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CEGL005205 Populus tremuloides / Corylus spp. / Andropogon gerardii Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Quaking Aspen / Hazelnut species / Big Bluestem Woodland
Colloquial Name: Aspen Parkland Tallgrass Woodland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This aspen woodland type is found in the aspen parkland region of the upper midwestern United States and adjacent Canada. Stands occur on level to rolling terrain. Soils are typically wet-mesic, but may range to dry-mesic. The canopy is open, and may either be somewhat dense with even-aged immature trees, have an irregular canopy of young and old trees, or have tall, even canopies of mature trees. The dominant canopy species is Populus tremuloides. In places Populus grandidentata and Populus balsamifera may dominate. Quercus macrocarpa, if present, is less than 20% cover. Ulmus americana is often present as small individuals, and Fraxinus pennsylvanica is sometimes present as an invader. The shrub/sapling layer is usually well-developed. Species present on drier sites include Amelanchier alnifolia, Corylus americana, Cornus foemina, Prunus virginiana, Rosa spp., and Rubus spp. On wetter sites, species include Betula pumila, Cornus sericea, Salix bebbiana, and Spiraea alba.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type has been suggested as occurring at Pembina Gorge and perhaps at Sheyenne Delta in North Dakota, but those stands may best be tracked either as ~Quercus macrocarpa - Populus tremuloides / Aralia nudicaulis Forest (CEGL002065)$$ or as ~Populus tremuloides / Corylus americana Forest (CEGL002063)$$, both of which are more typical of the tallgrass prairie region. The similar oak woodland type in this region is ~Quercus macrocarpa - Populus tremuloides / Corylus spp. Woodland (CEGL002139)$$. This type is very similar to CEGL002063, but contains a much more shrubby understory. This type may contain very open aspen woodlands that are savanna-like in character [see UPn24b in Minnesota DNR (2005b)], but these have been poorly documented.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The canopy is open and may either be somewhat dense with even-aged immature trees, have an irregular canopy of young and old trees, or have tall, even canopies of mature trees. The dominant canopy species is Populus tremuloides. In places Populus grandidentata and Populus balsamifera may dominate. Quercus macrocarpa, if present, is less than 20% cover. Ulmus americana is often present as small individuals, and Fraxinus pennsylvanica is sometimes present as an invader (Robert Dana pers. comm. 1997). The shrub/sapling layer is usually well-developed. Species present on drier sites include Amelanchier alnifolia, Corylus americana, Cornus foemina, Prunus virginiana, Rosa spp., and Rubus spp. On wetter sites, species include Betula pumila, Cornus sericea, Salix bebbiana, and Spiraea alba (MNNHP 1993).
Dynamics: This community is an early-successional type intermediate between upland prairie or brush prairie and aspen or oak forests. Prior to European settlement, the distribution of this type was determined by prairie fires, with the type occurring in areas where fires were less frequent and intense than in open prairie areas. Currently aspen woodlands may be more common than prior to settlement because of fire suppression and draining of wet prairies. Aspen woodlands that originate after logging in other parts of Minnesota may resemble this type (MNNHP 1993). This type may also, in the absence of fire, invade stands of ~Quercus macrocarpa - Populus tremuloides / Corylus spp. Woodland (CEGL002139)$$.
Environmental Description: Stands occur on level to rolling terrain. Soils are typically wet-mesic, but may range to dry-mesic (MNNHP 1993).
Geographic Range: This aspen woodland type is found in the aspen parkland region of the upper midwestern United States and adjacent Canada, from Minnesota to Manitoba.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: MB, MN, ND
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684240
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4G5
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.Ne North American Great Plains Forest & Woodland Division | D326 | 1.B.2.Ne |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Ne.1 Bur Oak - Quaking Aspen / Western Wheatgrass Forest Woodland Macrogroup | M151 | 1.B.2.Ne.1 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Ne.1.c Quaking Aspen - Bur Oak / Big Bluestem Woodland Group | G146 | 1.B.2.Ne.1.c |
| Alliance | A3250 Quaking Aspen - Bur Oak / Hazelnut species Woodland Alliance | A3250 | 1.B.2.Ne.1.c |
| Association | CEGL005205 Quaking Aspen / Hazelnut species / Big Bluestem Woodland | CEGL005205 | 1.B.2.Ne.1.c |
Concept Lineage: Savanna structure is not really typical of aspen stands in the parkland according to Jason Greenall of the MB CDC, so savannna type is lumped with this woodland type.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Populus tremuloides / Corylus spp. / Andropogon gerardii Woodland (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
- 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.).
- Greenall, J. A. 1996. Manitoba''s terrestrial plant communities. MS Report 96-02. Manitoba Conservation Data Centre, Winnipeg.
- MNNHP [Minnesota Natural Heritage Program]. 1993. Minnesota''s native vegetation: A key to natural communities. Version 1.5. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program, St. Paul, MN. 110 pp.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- Minnesota DNR [Minnesota Department of Natural Resources]. 2003-2005a. Field guide to the native plant communities of Minnesota. Three volumes: The Laurentian Mixed Forest Province (2003), The Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province (2005c), The Prairie Parkland and Tallgrass Aspen Parklands provinces (2005b). Ecological Land Classification Program, Minnesota County Biological Survey, and Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul.
- Minnesota DNR [Minnesota Department of Natural Resources]. 2005b. Field guide to the native plant communities of Minnesota: The Prairie Parkland and Tallgrass Aspen Parklands provinces. Ecological Land Classification Program, Minnesota County Biological Survey, and Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul.
- NDNHI [North Dakota Natural Heritage Inventory]. 2018. Unpublished data. Vegetation classification of North Dakota. North Dakota Natural Heritage Inventory, North Dakota Parks & Recreation Department, Bismarck.