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CEGL000733 Juniperus osteosperma / Cercocarpus intricatus Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Utah Juniper / Littleleaf Mountain-mahogany Woodland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This woodland association occurs in the Great Basin of Nevada, and on the Colorado Plateau. Total vegetation cover rarely exceeds 35%. The tree canopy is open, with Juniperus osteosperma often stunted. There is a well-developed shrub layer in which Cercocarpus intricatus is dominant or codominant. Total shrub cover ranges from 5 to 15%. The herbaceous layer is diverse in terms of species composition and provides sparse to low cover. Forbs are diverse but provide sparse cover. Stands are located between 1400 and 1980 m (4600-6500 feet) elevation. Aspect may influence the distribution of stands locally, but rangewide stands may occur on any aspect. It occurs on steep, rocky ridges or gentle to moderate slopes on mesas, benches and canyon floors where bedrock is partially covered by sandy soils. At least half the unvegetated surface is bare ground or sandstone slickrock, with the remainder divided primarily between litter and biological soil crusts. Soils are shallow or skeletal and are rapidly drained sands or sandy loams.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association is largely known and described from National Park Service inventory efforts in the Colorado Plateau. It is unusual for sites as rocky as those occupied by this association not to have Pinus edulis in the understory. It is not clear why Pinus is absent from these stands, but the sites may be too warm or may be isolated from other woodlands containing Pinus.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Total vegetation cover rarely exceeds 35% because the high exposure of slickrock limits where plants can grow. The canopy is open, with Juniperus osteosperma trees providing between 5 and 25% cover. There is a well-developed shrub layer in which Cercocarpus intricatus is dominant or codominant. Total shrub cover ranges from 5 to 15%. Associated shrubs include Amelanchier utahensis, Artemisia bigelovii, Atriplex confertifolia, Cercocarpus montanus, Chrysothamnus greenei, Coleogyne ramosissima, Echinocereus triglochidiatus, Ephedra viridis, Fraxinus anomala, Glossopetalon spinescens var. meionandrum, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Opuntia polyacantha var. erinacea (= Opuntia erinacea), Philadelphus microphyllus, Quercus havardii var. tuckeri, Rhus trilobata, Symphoricarpos longiflorus, and Yucca angustissima. The herbaceous layer is diverse in terms of species composition and provides sparse to low cover. Graminoids commonly include Aristida purpurea, Achnatherum hymenoides, Hesperostipa comata, Achnatherum speciosum, Achnatherum coronatum, Achnatherum pinetorum, Bouteloua gracilis, Hesperostipa comata, Muhlenbergia pungens, Pleuraphis jamesii, Sporobolus contractus, or Sporobolus flexuosus. Forbs are diverse but provide sparse cover and include Stenotus acaulis (= Haplopappus acaulis), Tetraneuris acaulis (= Hymenoxys acaulis), Lepidium montanum, and Cryptantha flavoculata. The cover of biological soil crusts is low because there is little soil in these stands, but where patches occur it is well-developed and diverse.
Dynamics: This association is often transitional in areas on mesatops where soils thin as they approach the mesa rim. Deeper soils support juniper woodlands with a more xeric shrub understory (such as Artemisia tridentata or Shepherdia rotundifolia), whereas areas immediately on mesa rims tend to have few trees and sparse cover.
Environmental Description: This woodland association occurs on steep, rocky ridges in the Great Basin of Nevada, whereas in the Colorado Plateau of Utah and Colorado it occupies gentle to moderate slopes on mesas, benches and canyon floors where bedrock is partially covered by sandy soils. Stands are located between 1400 and 1980 m (4600-6500 feet) elevation. Aspect may influence the distribution of stands locally, but rangewide stands may occur on any aspect. At least half the unvegetated surface is bare ground or sandstone slickrock, with the remainder divided primarily between litter and biological soil crusts. Soils are shallow or skeletal and are rapidly drained sands or sandy loams.
Geographic Range: This association is known from southeastern Utah, western Colorado and northern Nevada and may also occur in southeastern California. It is likely to occur in scattered stands throughout the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CA?, CO, NV, UT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685440
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
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.Nc Western North American Pinyon - Juniper Woodland & Scrub Division | D010 | 1.B.2.Nc |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Nc.1 Singleleaf Pinyon - Utah Juniper - Western Juniper Intermountain Woodland Macrogroup | M896 | 1.B.2.Nc.1 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Nc.1.c Singleleaf Pinyon - Utah Juniper Woodland Group | G899 | 1.B.2.Nc.1.c |
| Alliance | A4370 Utah Juniper Great Basin Shrubby Woodland Alliance | A4370 | 1.B.2.Nc.1.c |
| Association | CEGL000733 Utah Juniper / Littleleaf Mountain-mahogany Woodland | CEGL000733 | 1.B.2.Nc.1.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Juniperus osteosperma / Cercocarpus intricatus Woodland (Blackburn et al. 1968c)
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- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.