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CEGL000186 Pinus ponderosa / Leucopoa kingii Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Ponderosa Pine / Spike Fescue Woodland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This Pinus ponderosa woodland is known from the northern Front Range of Colorado and Wyoming from 1890 to 2800 m (6200-9200 feet) in elevation. It occurs on a variety of aspects, slopes and exposures, although it most typically occupies non-southerly aspects on gentle to moderate slopes (10-40%) with relatively deep, well-drained soils. This is one of the most mesic Pinus ponderosa associations in the Front Range. Pinus ponderosa dominates the tree layer, although Pseudotsuga menziesii and Juniperus scopulorum may be present in many stands. Shrub species, such as Ribes cereum, commonly occur in the association but are rarely abundant. Leucopoa kingii dominates the herbaceous layer with generally 5-20% cover and is diagnostic for this association. As the tree canopy becomes more closed, the herbaceous cover is reduced. Elymus albicans, Carex rossii, Potentilla fissa, Allium geyeri, Geranium caespitosum, Harbouria trachypleura, Packera fendleri, Artemisia frigida, and Artemisia ludoviciana are additional understory species that occur frequently in small abundance. Needle litter and duff is often present and thick.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Classification is based on plot data and recent qualitative data. Certain stands in later stages of succession could be expected to become dominated by Pseudotsuga menziesii.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Pinus ponderosa dominates the tree layer, although Pseudotsuga menziesii and Juniperus scopulorum may be present in many stands. Shrub species, such as Ribes cereum, commonly occur in the association but are rarely abundant. Leucopoa kingii (= Festuca kingii) dominates the herbaceous layer with generally 5-20% cover and is diagnostic for this association. As the tree canopy becomes more closed, the herbaceous cover is reduced. Elymus albicans, Carex rossii, Potentilla fissa, Allium geyeri, Geranium caespitosum, Harbouria trachypleura, Packera fendleri, Artemisia frigida, and Artemisia ludoviciana are additional understory species that occur frequently in small abundance. Needle litter and duff is often present and thick.
Dynamics: Leucopoa kingii is a coarse, densely tufted, rhizomatous, perennial bunchgrass that grows in relatively mesic, open woodlands. It is an indicator of climax conditions in certain Pinus ponderosa stands (Tirmenstein 1987).
Environmental Description: This Pinus ponderosa woodland occurs in mountainous regions from 1890 to 2800 m (6200-9200 feet) in elevation. It occurs on a variety of aspects, slopes and exposures, although it most typically occupies non-southerly aspects on gentle to moderate slopes (10-40%) with relatively deep, well-drained soils.
Geographic Range: The association has only been documented from the northern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado (north of Denver) to Wyoming in the Medicine Bow Mountains.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685127
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3
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 | CEGL000186 Ponderosa Pine / Spike Fescue Woodland | CEGL000186 | 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) / Leucopoa kingii Plant Association (Baker 1984a)
= Pinus ponderosa / Hesperochloa kingii Habitat Type (Hess and Alexander 1986)
= Pinus ponderosa / Hesperochloa kingii Habitat Type (Hess 1981)
= Pinus ponderosa / Leucopoa kingii Plant Association (Johnston 1987)
= Pinus ponderosa / Hesperochloa kingii Habitat Type (Hess and Alexander 1986)
= Pinus ponderosa / Hesperochloa kingii Habitat Type (Hess 1981)
= Pinus ponderosa / Leucopoa kingii Plant Association (Johnston 1987)
- 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/]
- 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.
- 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.
- Mayo, J. E. 1971. A comparative study of the forest floor produced by three age-class stands of Pinus ponderosa. Unpublished thesis, University of Colorado, Boulder. 44 pp.
- 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.).
- Tirmenstein, D. A. 1987. Leucopoa kingii. 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).
- 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.