NVCS

CEGL000829 Pinus monophylla - Juniperus osteosperma / Sparse Understory Woodland

Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Singleleaf Pinyon - Utah Juniper / Sparse Understory Woodland

Colloquial Name: No Data Available

Hierarchy Level: Association

Type Concept: This widespread woodland association is known from the Great Basin and northern Mojave Desert. Elevations normally range from 1370-2135 m (4500-7000 feet). Stands occur on flat to moderately sloping sites on all aspects. The soils are variable, but typically shallow and lithic. Litter from trees often covers about half the ground surface. Cover of rock, pavement or bare ground may also be significant depending on the site. The vegetation is characterized by an open to moderately dense tree canopy (10-40% cover) dominated by Pinus monophylla without a significant understory. Juniperus osteosperma may be present to codominant. Shrub cover, if present, is sparse (<10% cover). Artemisia tridentata, Purshia tridentata, and Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus are most consistent. Other shrubs include Amelanchier spp., Eriogonum microthecum, Cercocarpus montanus, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Purshia tridentata, Quercus gambelii, Quercus turbinella, and species of Opuntia. Herbaceous cover is typically sparse and dominated by perennial graminoids with scattered forbs.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: This pinyon-juniper type may have several shrub species but all occur in small amounts usually totaling less than 10% cover.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available

note: No Data Available

Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available

Floristics: The vegetation is characterized by an open to moderately dense tree canopy (10-40% cover) dominated by Pinus monophylla without a significant understory. Juniperus osteosperma may be present to codominant. Shrub cover, if present, is sparse (<10% cover). Artemisia tridentata, Purshia tridentata, and Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus are most consistent. Other shrubs include Amelanchier spp., Eriogonum microthecum, Cercocarpus montanus, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Purshia tridentata, Quercus gambelii, Quercus turbinella, and species of Opuntia. Herbaceous cover is typically sparse and dominated by graminoids with scattered forbs. Associated graminoids include Achnatherum hymenoides (= Oryzopsis hymenoides), Bouteloua gracilis, Leymus cinereus (= Elymus cinereus), Elymus elymoides, Hesperostipa comata, Achnatherum thurberianum (= Stipa thurberiana), Poa fendleriana, or Poa secunda. Although forb cover is generally sparse, it may be diverse. Common forbs include Comandra umbellata ssp. pallida (= Comandra pallida), Cryptantha cinerea var. jamesii (= Cryptantha jamesii), and species of Astragalus, Eriogonum, and Phlox.

Dynamics: Pinus monophylla and Juniperus osteosperma trees are highly susceptible to fire because of highly flammable foliage, and they do not self-prune their dead branches. When burned these trees are usually killed or severely damaged and do not resprout. However, because these woodlands often have an open canopy and sparse understory and lack fine fuels needed to spread surface fire, fire frequency is relatively low, needing extreme conditions (high winds) to carry a crown fire (Wright et al. 1979, Bradley et al. 1992).

Environmental Description: This widespread woodland association is known from the Great Basin and northern Mojave Desert. Elevations normally range from 1370-2135 m (4500-7000 feet). Stands occur on flat to moderately sloping sites on all aspects. The soils are variable, but typically shallow and lithic. Litter from trees often covers about half the ground surface. Cover of rock, pavement or bare ground may also be significant depending on the site.

Geographic Range: This woodland association occurs in the Great Basin and northern Mojave Desert of Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah.

Nations: US

States/Provinces: AZ, CA, NV, UT

Plot Analysis Summary: http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684441

Confidence Level: Low

Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available

Grank: G5

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.Nc Western North American Pinyon - Juniper Woodland & Scrub Division	D010	1.B.2.Nc
Macrogroup	1.B.2.Nc.1 Singleleaf Pinyon - Utah Juniper - Western Juniper Intermountain Woodland Macrogroup	M896	1.B.2.Nc.1
Group	1.B.2.Nc.1.c Singleleaf Pinyon - Utah Juniper Woodland Group	G899	1.B.2.Nc.1.c
Alliance	A2108 Singleleaf Pinyon - Utah Juniper Shrubby Woodland Alliance	A2108	1.B.2.Nc.1.c
Association	CEGL000829 Singleleaf Pinyon - Utah Juniper / Sparse Understory Woodland	CEGL000829	1.B.2.Nc.1.c

