Print Report
CEGL002013 Betula papyrifera - (Tilia americana, Quercus macrocarpa) Canyon Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Paper Birch - (American Basswood, Bur Oak) Canyon Forest
Colloquial Name: Paper Birch Canyon Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This paper birch canyon forest is found in a restricted area along the Niobrara River in western Nebraska, United States. It occurs along steep springbranch canyons and on adjacent river bluffs. Soils are deep, loamy, and poorly drained to well-drained. The parent material is eolian sand, alluvium, or Rosebud siltstone. Soils that occur near seeps may be highly saturated and have a dense layer of humus and leaf mold. Other than near seeps, soils are not saturated or flooded during the year. This community is transitional between a forest and a woodland. The overstory is dominated by a mixture of deciduous and coniferous trees, such as Betula papyrifera, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Juniperus virginiana, Pinus ponderosa, Quercus macrocarpa, and Tilia americana. The trees are moderately tall with a dense canopy. They tend to be more forest-like near the bases of canyons and river bluffs. On upper slopes, trees are shorter with a more open canopy and the physiognomy is more like a woodland. The shrub layer is relatively sparse except near the edges of stands and where the canopy is open. A short-shrub layer of Toxicodendron rydbergii is often abundant. The herbaceous layer is sparse to well-developed, and is usually dominated by graminoids, primarily Carex eburnea, Carex sprengelii, Elymus virginicus, Elymus villosus, Festuca subverticillata, and Piptatheropsis micrantha. Along springs and seeps, a dense layer of moss and fungi is present. The species composition is a mixture of species from the western montane, eastern deciduous, and northern boreal forests.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Concept of this type is taken from the Nebraska state type Northern Springbranch Canyon Forest (Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2003). This community needs to be compared with Betula papyrifera communities in the Black Hills, particularly ~Betula papyrifera / Corylus cornuta Forest (CEGL002079)$$.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: In this community the overstory is dominated by deciduous trees, such as Betula papyrifera, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Quercus macrocarpa, and Tilia americana. The trees are moderately tall with a dense canopy in the lower portions of springbranch canyons and river bluffs. Betula papyrifera is restricted to the lower slopes, where their roots are continuously in contact with the water table. On upper slopes, trees are shorter with a more open canopy and the physiognomy is more like a woodland. The shrub layer is relatively sparse except near the edges of stands and where the canopy is open. A short-shrub layer of Toxicodendron rydbergii is often abundant. The herbaceous layer is sparse to well-developed, and is usually dominated by graminoids, primarily Carex eburnea, Carex sprengelii, Elymus villosus, Festuca subverticillata, and Piptatheropsis micrantha (= Oryzopsis micrantha). Along springs and seeps, a dense layer of moss and fungi is present. The species composition is a mixture of species from the western montane, eastern deciduous, and northern boreal forests (Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2003).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This community occurs along steep springbranch canyons and adjacent river bluffs. Soils are deep, loamy, and poorly drained to well-drained. The parent material is eolian sand, alluvium, or Rosebud siltstone. Soils that occur near seeps may be highly saturated and have a dense layer of humus and leaf mold. Other than near seeps, the soils of this community are not saturated or flooded during the year (Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2003).
Geographic Range: This paper birch canyon forest is found in a restricted area along the Niobrara River in western Nebraska, United States. Stands occur along an approximately 50-km stretch of the Niobrara River in western Brown, western Keya Paha, and eastern Cherry counties of Nebraska.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NE, SD
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684635
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2?
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.Na Eastern North American Forest & Woodland Division | D008 | 1.B.2.Na |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Na.5 Central Midwest Mesic Forest Macrogroup | M882 | 1.B.2.Na.5 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.5.b American Beech - Sugar Maple - Oak species Forest Group | G021 | 1.B.2.Na.5.b |
| Alliance | A0220 Sugar Maple - American Basswood - Northern Red Oak Forest Alliance | A0220 | 1.B.2.Na.5.b |
| Association | CEGL002013 Paper Birch - (American Basswood, Bur Oak) Canyon Forest | CEGL002013 | 1.B.2.Na.5.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Betula papyrifera - (Tilia americana, Quercus macrocarpa) Canyon Forest (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
> Boreal Relict Community (Kantak 1995)
< Deciduous woodland (Tolstead 1942)
= Northern Boreal Relicts (Churchill et al. 1988)
= Northern Springbranch Canyon Forest (Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2003)
= Paper Birch Association (Pool 1914)
> Paper Birch Canyon Forest (Kantak 1995)
> Boreal Relict Community (Kantak 1995)
< Deciduous woodland (Tolstead 1942)
= Northern Boreal Relicts (Churchill et al. 1988)
= Northern Springbranch Canyon Forest (Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2003)
= Paper Birch Association (Pool 1914)
> Paper Birch Canyon Forest (Kantak 1995)
- Churchill, S. P., C. C. Freeman, and G. E. Kantak. 1988. The vascular flora of the Niobrara Valley Preserve and adjacent areas in Nebraska. Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences 16:1-15.
- 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.).
- Harrison, A. T. 1980. The Niobrara Valley Preserve: Its biogeographic importance and description of its biotic communities. A working report to the Nature Conservancy. Minneapolis, MN. 116 pp.
- Kantak, G. E. 1995. Terrestrial plant communities of the middle Niobrara Valley, Nebraska. The Southwestern Naturalist 40:129-138.
- Kaul, R. B., G. E. Kantak, and S. P. Churchill. 1988. The Niobrara River Valley, a postglacial migration corridor and refugium of forest plants and animals in the grasslands of central North America. The Botanical Review 54:45-65.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- Pool, R. J. 1914. A study of the vegetation of the sandhills of Nebraska. Minnesota Botanical Studies 4:189-312.
- Rolfsmeier, S. B., and G. Steinauer. 2010. Terrestrial ecological systems and natural communities of Nebraska (Version IV - March 9, 2010). Nebraska Natural Heritage Program, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Lincoln, NE. 228 pp.
- SDNHP [South Dakota Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data. South Dakota Natural Heritage Program, Pierre, SD.
- Steinauer, G. 1989. Characterization of the natural communities of Nebraska. Appendix D, pages 103-114 in: M. Clausen, M. Fritz, and G. Steinauer. The Nebraska Natural Heritage Program, two year progress report. Unpublished document. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Natural Heritage Program, Lincoln, NE.
- Steinauer, G., and S. Rolfsmeier. 2003. Terrestrial natural communities of Nebraska. (Version III - June 30, 2003). Nebraska Natural Heritage Program, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln. 163 pp.
- Tolstead, W. L. 1942. Vegetation of the northern part of Cherry County, Nebraska. Ecological Monographs 12(3):257-292.