Print Report
CEGL000853 Pinus ponderosa / Cornus sericea Riparian Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Ponderosa Pine / Red-osier Dogwood Riparian Woodland
Colloquial Name: Ponderosa Pine / Red-osier Dogwood Riparian Woodland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This woodland is found along the Flathead River, the Bitterroot River, the Clark''s Fork River and the Upper Yellowstone River in western Montana. This type occurs on alluvial benches or terraces at 707-1280 m elevation. A moderate cover of Pinus ponderosa characterizes the overstory, but this association is recognized by the mere successfully reproducing presence of Pinus ponderosa. Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa, Populus angustifolia and Juniperus scopulorum may also be present; the first two species presence with at least 5% cover is indicative of the type, as are Cornus sericea and Poa pratensis. The relatively undisturbed undergrowth contains a rich, dense shrub layer of Cornus sericea and Amelanchier alnifolia. Symphoricarpos occidentalis increases with moderate disturbance; with increasing and severe disturbance Poa pratensis becomes the dominant undergrowth species.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association is defined in the classic "habitat type" approach of Daubenmire with the mere presence of Pinus ponderosa indicative of the type at the series or alliance level. More troubling is according species from three different lifeforms (all Populus spp. capable of occurring in western Montana, Cornus sericea, and Poa pratensis) ecological equivalence in the sense that a key to riparian types stipulates that any one of these species need be present with certain coverage values to identify this type. This gives the type an extraordinarily broad amplitude, virtually presupposing that only two Pinus ponderosa riparian associations exist, at least in Montana (the other association being ~Pinus ponderosa / Prunus virginiana Forest (CEGL000192)$$). Hansen et al (1995) have not considered how to discriminate these two riparian associations from one another when the sites have been seriously degraded (through browsing/grazing) and Poa pratensis is dominant.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: A moderate cover of Pinus ponderosa characterizes the overstory, but this association is recognized by the mere successfully reproducing presence of Pinus ponderosa. Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa, Populus angustifolia and Juniperus scopulorum may also be present; the first two species presence with at least 5% cover is indicative of the type, as are Cornus sericea and Poa pratensis. The relatively undisturbed undergrowth contains a rich, dense shrub layer of Cornus sericea and Amelanchier alnifolia. Symphoricarpos occidentalis increases with moderate disturbance; with increasing and severe disturbance Poa pratensis becomes the dominant undergrowth species.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This type occurs on alluvial benches or terraces at 707-1280 m elevation.
Geographic Range: The range of this type is restricted to the Flathead River, the Bitterroot River, the Clark''s Fork River and the Upper Yellowstone River in western Montana.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: MT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684397
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
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.3 Temperate Flooded & Swamp Forest Formation | F026 | 1.B.3 |
| Division | 1.B.3.Nc Rocky Mountain-Great Basin Montane Flooded & Swamp Forest Division | D195 | 1.B.3.Nc |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.3.Nc.1 Engelmann Spruce - Narrowleaf Cottonwood / Red-osier Dogwood Riparian & Swamp Forest Macrogroup | M034 | 1.B.3.Nc.1 |
| Group | 1.B.3.Nc.1.a Engelmann Spruce - Blue Spruce - Narrowleaf Cottonwood Riparian & Swamp Forest Group | G506 | 1.B.3.Nc.1.a |
| Alliance | A3797 Ponderosa Pine - Rocky Mountain Juniper - White Fir Riparian Woodland Alliance | A3797 | 1.B.3.Nc.1.a |
| Association | CEGL000853 Ponderosa Pine / Red-osier Dogwood Riparian Woodland | CEGL000853 | 1.B.3.Nc.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
- 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.
- Hansen, P. L., R. D. Pfister, K. Boggs, B. J. Cook, J. Joy, and D. K. Hinckley. 1995. Classification and management of Montana''s riparian and wetland sites. Miscellaneous Publication No. 54. Montana Forest and Conservation Experiment Station, School of Forestry, University of Montana. 646 pp. plus posters.
- Hansen, P., K. Boggs, and R. Pfister. 1991. Classification and management of riparian and wetland sites in Montana. Unpublished draft version prepared for Montana Riparian Association, Montana Forest and Conservation Experiment Station, School of Forestry, University of Montana, Missoula. 478 pp.
- MTNHP [Montana Natural Heritage Program]. 2002b. List of ecological communities for Montana. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Montana State Library, Helena, MT.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.