. McAdams, D. Stutzman, and B. Burkhart. 1999. The Black Hills Community Inventory: Final report. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Conservation Science Center, Minneapolis, MN.
- Marriott, H. J., and D. Faber-Langendoen. 2000. The Black Hills community inventory. Volume 2: Plant community descriptions. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Conservation Science Center and Association for Biodiversity Information, Minneapolis, MN. 326 pp.
- McAdams, A. G., D. A. Stutzman, and D. Faber-Langendoen. 1998. Black Hills Community Inventory, unpublished data. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Regional Office, Minneapolis, MN.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- SDNHP [South Dakota Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data. South Dakota Natural Heritage Program, Pierre, SD.
- Salas, D. E., and M. J. Pucherelli. 1998a. USGS-NPS vegetation mapping, Devil''s Tower National Monument, Wyoming. USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Technical Memorandum No. 8260-98-08. Denver, CO.
- TNC [The Nature Conservancy]. [1997] c. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Classification of the vegetation of Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Regional Office, Minneapolis, MN, and International Headquarters, Arlington, VA. 28 pp.
- TNC [The Nature Conservancy]. [1998] f. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Classification of the vegetation of Devils Tower National Monument. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Regional Office, Minneapolis, MN, and International Headquarters, Arlington, VA. 28 pp.
- Thilenius, J. F. 1971. Vascular plants of the Black Hills of South Dakota and adjacent Wyoming. General Technical Report RM-71. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO.
- Thilenius, J. F. 1972. Classification of the deer habitat in the ponderosa pine forest of the Black Hills, South Dakota. Research Paper RM-91. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 28 pp.