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CEGL003334 Acer macrophyllum - Alnus rubra / Polystichum munitum - Tellima grandiflora Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Bigleaf Maple - Red Alder / Western Swordfern - Fragrant Fringecup Forest
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association primarily occurs in the Puget Lowlands of Washington, the northern end of the Willamette Valley of Oregon, and perhaps the Georgia Basin of British Columbia. It is found on steep coastal bluffs that are moist and on landslide deposits. It is probably dependent on occasional landslides or related geomorphic movements. It is a forest dominated typically by deciduous broad-leaved trees, though occasionally it can be mixed deciduous broad-leaved - evergreen needle-leaved in physiognomy. It is dominated by Acer macrophyllum and/or Alnus rubra, the former usually more abundant. The evergreen Pseudotsuga menziesii occurs in many stands but is subordinate in importance. The understory usually has a moderately to very well-developed deciduous shrub layer that varies in composition. Dominant or codominant shrubs can include Rubus spectabilis, Symphoricarpos albus, Holodiscus discolor, Acer circinatum, and Sambucus racemosa. The herbaceous stratum is characterized by an abundance of Polystichum munitum and the presence of Tellima grandiflora (9% mean cover). The association is distinguished by the dominance of Acer macrophyllum and/or Alnus rubra, usually >1% cover of Tellima grandiflora, and its habitat of landslide deposits or moist coastal bluffs.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Within the Puget Lowlands of Washington, this type has been well described and is distinct from other types. In British Columbia, little attention has been paid to "seral" communities and so there are no data and not much knowledge of related types. This community as described here may rarely occur in extreme southern mainland British Columbia adjacent to the coast. Somewhat similar communities are reported to occur fairly frequently on foothill landslides around the perimeter of the Fraser Valley, though their relationship to this association is unclear at this time. Landslide communities in the foothills of the Washington Cascades have also not been well explored, so it is possible that with more work this association could be reworked to extend into the Cascades where it might be more common and less threatened.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This forest is dominated typically by deciduous broad-leaved trees, though occasionally it can be mixed deciduous broad-leaved - evergreen needle-leaved in physiognomy. It is dominated by Acer macrophyllum and/or Alnus rubra, the former usually more abundant. The evergreen Pseudotsuga menziesii occurs in many stands but is subordinate in importance. The understory usually has a moderately to very well-developed deciduous shrub layer that varies in composition. Dominant or codominant shrubs can include Rubus spectabilis, Symphoricarpos albus, Holodiscus discolor, Acer circinatum, and Sambucus racemosa. The herbaceous stratum is characterized by an abundance of Polystichum munitum and the presence of Tellima grandiflora (9% mean cover). The association is distinguished by the dominance of Acer macrophyllum and/or Alnus rubra, usually >1% cover of Tellima grandiflora, and its habitat of landslide deposits or moist coastal bluffs.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: It is found on steep coastal bluffs that are moist and on landslide deposits. It is probably dependent on occasional landslides or related geomorphic movements.
Geographic Range: This type occurs primarily, if not exclusively, in Washington, in and around Puget Lowlands and other inland marine shorelines. It is also rarely found on the western foothills of the Cascade Range in the Columbia River Gorge.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: BC, OR, WA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685220
Confidence Level: Moderate
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.Nd Vancouverian Forest & Woodland Division | D192 | 1.B.2.Nd |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Nd.3 Western Hemlock - Sitka Spruce - Redwood Rainforest Macrogroup | M024 | 1.B.2.Nd.3 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Nd.3.g Red Alder - Bigleaf Maple Rainforest Group | G237 | 1.B.2.Nd.3.g |
| Alliance | A3385 Red Alder - Bigleaf Maple Forest Alliance | A3385 | 1.B.2.Nd.3.g |
| Association | CEGL003334 Bigleaf Maple - Red Alder / Western Swordfern - Fragrant Fringecup Forest | CEGL003334 | 1.B.2.Nd.3.g |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Acer macrophyllum - Alnus rubra / Polystichum munitum - Tellima grandiflora (Chappell 2006b) [18 plots]
- Chappell, C. B. 2001. Draft upland forest vegetation classification for Fort Lewis Military Reservation, Washington. Unpublished report, Washington Natural Heritage Program, Washington Department of Natural Resources, Olympia, WA. . 41 pp.
- Chappell, C. B. 2006b. Upland plant associations of the Puget Trough ecoregion, Washington. Natural Heritage Report 2006-01. Washington Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program, Olympia, WA. [http://www.dnr.wa.gov/nhp/refdesk/communities/pdf/intro.pdf]
- 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.
- 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.