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CEGL000951 Larix lyallii / Vaccinium scoparium / Luzula glabrata Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Subalpine Larch / Grouse Whortleberry / Smooth Woodrush Woodland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This is a deciduous conifer woodland located above the limits of other conifers. It is found in the high elevations of the northeastern Cascades in Washington and possibly in pockets in the northern Rocky Mountains of Idaho, Montana, and adjacent Canada. Sites lie between 1980 and 2290 m (6500-7500 feet) in the Cascades and may extend to 2410 m (7900 feet) in the Northern Rockies. Sites are on mid to lower slopes in environments with high winds and moderate to deep snow accumulation. Canopies never close and tree growth is mostly erect, only rarely forming krummholz. The existing woodlands are dominated by Larix lyallii that are occasionally associated with other trees, most frequently Picea engelmannii, Pinus albicaulis, Abies lasiocarpa, or Tsuga mertensiana. The undergrowth is a mixture of a dwarf-shrub layer primarily of Vaccinium scoparium and Phyllodoce spp. and a graminoid layer primarily composed of Luzula glabrata var. hitchcockii.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Canopies never close and tree growth is mostly erect, only rarely forming krummholz. The existing woodlands are dominated by Larix lyallii that are occasionally associated with other trees, most frequently Picea engelmannii, Pinus albicaulis, Abies lasiocarpa, or Tsuga mertensiana. The undergrowth is a mixture of a dwarf-shrub layer primarily of Vaccinium scoparium and Phyllodoce spp. and a graminoid layer primarily composed of Luzula glabrata var. hitchcockii.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Sites lie between 1980 and 2290 m (6500-7500 feet) in the Cascades and may extend to 2410 m (7900 feet) in the Northern Rockies. Sites are on mid to lower slopes in environments with high winds and moderate to deep snow accumulation.
Geographic Range: This association is found at the high elevations of the northeastern Cascades in Washington and possibly in pockets in the northern Rocky Mountains of Idaho, Montana, and adjacent Canada.
Nations: CA?,US
States/Provinces: AB?, ID?, MT, WA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684797
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2G3
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.Nb Rocky Mountain Forest & Woodland Division | D194 | 1.B.2.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Nb.5 Subalpine Fir - Engelmann Spruce - Whitebark Pine Rocky Mountain Forest Macrogroup | M020 | 1.B.2.Nb.5 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Nb.5.g Whitebark Pine - Subalpine Fir - Subalpine Larch Northern Rocky Mountain Woodland Group | G223 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.g |
| Alliance | A0631 Subalpine Larch Woodland Alliance | A0631 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.g |
| Association | CEGL000951 Subalpine Larch / Grouse Whortleberry / Smooth Woodrush Woodland | CEGL000951 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.g |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Larix lyallii / Vaccinium scoparium / Luzula hitchcockii (Lillybridge et al. 1995) [LALY/VASC/LUHI ASSOCIATION CAC115]
= Larix lyallii/Vaccinium scoparium/Luzula glabrata var. hitchcockii Woodland (Crawford et al. 2009)
= Larix lyallii/Vaccinium scoparium/Luzula glabrata var. hitchcockii Woodland (Crawford et al. 2009)
- ANHIC [Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre]. 2018. Community database files. Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre, Parks and Protected Areas Division, Alberta Community Development, Edmonton.
- Arno, S. F. 1970. Ecology of alpine larch (Larix lyallii Parlatore) in the Pacific Northwest. Unpublished dissertation, University of Montana, Missoula. 264 pp.
- Arno, S. F., and J. R. Habeck. 1972. Ecology of alpine larch (Larix lyallii Parlatore) in the Pacific Northwest. Ecological Monographs 42:417-450.
- 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.
- Crawford, R. C., C. B. Chappell, C. C. Thompson, and F. J. Rocchio. 2009. Vegetation classification of Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic national parks. Plant association descriptions and identification keys: Appendices A-G. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NCCN/NRTR--2009/D-586. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 586 pp.
- Lillybridge, T. R., B. L. Kovalchik, C. K. Williams, and B. G. Smith. 1995. Field guide for forested plant associations of the Wenatchee National Forest. General Technical Report PNW-GTR-359. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland, OR. 335 pp.
- MTNHP [Montana Natural Heritage Program]. 2002b. List of ecological communities for Montana. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Montana State Library, Helena, MT.
- WNHP [Washington Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data files. Washington Natural Heritage Program, Department of Natural Resources, Olympia, WA.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.
- Williams, C. K., and B. G. Smith. 1990. Forested plant associations of the Wenatchee National Forest. Unpublished draft prepared by the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland, OR. 217 pp.