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CEGL000446 Pseudotsuga menziesii / Paxistima myrsinites Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Douglas-fir / Oregon Boxleaf Forest
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association occurs on rocky, steep to very steep (20-65°), relatively dry, north- to northwest-facing slopes. Soils are usually of sedimentary origin, typically shallow, sandy loam, and often on scree covered slopes. According to the literature this association consists of stands of Pseudotsuga menziesii with the low-shrub Paxistima myrsinites as the dominant species (cover 12-24%) in the undergrowth. It is in one of the coolest habitats of ~Pseudotsuga menziesii Southern Rocky Mountain Forest & Woodland Alliance (A3454)$$ and commonly is found adjacent to the subalpine forest zone. Elevations range from 2425-3024 m (7960-9920 feet). This association tends to be located in the montane zone above Quercus gambelii-dominated communities and elevationally below the range of Picea engelmannii - Abies lasiocarpa habitats. Other tree and shrub species can include Picea engelmannii, Abies lasiocarpa, Populus tremuloides, Quercus gambelii, Amelanchier alnifolia, Symphoricarpos oreophilus, Mahonia repens, Acer glabrum, and Rosa woodsii. The herbaceous layer is typically sparse and can include Arnica cordifolia, Eucephalus engelmannii, Chamerion angustifolium, Lathyrus lanszwertii var. leucanthus, Fragaria spp., with the graminoids Carex geyeri, and Bromus anomalus.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Compare this association to ~Pseudotsuga menziesii / Arnica cordifolia Forest (CEGL000427)$$ and ~Pseudotsuga menziesii / Mahonia repens Forest (CEGL000442)$$.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Stands of Pseudotsuga menziesii with the low-shrub Paxistima myrsinites as the dominant species (cover 12-24%) in the undergrowth. This association tends to be located in the montane zone above Quercus gambelii-dominated communities and elevationally below the range of Picea engelmannii - Abies lasiocarpa habitats. Other tree and shrub species can include Picea engelmannii, Abies lasiocarpa, Populus tremuloides, Quercus gambelii, Amelanchier alnifolia, Symphoricarpos oreophilus, Mahonia repens, Acer glabrum, and Rosa woodsii. The herbaceous layer is typically sparse and can include Arnica cordifolia, Eucephalus engelmannii (= Aster engelmannii), Chamerion angustifolium (= Epilobium angustifolium), Lathyrus lanszwertii var. leucanthus (= Lathyrus leucanthus), Fragaria spp., with the graminoids Carex geyeri, and Bromus anomalus.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association occurs on rocky, steep to very steep (20-65°), relatively dry, north- to northwest-facing slopes. Soils are usually of sedimentary origin, typically shallow, sandy loam, and often on scree covered slopes. It is found in one of the coolest habitats of ~Pseudotsuga menziesii Southern Rocky Mountain Forest & Woodland Alliance (A3454)$$ and commonly is found adjacent to the subalpine forest zone. Elevations range from 2425-3024 m (7960-9920 feet).
Geographic Range: Information is based mostly on the literature and three tracked occurrences in the White River National Forest in Colorado in drainages just north of the Colorado River. Elsewhere in the literature it is described as "locally abundant" east and north of the Hunter-Frying Pan Wilderness and east of the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness areas in the White River National Forest. Stands have also been found in northwestern Gunnison County, the Routt National Forest southeast of Steamboat Springs, and just west of the Continental Divide in the Park Range south of the Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685379
Confidence Level: Low
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.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 | CEGL000446 Douglas-fir / Oregon Boxleaf Forest | CEGL000446 | 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: No Data Available
- 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.
- Bunin, J. E. 1975c. The vegetation of the west slope of the Park Range, Colorado. Unpublished dissertation, University of Colorado, Boulder. 235 pp.
- 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., and C. H. Wasser. 1982. Grassland, shrubland, and forest habitat types of the White River-Arapaho National Forest. Unpublished final report 53-82 FT-1-19. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 335 pp.
- Hoffman, G. R., and R. R. Alexander. 1980. Forest vegetation of the Routt National Forest in northwestern Colorado: A habitat type classification. General Technical Report RM-221. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 41 pp.
- Komarkova, V., A. Peters, G. Kamani, W. Jones, V. Howard, H. Gordon, and K. Southwick. 1988a. Natural recovery of plant communities on disturbance plots and history of land use in the Niwot Ridge/Green Lakes Valley, Front Range, Colorado. University of Colorado Longterm Ecological Research Working Paper 88/1. Boulder, CO. 46 pp.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.