Print Report
CEGL000183 Pinus ponderosa / Carex rossii Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Ponderosa Pine / Ross'' Sedge Forest
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This Pinus ponderosa / sedge forest occurs in Colorado and Wyoming from 1890 to 2940 m (6195-9650 feet) in elevation. It occupies gentle to moderate slopes (0-40%) with variable aspects on moderately deep, well-drained, sandy loam soils. Tree canopy cover is moderately dense to dense and strongly dominated by Pinus ponderosa. Occasional canopy associates include Pseudotsuga menziesii or Juniperus scopulorum. The shrub layer is usually sparse, although Cercocarpus montanus, Juniperus communis, and Purshia tridentata are often present. Ribes cereum occurs occasionally. The herbaceous layer is likewise sparse with Carex rossii dominant (7-16% cover). Additional herbs that occur with low cover include Koeleria macrantha, Muhlenbergia montana, Leucopoa kingii, Mertensia lanceolata, Harbouria trachypleura, Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis, Geranium caespitosum, and Artemisia ludoviciana. Unvegetated surface is common in these stands and is composed of dense needle duff.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association may possibly occur in New Mexico.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Tree canopy cover is moderately dense to dense and strongly dominated by Pinus ponderosa. Occasional canopy associates include Pseudotsuga menziesii or Juniperus scopulorum. The shrub layer is often sparse, although Cercocarpus montanus, Juniperus communis, and Purshia tridentata are often present. Ribes cereum occurs occasionally. The herbaceous layer is likewise sparse with Carex rossii dominant (7-16% cover). Additional herbs that occur with low cover include Koeleria macrantha, Muhlenbergia montana, Leucopoa kingii, Mertensia lanceolata, Harbouria trachypleura, Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis (= Achillea lanulosa), Geranium caespitosum, and Artemisia ludoviciana. Unvegetated surface is common in these stands and is composed of dense needle duff.
Dynamics: Carex rossii is an early-seral, but long-lived sedge that persists at many sites. It is tenaciously rhizomatous and increases with grazing and moderate soil disturbance (Cope 1992). This association occupies drier slopes than ~Pinus ponderosa / Leucopoa kingii Woodland (CEGL000186)$$ (Hess 1981) and areas with slightly colder temperature relative to ~Pinus ponderosa / Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Woodland (CEGL000844)$$ (Alexander et al. 1986).
Environmental Description: This Pinus ponderosa / sedge forest occurs in the southern Rocky Mountains from 1890 to 2940 m (1890-9650 feet) in elevation. It occupies gentle to moderate slopes (0-40%) with variable aspects on moderately deep, well-drained, sandy loam soils. Parent material tends to be granitic.
Geographic Range: This Pinus ponderosa forest association occurs in the southern Rocky Mountains of Colorado and the Black Hills of Wyoming and South Dakota.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO, SD, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685078
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4G5
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.1 White Fir - Douglas-fir - Blue Spruce Forest Macrogroup | M022 | 1.B.2.Nb.1 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Nb.1.b Ponderosa Pine Southern Rocky Mountain Forest & Woodland Group | G228 | 1.B.2.Nb.1.b |
| Alliance | A3398 Ponderosa Pine Southern Rocky Mountain Forest & Woodland Alliance | A3398 | 1.B.2.Nb.1.b |
| Association | CEGL000183 Ponderosa Pine / Ross'' Sedge Forest | CEGL000183 | 1.B.2.Nb.1.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Pinus ponderosa - (Pseudotsuga menziesii) / Carex rossii Plant Association (Baker 1984a)
= Pinus ponderosa / Carex rossii Habitat Type (Alexander et al. 1986)
= Pinus ponderosa / Carex rossii Habitat Type (Hess and Alexander 1986)
= Pinus ponderosa / Carex rossii Habitat Type (Hess 1981)
>< Mesic Foothill Woodland (Peet 1981)
>< Mesic Montane Woodland (Peet 1981)
= Pinus ponderosa / Carex rossii Habitat Type (Alexander et al. 1986)
= Pinus ponderosa / Carex rossii Habitat Type (Hess and Alexander 1986)
= Pinus ponderosa / Carex rossii Habitat Type (Hess 1981)
>< Mesic Foothill Woodland (Peet 1981)
>< Mesic Montane Woodland (Peet 1981)
- Alexander, R. M. 1986. Classification of the forest vegetation of Wyoming. Research Note RM-466. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 10 pp.
- Alexander, R. R., G. R. Hoffman, and J. M. Wirsing. 1986. Forest vegetation of the Medicine Bow National Forest in southeastern Wyoming: A habitat type classification. Research Paper No. RM-271. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO.
- Baker, W. L. 1984a. A preliminary classification of the natural vegetation of Colorado. Great Basin Naturalist 44(4):647-676.
- 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.
- CNHP [Colorado Natural Heritage Program]. 2006-2017. Tracked natural plant communities. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. [https://cnhp.colostate.edu/ourdata/trackinglist/plant_communities/]
- Cope, A. B. 1992a. Carex rossii. In: Fire Effects Information System [Online]. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). [http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/] (accessed 23 February 2005).
- Hess, K. 1981. Phyto-edaphic study of habitat types of the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado. Unpublished dissertation, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. 558 pp.
- Hess, K., and R. R. Alexander. 1986. Forest vegetation of the Arapaho and Roosevelt national forests in northcentral Colorado: A habitat type classification. Research Paper RM-266. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 48 pp.
- Houtcooper, W. 1985. Rare plants and animals of South Dakota. Prairie Naturalist 17(3):143-165.
- Johnston, B. C. 1987. Plant associations of Region Two: Potential plant communities of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas. R2-ECOL-87-2. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. Lakewood, CO. 429 pp.
- Jones, G. 1992b. Wyoming plant community classification (Draft). Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Laramie, WY. 183 pp.
- Jones, G., and S. Ogle. 2000. Characterization abstracts for vegetation types on the Bighorn, Medicine Bow, and Shoshone national forests. Prepared for USDA Forest Service, Region 2 by the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming.
- Peet, R. K. 1975. Forest vegetation of the east slope of the northern Colorado Front Range. Unpublished dissertation, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
- Peet, R. K. 1981. Forest vegetation of the Colorado Front Range. Vegetatio 45:3-75.
- Salas, D., J. Stevens, and K. Schulz. 2005. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Technical Memorandum No. 8260-05-02. USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, CO. 161 pp. plus Appendices A-L (733 pp.).
- WNDD [Wyoming Natural Diversity Database]. No date. Unpublished data on file. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.
- Wasser, C. H., and K. Hess. 1982. The habitat types of Region II. USDA Forest Service: A synthesis. Final report prepared for USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 140 pp.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.