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CEGL002139 Quercus macrocarpa - Populus tremuloides / Corylus spp. Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Bur Oak - Quaking Aspen / Hazelnut species Woodland
Colloquial Name: Bur Oak - Aspen Woodland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This bur oak - aspen woodland is found primarily in the aspen parkland tallgrass region of the United States (Minnesota) and adjacent Canada (Manitoba), with outliers in northwest Ontario. Stands occur on dry to mesic sites, particularly where there were firebreaks, such as occur on hilly moraines, glacial lake beach ridges, or steep terraces along rivers. Soils are loamy, and often deep and well-developed. Structurally, these stands are intermediate between closed-canopy forests and a more open, widely scattered savanna structure. Dominants in the tree canopy include Quercus macrocarpa and Populus tremuloides, the latter increasing in the absence of fire. Occasional associates include Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Betula papyrifera, and Ulmus americana. The shrub layer can be quite dense. Dominant species include Amelanchier spp. (especially Amelanchier alnifolia), Cornus foemina, Corylus americana, Corylus cornuta, Rosa spp., Rubus spp., Symphoricarpos occidentalis, and Viburnum spp. (including Viburnum opulus var. americanum). The herbaceous layer can contain prairie species, but these occur in small openings in the tree or shrub layer. More typically, the herb layer is composed of species able to tolerate the more dense shade cast by the woody layers, including Aralia nudicaulis, Carex pensylvanica, Maianthemum canadense, Sanicula marilandica, and Thalictrum dioicum.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Distribution in Minnesota in NW Section versus Central Section needs review. Currently, this type is conceptually restricted to the aspen parkland. In the aspen parkland this type grades imperceptibly into the aspen woodland ~Populus tremuloides / Corylus spp. / Andropogon gerardii Woodland (CEGL005205)$$. Type is typically dry-mesic on coarser textured soils. Dominance by Populus tremuloides can be up to 70% of the relative canopy cover.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Structurally, these stands are intermediate between closed-canopy forests and a more open, widely scattered savanna structure. Dominants in the tree canopy include Quercus macrocarpa and Populus tremuloides, the latter increasing in the absence of fire. Occasional associates include Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Betula papyrifera, and Ulmus americana. The shrub layer can be quite dense (40-50% cover). Dominant species include Amelanchier spp. (especially Amelanchier alnifolia), Cornus foemina, Corylus americana, Corylus cornuta, Rosa spp., Rubus spp., Symphoricarpos occidentalis, and Viburnum spp. (including Viburnum opulus var. americanum (= Viburnum trilobum)). The herbaceous layer can contain prairie species, but these occur in small openings in the tree or shrub layer. More typically, the herb layer is composed of species able to tolerate the more dense shade cast by the woody layers, including Aralia nudicaulis, Carex pensylvanica, Maianthemum canadense, Sanicula marilandica, and Thalictrum dioicum (MNNHP 1993).
Dynamics: This is a fire-maintained community. It is most common on rich sites where trees and shrubs grow well, but recurrent fires prevent the formation of a forest. Early surveys describe this type as woodland, brushland or thicket. Brushy stands would be placed in ~Populus tremuloides - Quercus macrocarpa - Salix spp. / Andropogon gerardii Shrubland (CEGL002182)$$. Without fire, this type may remain dominated by the same tree species, but become more closed, or it may resemble the aspen forest, ~Populus tremuloides - Populus balsamifera / Calamagrostis canadensis - Spartina pectinata Forest (CEGL002097)$$.
Environmental Description: Stands occur on dry to mesic sites, particularly where there were firebreaks, such as glacial lake beach ridges or terraces along rivers (MNNHP 1993).
Geographic Range: This bur oak - aspen woodland is found in the aspen parkland tallgrass region of the United States (Minnesota) and adjacent Canada (Manitoba), and outliers near Thunder Bay, in northwestern Ontario.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: MB, MN, ND, ON
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684331
Confidence Level: Moderate
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.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 | CEGL002139 Bur Oak - Quaking Aspen / Hazelnut species Woodland | CEGL002139 | 1.B.2.Ne.1.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Quercus macrocarpa - Populus tremuloides / Corylus spp. Woodland (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
= Oak Woodland-Brushland (Northwest Section) (MNNHP 1993)
= Oak Woodland-Brushland (Northwest Section) (MNNHP 1993)
- 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.).
- 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.