Print Report
CEGL000438 Pseudotsuga menziesii / Jamesia americana Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Douglas-fir / Five-petal Cliffbush Forest
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This southern Rocky Mountain forest association occurs at elevations ranging from 2200-3000 m (7200-9500 feet) in Colorado. Stands occupy moderate to very steep slopes (26-100%) with cool northwestern and northern aspects and occasional high-elevation southerly slopes or shady draws. Site are relatively mesic and often have large rock and boulder outcrops. Soils are rocky, shallow to moderately deep sandy loam derived from a variety of parent materials. There is usually significant cover of rock and litter/duff (to 50% cover each). The vegetation is characterized by a moderately dense conifer tree canopy dominated by Pseudotsuga menziesii or a mixed montane conifer tree canopy. Pseudotsuga menziesii is the dominant tree species in the overstory and often in the understory as well. Pinus ponderosa, Pinus flexilis, Pinus contorta, or Juniperus scopulorum may be present to codominant, and scattered Abies lasiocarpa and Populus tremuloides may be present on moister or higher elevation sites. The typically moderately dense to dense shrub layer is dominated by Jamesia americana. Other shrubs may include Acer glabrum, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Juniperus communis, Mahonia repens, Physocarpus monogynus, Ribes cereum, Shepherdia canadensis, and Rosa spp. The herbaceous cover is generally sparse and composed of a mixture of dry and mesic montane grass and forb species.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association is closely related to ~Pseudotsuga menziesii / Physocarpus monogynus Forest (CEGL000449)$$ and is found in similar, but more mesic locations.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This association is characterized by a moderately dense conifer tree canopy dominated by Pseudotsuga menziesii or a mixed montane conifer tree canopy. Pseudotsuga menziesii is the dominant tree species in the overstory and often in the understory as well. Pinus ponderosa, Pinus flexilis, Pinus contorta, or Juniperus scopulorum may be present to codominant, and scattered Abies lasiocarpa and Populus tremuloides may be present on moister or higher elevation sites. The typically moderately dense to dense shrub layer is dominated by Jamesia americana. Other shrubs may include Acer glabrum, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Juniperus communis, Mahonia repens, Physocarpus monogynus, Ribes cereum, Shepherdia canadensis, and Rosa spp. The herbaceous cover is generally sparse but may be moderate depending on overstory cover. It is composed of a mixture of species, such as the forbs Achillea millefolium, Campanula rotundifolia, Saxifraga bronchialis ssp. austromontana (= Ciliaria austromontana), Clematis ligusticifolia, Delphinium nuttallianum (= Delphinium nelsonii), Galium boreale, Fragaria virginiana, Heuchera bracteata, Maianthemum stellatum, Potentilla fissa, Saxifraga bronchialis, and Solidago multiradiata, along with montane graminoids Carex geyeri, Carex rossii (= Carex brevipes), Leucopoa kingii (= Festuca kingii), Elymus spp., Koeleria macrantha, Muhlenbergia montana, and Poa spp. (Hess 1981, Hess and Alexander 1986, Komarkova et al. 1988b).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This southern Rocky Mountain forest association occurs at elevations ranging from 2200-3000 m (7200-9500 feet) in Colorado. Stands occupy moderate to very steep slopes (26-100%) with cool northwestern and northern aspects and occasional high-elevation southerly slopes or shady draws. Sites are relatively mesic and often have large rock and boulder outcrops. Soils are rocky, shallow to moderately deep sandy loam derived from a variety of parent materials including granite, gneiss, and schist colluvium (Hess 1981, Hess and Alexander 1986, Komarkova et al. 1988b). There is usually significant cover of rock and litter/duff (to 50% cover each).
Geographic Range: This montane forest association occurs in the southern Rocky Mountains of Colorado and into Wyoming.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685103
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3G4
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.c White Fir - Douglas-fir Southern Rocky Mountain Dry Forest Group | G226 | 1.B.2.Nb.1.c |
| Alliance | A3454 Douglas-fir Southern Rocky Mountain Forest & Woodland Alliance | A3454 | 1.B.2.Nb.1.c |
| Association | CEGL000438 Douglas-fir / Five-petal Cliffbush Forest | CEGL000438 | 1.B.2.Nb.1.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Pseudotsuga menziesii / Jamesia americana Habitat Type (Hess 1981)
= Pseudotsuga menziesii / Jamesia americana Habitat Type (Hess and Alexander 1986)
= Pseudotsuga menziesii / Jamesia americana Habitat Type (Wasser and Hess 1982)
= Pseudotsuga menziesii / Jamesia americana Habitat Type (Komarkova et al. 1988a)
= Pseudotsuga menziesii / Jamesia americana Plant Association (Johnston 1987)
= Pseudotsuga menziesii / Jamesia americana Habitat Type (Hess and Alexander 1986)
= Pseudotsuga menziesii / Jamesia americana Habitat Type (Wasser and Hess 1982)
= Pseudotsuga menziesii / Jamesia americana Habitat Type (Komarkova et al. 1988a)
= Pseudotsuga menziesii / Jamesia americana Plant Association (Johnston 1987)
- 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.
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- 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.
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- Komarkova, V. K., R. R. Alexander, and B. C. Johnston. 1988b. Forest vegetation of the Gunnison and parts of the Uncompahgre national forests: A preliminary habitat type classification. Research Paper RM-163. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 65 pp.
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- Salas, D. E., J. Stevens, K. Schulz, M. Artmann, B. Friesen, S. Blauer, E. W. Schweiger, and A. Valdez. 2010b. Vegetation classification and mapping project report: Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Natural Resource Report NPS/ROMN/NRR--2010/179. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
- 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.).
- 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.