Print Report
CEGL000986 Abies lasiocarpa - Picea engelmannii / Salix (brachycarpa, glauca) Krummholz
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Subalpine Fir - Engelmann Spruce / (Short-fruit Willow, Grayleaf Willow) Krummholz
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This shrubland association occurs as krummholz near treeline in the southern Rocky Mountains and possibly the Uinta Mountains in Utah. Elevation range is between 3350 and 3750 m (10,990-12,200 feet). Stands are often found on moderate to steep, windswept upper slopes on cooler northerly aspects in relatively moist areas, but they occur on all aspects in or near seepage areas from melting snowbeds. Stands also occur in alpine valleys often near small streams or wetlands. Sites are exposed to high winds that stunt and deform trees by killing branches that extend above snowpack. Soils are shallow, lithic, gravelly or sandy loam. Rock outcrop and colluvium are common. The vegetation is characterized by patchy, moderate to dense shrubby tree and willow cover (0.5-3.0 m high) that often forms a mosaic with wet meadow communities. The shrub layer is codominated by dwarfed, wind-deformed Abies lasiocarpa and Picea engelmannii trees and short shrubs Salix brachycarpa or Salix glauca, which usually occur in clumps or along edges of dense conifer patches. Betula glandulosa and Salix planifolia are usually associated with wetter microsites along snowmelt channels and in seeps. Other dwarf-trees, shrubs and dwarf-shrubs, such as Pinus flexilis, Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda, Ribes montigenum, Salix nivalis, Vaccinium cespitosum, Vaccinium myrtillus, and Vaccinium scoparium, may also be present. The herbaceous layer is continuous except under dense shrubs. Species are a mixture of forbs and graminoids typical of alpine mesic and wet meadows, but they may include dry turf as well as wet subalpine species depending on the site.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association was lumped with the former Abies lasiocarpa / Salix glauca Shrubland (CEGL000987) because both associations are ecologically very similar, occurring in the same vicinity and same upper treeline habitats (Peet 1975, 1981, Hess 1981). In addition, the nominal Salix species look very similar in the field, and the codominance of one versus the other does not warrant separate ecological associations.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The vegetation is characterized by patchy, moderate to dense shrubby tree and willow cover (0.5-3.0 m high) that often forms a mosaic with wet meadow communities. The shrub layer is codominated by dwarfed, wind-deformed Abies lasiocarpa and Picea engelmannii trees and short shrubs Salix brachycarpa or Salix glauca, which usually occur in clumps or along edges of dense conifer patches. Betula glandulosa and Salix planifolia are usually associated with wetter microsites along snowmelt channels and in seeps. Other dwarf-trees, shrubs and dwarf-shrubs, such as Pinus flexilis, Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda, Ribes montigenum, Salix nivalis, Vaccinium cespitosum, Vaccinium myrtillus, and Vaccinium scoparium, may also be present. The herbaceous layer is continuous except under dense shrubs. Species are a mixture of forbs and graminoids typical of alpine mesic and wet meadows, but they may include dry turf as well as wet subalpine species depending on the site. Associated species include the forbs Artemisia scopulorum, Geum rossii, Penstemon whippleanus, Polemonium pulcherrimum, Polygonum bistortoides, Potentilla diversifolia, Sedum lanceolatum, Selaginella densa, Sibbaldia procumbens, Trifolium dasyphyllum, and the graminoids Carex siccata, Calamagrostis purpurascens, Festuca brachyphylla, Poa alpina, and Trisetum spicatum. In wetter areas Deschampsia cespitosa, Caltha leptosepala var. leptosepala, Carex scopulorum, Mertensia lanceolata, and Senecio triangularis may also occur.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This shrubland association occurs as krummholz near treeline in the southern Rocky Mountains and possibly the Uinta Mountains in Utah. Elevation range is between 3350 and 3750 m (10,990-12,200 feet). Stands are often found on moderate to steep, windswept upper slopes on cooler northerly aspects in relatively moist areas, but they occur on all aspects in or near seepage areas from melting snowbeds. Stands also occur in alpine valleys often near small streams or wetlands. Sites are exposed to high winds that stunt and deform trees by killing branches that are extend above snowpack. Soils are shallow, lithic, gravelly or sandy loams typically derived from granite or schist. Rock outcrop and colluvium are common.
Geographic Range: This shrubland association occurs as krummholz near treeline in the southern Rocky Mountains of Colorado and possibly the Uinta Mountains in Utah.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO, UT?
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685407
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GUQ
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 4 Polar & High Montane Scrub, Grassland & Barrens Class | C04 | 4 |
| Subclass | 4.B Temperate to Polar Alpine & Tundra Vegetation Subclass | S12 | 4.B |
| Formation | 4.B.1 Temperate & Boreal Alpine Tundra Formation | F037 | 4.B.1 |
| Division | 4.B.1.Nb Western North American Alpine Tundra Division | D043 | 4.B.1.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 4.B.1.Nb.2 Eight-petal Mountain-avens - Blackroot Sedge - Moss Campion Alpine Tundra Macrogroup | M099 | 4.B.1.Nb.2 |
| Group | 4.B.1.Nb.2.a Eight-petal Mountain-avens - Mountain-heath species - Arctic Willow Alpine Dwarf-shrubland & Krummholz Group | G316 | 4.B.1.Nb.2.a |
| Alliance | A3640 Subalpine Fir - Engelmann Spruce - Limber Pine Dry-Mesic Rocky Mountain Krummholz Alliance | A3640 | 4.B.1.Nb.2.a |
| Association | CEGL000986 Subalpine Fir - Engelmann Spruce / (Short-fruit Willow, Grayleaf Willow) Krummholz | CEGL000986 | 4.B.1.Nb.2.a |
Concept Lineage: CEGL000987 lumped into CEGL000986. Both associations are very similar, being developed in the same vicinity and in treeline habitats (Peet 1975, 1981, Hess 1981). Both Salix species look very similar in the field and occur in ecologically similar habitats. The codominance of one or the other does not warrant separate associations.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: > Abies lasiocarpa - Picea engelmannii / Salix glauca Habitat Type/Association (Komarkova 1986)
> Abies lasiocarpa / Salix glauca Plant Association (Johnston 1987)
> Picea engelmannii - Abies lasiocarpa / Salix pseudolapponum Habitat Type (Hess 1981) [Salix pseudolapponum is a synonym for Salix glauca.]
> Picea engelmannii - Abies lasiocarpa / Salix pseudolapponum Habitat Type (Wasser and Hess 1982) [Salix pseudolapponum is a synonym for Salix glauca.]
> Picea engelmannii - Abies lasiocarpa / Salix pseudolapponum Habitat Type (Hess and Wasser 1982) [Salix pseudolapponum is a synonym for Salix glauca.]
= Mesic Krummholz (G1) (Peet 1981)
> Abies lasiocarpa / Salix glauca Plant Association (Johnston 1987)
> Picea engelmannii - Abies lasiocarpa / Salix pseudolapponum Habitat Type (Hess 1981) [Salix pseudolapponum is a synonym for Salix glauca.]
> Picea engelmannii - Abies lasiocarpa / Salix pseudolapponum Habitat Type (Wasser and Hess 1982) [Salix pseudolapponum is a synonym for Salix glauca.]
> Picea engelmannii - Abies lasiocarpa / Salix pseudolapponum Habitat Type (Hess and Wasser 1982) [Salix pseudolapponum is a synonym for Salix glauca.]
= Mesic Krummholz (G1) (Peet 1981)
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- 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/]
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- 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.).
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- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.