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CEGL002604 Pinus contorta / Spiraea douglasii Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Lodgepole Pine / Rose Spirea Forest
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association is common in Oregon at moderate elevations (4100-5300 feet) in the western part of the East Cascades ecoregion and is common on the eastern fringe of the East Cascades ecoregion at higher elevation (4800-5800 feet). It may also be found in California. This transitional association is common on several landforms, including (1) low-gradient, shallowly incised, pumice-filled drainages and basins, (2) narrow, deeply incised, moderate-gradient drainages with narrow floodplains, and (3) moderate-gradient, narrow floodplains in deep valleys in the vicinity of the Cascade Range and Yamsay Mountain in the Cascades. Soils are derived from deep pumice alluvium or air-laid pumice. Surface textures range from loamy sand to fine sandy loam. Available water-holding capacity is moderately low. There is insignificant accumulation of organic matter in the soil surface. Subsurface soils are of very coarse pumice. Maximum water tables are 15-60 cm below the soil surface in May and June. The water table lowers to 90-120 cm below the soil surface in August and September. The association is characterized by an overstory of Pinus contorta and a dense shrub layer dominated by Spiraea douglasii. Pinus contorta is climax and other conifers are scattered. Arctostaphylos uva-ursi is common on most plots. On two plots, Ribes montigenum is the most abundant shrub. Willows and sedges are absent or restricted to moist microsites. Grasses are poorly represented; Elymus glaucus is the only consistent grass found on the sample plots. The relatively dry forb layer includes Achillea millefolium, Fragaria virginiana, Galium boreale, Maianthemum stellatum, and Trifolium longipes. With overuse by livestock, Spiraea douglasii decreases in cover because of trampling. Disturbances are more likely to result in an increase in the cover of bare ground rather than a dramatic increase in grasses and forbs. Wildfire was probably common in this type. Soils are dry by mid-summer and fire can easily encroach from adjacent uplands. Spiraea douglasii will resprout from the stem base. Fire will not change the vegetative composition of the association except for its impacts on Pinus contorta.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: No Data Available
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: No Data Available
Geographic Range: This association is common in East Cascades ecoregion of Oregon and possibly in California
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CA?, OR
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686005
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3G4
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.5 Subalpine Fir - Engelmann Spruce - Whitebark Pine Rocky Mountain Forest Macrogroup | M020 | 1.B.2.Nb.5 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Nb.5.a Lodgepole Pine Rocky Mountain Forest & Woodland Group | G220 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.a |
| Alliance | A3366 Lodgepole Pine Rocky Mountain Forest Alliance | A3366 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.a |
| Association | CEGL002604 Lodgepole Pine / Rose Spirea Forest | CEGL002604 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Pinus contorta / Spiraea douglasii / forb (Kovalchik 1987) [(p.33)]
? Pinus contorta / Spiraea douglasii / Carex eurycarpa (Kovalchik 1987) [(p.35)]
> Pinus contorta var. latifolia / Spiraea douglasii / Carex angustata Association (Crowe et al. 2004)
> Pinus contorta var. latifolia / Spiraea douglasii Association (Crowe et al. 2004)
? Pinus contorta / Spiraea douglasii / Carex eurycarpa (Kovalchik 1987) [(p.35)]
> Pinus contorta var. latifolia / Spiraea douglasii / Carex angustata Association (Crowe et al. 2004)
> Pinus contorta var. latifolia / Spiraea douglasii Association (Crowe et al. 2004)
- 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.
- Crowe, E. A., B. L. Kovalchik, and M. J. Kerr. 2004. Riparian and wetland vegetation of central and eastern Oregon. Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center, Institute for Natural Resources, Oregon State University, Portland. 473 pp. [http://oregonstate.edu/ornhic/ publications.html]
- 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.
- Kovalchik, B. L. 1987. Riparian zone associations - Deschutes, Ochoco, Fremont, and Winema national forests. Technical Paper 279-87. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland, OR. 171 pp.
- Titus, J. H., and J. A. Christy. 1996a. Vegetation of Big Marsh, Deschutes National Forest, Oregon. Report to Deschutes National Forest. Oregon Natural Heritage Program, The Nature Conservancy, Portland.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.