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CEGL000667 Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa / Alnus incana Riparian Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Black Cottonwood / Gray Alder Riparian Forest
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This black cottonwood association is found in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. It has been reported from south-central Oregon on the Fremont National Forest and may occur in a few other scattered localities of eastern Oregon but without documentation. The association occurs within the Basin and Range Physiographic Province, characterized by fault-block mountains enclosing internal drainages. Another feature of the region is scattered volcanic peaks. The region has climatic features of both Pacific Maritime and Continental climates, with most of the annual precipitation falling as snow from October through March. Average annual precipitation ranges from 30-50 cm, depending upon elevation. Summers are dry and hot. Little detailed information is available for this association. It is a riparian association, occurring on alluvial deposits in valley bottom floodplains. Soils are sandy loams over stream-laid cobbles and gravels. Flooding occurs during May and June (spring snowmelt), and the water table is within a few feet of the surface, even in late September during the dry season. Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa requires flooding and scouring to become established. Little information is available on the species composition or structure of this association. At present it is considered a forest, but quantitative data are not available, and it may actually be a woodland. It is dominated by broad-leaved deciduous trees and tall shrubs, the most important being the tree Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa and the tall shrub/small tree Alnus incana. Scattered individuals of the needle-leaved evergreen tree Pinus contorta are present. Other shrubs include species of Salix. The one stand reported has an herbaceous layer dominated by the perennial sedge Carex pellita. Other herbaceous species may include the forbs Heracleum maximum and Urtica dioica, and other species of Carex.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association is defined as a PNV vegetation type. If it were renamed as a dominance type the species would include Picea engelmannii.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Little information is available on the species composition or structure of this association. At present it is considered a forest, but quantitative data are not available, and it may actually be a woodland. It is dominated by broad-leaved deciduous trees and tall shrubs, the most important being the tree Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa (= Populus trichocarpa), and the tall shrub/small tree Alnus incana. Scattered individuals of the needle-leaved evergreen tree Pinus contorta are present. Other shrubs include species of Salix. The one stand reported by Kovalchik (1987) has an herbaceous layer dominated by the perennial sedge Carex pellita (= Carex lanuginosa). Other herbaceous species may include the forbs Heracleum maximum (= Heracleum lanatum) and Urtica dioica, and other species of Carex.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: The association occurs within the Basin and Range Physiographic Province, characterized by fault-block mountains enclosing internal drainages. Another feature of the region is scattered volcanic peaks. The region has climatic features of both Pacific Maritime and Continental climates, with most of the annual precipitation falling as snow from October through March. Average annual precipitation ranges from 30-50 cm, depending upon elevation. Summers are dry and hot. Little detailed information is available for this association. It is a riparian association, occurring on alluvial deposits in valley bottom floodplains. Soils are sandy loams over stream-laid cobbles and gravels. Flooding occurs during May and June (spring snowmelt), and the water table is within a few feet of the surface, even in late September during the dry season. Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa requires flooding and scouring to become established.
Geographic Range: This association has been reported from south-central Oregon on the Fremont National Forest, and may occur in a few other scattered localities of eastern Oregon but without documentation. It is also found in Idaho and Washington.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: ID, OR, WA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686526
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3
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.3 Temperate Flooded & Swamp Forest Formation | F026 | 1.B.3 |
| Division | 1.B.3.Nc Rocky Mountain-Great Basin Montane Flooded & Swamp Forest Division | D195 | 1.B.3.Nc |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.3.Nc.1 Engelmann Spruce - Narrowleaf Cottonwood / Red-osier Dogwood Riparian & Swamp Forest Macrogroup | M034 | 1.B.3.Nc.1 |
| Group | 1.B.3.Nc.1.c Northern Rocky Mountain Lowland-Foothill Riparian Forest Group | G796 | 1.B.3.Nc.1.c |
| Alliance | A0311 Black Cottonwood Northern Rocky Mountain Riparian Forest Alliance | A0311 | 1.B.3.Nc.1.c |
| Association | CEGL000667 Black Cottonwood / Gray Alder Riparian Forest | CEGL000667 | 1.B.3.Nc.1.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa / Alnus incana - Cornus sericea ssp. sericea Association (Crowe et al. 2004)
= Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa/Alnus incana Forest (Crawford et al. 2009)
= Populus trichocarpa / Alnus incana Association (Kovalchik 1993) [(p.84)]
? Black cottonwood / mountain alder / woolly sedge community type (Kovalchik 1987) [(p.136)]
= Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa/Alnus incana Forest (Crawford et al. 2009)
= Populus trichocarpa / Alnus incana Association (Kovalchik 1993) [(p.84)]
? Black cottonwood / mountain alder / woolly sedge community type (Kovalchik 1987) [(p.136)]
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- Kauffman, J. B. 1982. Synecological effects of cattle grazing riparian ecosystems. Unpublished thesis, Oregon State University, Corvallis. 283 pp.
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- Kovalchik, B. L. 1993. Riparian plant associations on the national forests of eastern Washington - Draft version 1. USDA Forest Service, Colville National Forest, Colville, WA. 203 pp.
- McNeil, R .C. 1975. Vegetation and fire history of a ponderosa pine-white fir forest in Crater Lake National Park. M.S. thesis, Oregon State University, Corvallis.
- Titus, J. H., M. Kerr, E. Crowe, and B. Kovalchik. 1998. Riparian zones of eastern Oregon. Oregon Natural Heritage Program, Portland.
- 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.