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CEGL000537 Populus tremuloides - Pinus contorta / Juniperus communis Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Quaking Aspen - Lodgepole Pine / Common Juniper Forest
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This minor, seral, mixed aspen-conifer forest association occurs at upper montane-lower subalpine zones in the Uinta Mountains and Wasatch Range in northeastern Utah, the Wind River Mountains in Wyoming, and northern portion of the Colorado Front Range between 2440 and 3140 m (8000-10,300 feet) elevation. Stands occur on a variety of sites and substrates (sandstone, quartz and granite). Slopes are often gentle to moderate (<25%) but may be steep. This association has a patchy, open to dense, mixed conifer and deciduous tree canopy codominated by Pinus contorta and Populus tremuloides. Other conifer trees may be present, such as Abies lasiocarpa var. lasiocarpa, Picea engelmannii, Pinus flexilis, or Pseudotsuga menziesii, but comprise less than half the cover of Pinus contorta, which is the predominant conifer. The short-shrub layer is dominated by Juniperus communis, with Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Mahonia repens, and Symphoricarpos oreophilus as common associates. Other shrubs present may include Amelanchier alnifolia, Artemisia tridentata, Jamesia americana, Paxistima myrsinites, Rosa woodsii, and Shepherdia canadensis. The relatively sparse herbaceous layer is a mixture of graminoids and low forbs. Common graminoids are Achnatherum occidentale, Bromus spp., Calamagrostis rubescens, Carex geyeri, Carex rossii, Elymus glaucus, Elymus trachycaulus, and Festuca idahoensis. Common forbs include Achillea millefolium, Arnica cordifolia, Astragalus miser, Balsamorhiza spp., Fragaria vesca, Geranium spp., Lathyrus lanszwertii, Lupinus argenteus, Osmorhiza berteroi, Potentilla spp., Thalictrum fendleri, and Thermopsis divaricarpa. The exotic species Poa pratensis and Taraxacum officinale are common in livestock-impacted stands.
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: This association has a patchy, open to dense, mixed conifer and deciduous tree canopy codominated by Pinus contorta and Populus tremuloides. Other conifer trees may be present, such as Abies lasiocarpa var. lasiocarpa, Picea engelmannii, Pinus flexilis, or Pseudotsuga menziesii, but comprise less than half the cover of Pinus contorta, which is the predominant conifer. Younger stands typically have dense Populus tremuloides with Pinus contorta mixed in. As stands age, Populus tremuloides cover is slowly reduced until Pinus contorta becomes dominant. The understory is moderately dense to sparse and becomes sparser as Pinus contorta becomes more dominant. The short-shrub layer is dominated by Juniperus communis with Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Mahonia repens, and Symphoricarpos oreophilus as common associates. Other shrubs present may include Amelanchier alnifolia, Artemisia tridentata, Jamesia americana, Paxistima myrsinites, Rosa woodsii, and Shepherdia canadensis. The relatively sparse herbaceous layer is a mixture of graminoids and low forbs. Common graminoids are Achnatherum occidentale (= Stipa occidentalis), Bromus spp., Calamagrostis rubescens, Carex geyeri, Carex rossii, Elymus glaucus, Elymus trachycaulus, Festuca idahoensis, and forbs, such as Achillea millefolium, Arnica cordifolia, Astragalus miser, Balsamorhiza spp., Fragaria vesca, Geranium spp., Lathyrus lanszwertii, Lupinus argenteus, Osmorhiza berteroi (= Osmorhiza chilensis), Potentilla spp., Thalictrum fendleri and Thermopsis divaricarpa may be present. The exotic species Poa pratensis and Taraxacum officinale are common in livestock-impacted stands.
Dynamics: This association typically represents the successional stage where conifers (predominantly Pinus contorta) and deciduous tree Populus tremuloides establish on a disturbed site. In the absence of future disturbance, these seral stands will likely succeed to Pinus contorta-dominated forest, and on some sites Abies lasiocarpa - Picea engelmannii-dominated forest (Mueggler 1988).
Environmental Description: This minor, seral, mixed aspen-conifer forest association occurs at upper montane-lower subalpine zones in the Uinta Mountains and Wasatch Range in northeastern Utah, the Wind River Mountains in Wyoming, and northern portion of the Colorado Front Range between 2440 and 3140 m (8000-10,300 feet) elevation. Stands occur on a variety of sites and substrates (sandstone, quartz and granite). Slopes are often gentle to moderate (<25%) but may be steep.
Geographic Range: This mixed deciduous-evergreen association occurs in northeastern Utah and Wyoming and the northern portion of the southern Rocky Mountains.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO, UT, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686740
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4G5
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 | A0424 Lodgepole Pine - Quaking Aspen Rocky Mountain Forest Alliance | A0424 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.a |
| Association | CEGL000537 Quaking Aspen - Lodgepole Pine / Common Juniper Forest | CEGL000537 | 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: = Populus tremuloides - Pinus contorta / Juniperus communis Community Type (Mueggler 1988)
= Populus tremuloides - Pinus contorta / Juniperus communis Community Type (Mueggler and Campbell 1986)
= Populus tremuloides - Pinus contorta / Juniperus communis Community Type (Mueggler and Campbell 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.
- Mueggler, W. F. 1988. Aspen community types of the Intermountain Region. General Technical Report INT-250. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Ogden, UT. 135 pp.
- Mueggler, W. F., and R. B. Campbell, Jr. 1986. Aspen community types of Utah. Research Paper INT-362. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT.
- 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.).
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.