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CEGL003441 Pinus monticola / Deschampsia cespitosa Riparian Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Western White Pine / Tufted Hairgrass Riparian Forest
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This is an extremely rare floodplain forest from central Oregon. It is known from only one site in the upper parts of the John Day River watershed. The elevation is about 1525 m (5000 feet), in the grand fir zone. It is a floodplain community, found in a broad and shallow, slightly sinuous river valley, in a narrow, V-shaped valley with moderate gradient (over 2%). Fire and flooding disturbance help maintain Pinus monticola as the primary canopy dominant. Pinus monticola is the sole canopy dominant. Abies grandis and Pinus monticola are both present as understory trees. Mahonia repens was the only shrub found, at very low cover. Grasses dominate the understory, with Deschampsia cespitosa (13% cover) and Elymus glaucus (10% cover) being codominant, and Carex geyeri also present. Forbs included Achillea millefolium, Adiantum pedatum, and Orthilia secunda.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association is known from only one site in good condition. Pinus monticola is found infrequently in riparian stands, although given the importance of Pinus ponderosa in riparian at lower elevations, perhaps it should be more common. Until additional, high-quality stands are located, the classification confidence will be low. Poor-quality examples have been seen elsewhere in central Oregon, and may be present in northwestern California, northern Nevada and western Idaho.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Pinus monticola is the sole canopy dominant. Abies grandis and Pinus monticola are both present as understory trees. Mahonia repens was the only shrub found, at very low cover. Grasses dominate the understory, with Deschampsia cespitosa (13% cover) and Elymus glaucus (10% cover) being codominant, and Carex geyeri also present. Forbs included Achillea millefolium, Adiantum pedatum, and Orthilia secunda (= Pyrola secunda).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: The elevation is about 1525 m (5000 feet), in the grand fir zone. It is a floodplain community, found in a broad and shallow, slightly sinuous river valley, in a narrow, V-shaped valley with moderate gradient (over 2%). Fire and flooding disturbance help maintain Pinus monticola as the primary canopy dominant.
Geographic Range: As currently known, this is a very local association found in central Oregon. The distribution of the species is broader, although due to impacts to riparian areas, broad changes to natural fire patterns, and the spread of the blister rust, it may not be found in many other places.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: OR
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684809
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1
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 | A3762 Grand Fir Rocky Mountain Riparian Forest Alliance | A3762 | 1.B.3.Nc.1.a |
| Association | CEGL003441 Western White Pine / Tufted Hairgrass Riparian Forest | CEGL003441 | 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: = Pinus monticola / Deschampsia caespitosa Association (Crowe et al. 2004)
= Pinus monticola / Deschampsia cespitosa (Crowe and Clausnitzer 1997)
= Pinus monticola / Deschampsia cespitosa (Crowe and Clausnitzer 1997)
- Crowe, E. A., B. L. Kovalchik, and M. J. Kerr. 2004. Riparian and wetland vegetation of central and eastern Oregon. Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center, Institute for Natural Resources, Oregon State University, Portland. 473 pp. [http://oregonstate.edu/ornhic/ publications.html]
- Crowe, E. A., and R. R. Clausnitzer. 1997. Mid-montane wetland plant associations of the Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman national forests. Technical Paper R6-NR-ECOL-TP-22-97. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland, OR.
- Kagan, J. S., J. A. Christy, M. P. Murray, and J. A. Titus. 2004. Classification of native vegetation of Oregon. January 2004. Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center, Portland. 52 pp.
- Titus, J. H., J. A. Christy, D. Vander Schaaf, J. S. Kagan, and E. R. Alverson. 1996. Native wetland, riparian, and upland plant communities and their biota in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. Report to the Environmental Protection Agency, Region X, Seattle, WA. Willamette Basin Geographic Initiative. Oregon Natural Heritage Program, The Nature Conservancy, Portland, OR.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.