Print Report
CEGL001714 Quercus garryana / Festuca (idahoensis ssp. roemeri, rubra) Wooded Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Oregon White Oak / (Roemer''s Fescue, Red Fescue) Wooded Grassland
Colloquial Name: Oregon White Oak Wooded Grassland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association is known from a few remaining sites in the Puget Lowland and Willamette Valley in western Washington and Oregon, the eastern slope of the Washington Cascades on the Yakima Indian Reservation, the Columbia River Gorge in Washington, and northwestern California. This association occurs at the lowermost boundary of woodland and forest vegetation, on hot, dry sites. It is found at low elevations, particularly in the Columbia River Gorge, on southerly aspects. Annual precipitation is relatively low, and there is a distinct summer dry season. Soils are moderately deep, rocky silt loams to loams, derived from mixed colluvium of basaltic materials with a minor component of loess. Vegetation characteristic of this association is dominated by the perennial grasses Festuca idahoensis ssp. roemeri or Festuca rubra with a sparse tree layer of Quercus garryana (10-30% canopy cover). The open woody canopy may have dense clumps because of the clonal nature of the species. Other tree species may include occasional Pinus ponderosa individuals. An open short-shrub layer of Purshia tridentata is present in some stands. Grazing by livestock and fire suppression have favored woody species over grasses and brought in introduced species. No other information is available on species cover except that introduced herbaceous species, such as Bromus tectorum, Cynosurus spp., Poa bulbosa, and Ventenata dubia, are common in disturbed stands. Information on stands in California was not available. Diagnostic of this association is a Festuca idahoensis ssp. roemeri- or Festuca rubra-dominated grassland with a very open tree layer dominated by Quercus garryana.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Washington considers the stands with Purshia tridentata-dominated shrub layers to be a different association. We included them in the concept of the association until there is further review. This association also includes stands with open woodland tree densities (25-30% canopy cover).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This is a poorly described woodland association dominated by the broad-leaved deciduous tree Quercus garryana, with an open canopy averaging roughly 26-30% cover. There are occasional individuals of the needle-leaved evergreen tree Pinus ponderosa, but it is never abundant and typically not regenerating. The understory has an open shrubby layer, composed of the broad-leaved semi-deciduous Purshia tridentata, as well as regeneration of Quercus garryana. The herbaceous layer is probably dominated by the perennial bunchgrass Festuca idahoensis ssp. roemeri, which decreases in abundance under grazing pressure. Most, if not all, stands of this association are now dominated in the herbaceous layer by introduced annual and perennial grasses, such as Bromus tectorum, Cynosurus spp., Poa bulbosa, and Ventenata dubia. No other information is available on species cover or composition.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association is found on the eastern side of the Cascades Range, a mountainous region in the rainshadow of the Cascade crest. Annual precipitation is relatively low, and there is a distinct summer dry season. Quercus garryana is one of the most heat- and drought-tolerant tree species in the Pacific Northwest, but it is not very cold-tolerant. This association occurs at the lowermost boundary of woodland and forest vegetation, on hot, dry sites. It is found at low elevations (range from 120-900 m), particularly in the Columbia River Gorge, on southerly aspects. Soils are moderately deep, rocky silt loams to loams, derived from mixed colluvium of basaltic materials with a minor component of loess.
Geographic Range: Formerly occurred from at least the San Juan Islands south through the Puget Lowland and Willamette Valley, into northern California. Now confined to southern Puget Sound area (southwestern Pierce and southeastern Thurston counties) and two isolated sites in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. It is reported from California, but it''s occurrence there needs verification.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CA, OR, WA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686303
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1
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.1 Southern Vancouverian Dry Foothill Forest & Woodland Macrogroup | M886 | 1.B.2.Nd.1 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Nd.1.b Oregon White Oak - Ponderosa Pine - Douglas-fir Forest & Woodland Group | G206 | 1.B.2.Nd.1.b |
| Alliance | A3327 Oregon White Oak - Ponderosa Pine / Geyer''s Sedge Woodland Alliance | A3327 | 1.B.2.Nd.1.b |
| Association | CEGL001714 Oregon White Oak / (Roemer''s Fescue, Red Fescue) Wooded Grassland | CEGL001714 | 1.B.2.Nd.1.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Quercus garryana / Festuca roemeri (Chappell 2006b)
? Quercus garryana / Purshia tridentata association (John and Tart 1986)
? Quercus garryana / Purshia tridentata association (John and Tart 1986)
- 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.
- 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]
- Chappell, C., R. Crawford, J. Kagan, and P. J. Doran. 1997. A vegetation, land use, and habitat classification system for the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems of Oregon and Washington. Unpublished report prepared for Wildlife habitat and species associations within Oregon and Washington landscapes: Building a common understanding for management. Prepared by Washington and Oregon Natural Heritage Programs, Olympia, WA, and Portland, OR. 177 pp.
- John, T., and D. Tart. 1986. Forested plant associations of the Yakima Drainage within the Yakama Indian Reservation. Review copy prepared for the Yakama Indian Nation - BIA-SCS.
- 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.
- ORNHP [Oregon Natural Heritage Program]. No date. Unpublished data files. Oregon Natural Heritage Program, The Nature Conservancy, Portland, OR.
- Reid, M. S., L. S. Engelking, and P. S. Bourgeron. 1994. Rare plant communities of the conterminous United States, Western Region. Pages 305-620 in: D. H. Grossman, K. L. Goodin, and C. L. Reuss, editors. Rare plant communities of the conterminous United States, an initial survey. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA.
- Sawyer, J. O., and T. Keeler-Wolf. 1995. A manual of California vegetation. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento. 471 pp.
- Thilenius, J. F. 1968. The Quercus garryana forests of the Willamette Valley, Oregon. Ecology 49:1124-1133.
- 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.