Concept Lineage: No Data Available

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available

Synonomy: = Juniperus osteosperma / Pinus monophylla Community (Blackburn et al. 1969d)
= Pinus monophylla - Juniperus osteosperma Association (Peterson 1984a)
< Pinus monophylla / Juniperus osteosperma Community (Blackburn et al. 1968a)
= Pinus monophylla / Juniperus osteosperma Dominated Community (Blackburn et al. 1968c)
= Pinus monophylla-Juniperus osteosperma / Sparse Understory Association (Evens et al. 2014)
= Pinus monophylla Association (Peterson 1984a)
< Pinyon - Juniper Woodland Community (Armstrong 1969)
< Singleleaf pinyon-Utah juniper Series (Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf 1995)

Concept Author(s): K.A. Schulz

Author of Description: K.A. Schulz

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 01-06-17

Armstrong, J. D. 1969. Vegetation of the Virgin Mountains, Clark County, Nevada. Unpublished thesis, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. 104 pp.
Blackburn, W. H. 1967. Plant succession on selected habitat types in Nevada. Unpublished thesis, University of Nevada, Reno. 162 pp.
Blackburn, W. H., P. T. Tueller, and R. E. Eckert, Jr. 1968a. Vegetation and soils of the Mill Creek watershed. Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin R-43. University of Nevada, Reno. 69 pp.
Blackburn, W. H., P. T. Tueller, and R. E. Eckert, Jr. 1968c. Vegetation and soils of the Duckwater watershed. Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin R-40. University of Nevada, Reno. 76 pp.
Blackburn, W. H., P. T. Tueller, and R. E. Eckert, Jr. 1969d. Vegetation and soils of the Pine and Mathews Canyon watersheds. Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin R-46. Reno. 111 pp.
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.
Bradley, A. F., N. V. Noste, and W. C. Fischer. 1992a. Fire ecology of forests and woodlands in Utah. General Technical Report INT-287. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Ogden, UT. 128 pp.
Cogan, D., J. E. Taylor, and K. Schulz. 2012. Vegetation inventory project: Great Basin National Park. Natural Resource Report NPS/MOJN/NRR--2012/568. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 373 pp.
Cogan, D., M. Reid, K. Schulz, and M. Pucherelli. 2004. Zion National Park, Utah 1999-2003. Vegetation Mapping Project. Technical Memorandum 8260-03-01. Remote Sensing and GIS Group Technical Service Center, Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, CO. Appendix F: Vegetation Association Descriptions for Zion.
Evens, J. M., K. Sikes, D. Hastings, and J. Ratchford. 2014. Vegetation alliance descriptions for Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Death Valley National Park and Mojave National Preserve. Unpublished report submitted to USDI National Park Service, Mojave Desert Network Inventory and Monitoring Program. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento, CA.
Heinze, D. H., R. E. Eckert, and P. T. Tueller. 1962. The vegetation and soils of the Steptoe Watershed. Unpublished report prepared for the USDI Bureau of Land Management. 40 pp.
Kearsley, M. J. C., K. Green, M. Tukman, M. Reid, M. Hall, T. J. Ayers, and K. Christie. 2015. Grand Canyon National Park-Grand Canyon / Parashant National Monument vegetation classification and mapping project. Natural Resource Report NPS/GRCA/NRR--2015/913. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 75 pp. plus appendices.
Peterson, E. B. 2008. International Vegetation Classification alliances and associations occurring in Nevada with proposed additions. Nevada Natural Heritage Program, Carson City, NV. 348 pp.
Peterson, P. M. 1984a. Flora and physiognomy of the Cottonwood Mountains, Death Valley National Monument, California. University of Nevada Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit Report CPSU/UNLV 022/06. Las Vegas, NV.
Reid, M. S., and M. E. Hall. 2010. Vegetation classification of Grand Canyon National Park. Draft report submitted to National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
Sawyer, J. O., and T. Keeler-Wolf. 1995. A manual of California vegetation. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento. 471 pp.
Schulz, K. A., and M. E. Hall. 2011. Vegetation inventory project: Great Basin National Park. Unpublished report submitted to USDI National Park Service, Mojave Desert Inventory and Monitoring Network. NatureServe, Western Regional Office, Boulder, CO. 30 pp. plus Appendices A-H.
Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.
Wright, H. A., L. F. Neuenschwander, and C. M. Britton. 1979. The role and use of fire in sagebrush-grass and pinyon-juniper plant communities: A state of the art review. General Technical Report INT-58. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT.