Print Report
CEGL000433 Pseudotsuga menziesii / Festuca arizonica Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Douglas-fir / Arizona Fescue Forest
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This Douglas-fir forest association is found on the Colorado Plateau and mountains of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. This description is based on information from Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado. Additional global information will be added as it becomes available. This association is known from one location found on a moderately steep low shoulder slope at 2878 m elevation. Soils are moderately drained loams. Live vegetation basal area dominates the soil surface, along with moderate amounts of litter and bare soil. This association is characterized by an open low-statured canopy of Pseudotsuga menziesii (10%). The herbaceous layer ranges from 25-35% cover with Muhlenbergia montana, Festuca arizonica, and Danthonia parryi as dominant species.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Must have (or historically had) Festuca arizonica, which is usually the dominant grass, although other grasses, such as Muhlenbergia montana, Poa fendleriana, and Bromus ciliatus, may also be codominant. Surface rock can exceed 15% in some stands. Tree mix is diverse, but Abies concolor is absent or accidental.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Stuever and Hayden (1997a) identify four phases: typic or Pseudotsuga menziesii phase, Pinus aristata phase, Pinus flexilis phase, and Populus tremuloides phase. The Pinus aristata and Pinus flexilis phases most likely occur in northern New Mexico and northern Arizona. The Populus tremuloides phase occurs on wetter sites, where Populus tremuloides is present. The typic phase is probably most often encountered in other geographical areas.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: No Data Available
Dynamics: Reoccurring surface fires in the grass tend to reduce conifer saplings and maintain grass cover in this type (Fitzhugh et al. 1987). Overstory dominance by either Pinus ponderosa or Pseudotsuga menziesii is probably determined by periodicity of fires in the stand. As mature trees, both species are fire-resistant but Pinus ponderosa saplings develop more fire resistant characteristics at an earlier age. More frequent fires may favor Pinus ponderosa, less frequent fires may favor the more shade-tolerant Pseudotsuga menziesii (Alexander et al. 1984b).
Environmental Description: This forest is found locally throughout New Mexico, central Arizona, and southern Colorado on dry upper, south-facing slopes and ridges at elevations of 2800 to 3110 m (9200-10,200 feet). Soils include Borolls, Boralfs, and Orthents.
Geographic Range: This forest association is found on the Colorado Plateau and mountains of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AZ, CO, NM, TX
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687071
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G5
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.1 White Fir - Douglas-fir - Blue Spruce Forest Macrogroup | M022 | 1.B.2.Nb.1 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Nb.1.c White Fir - Douglas-fir Southern Rocky Mountain Dry Forest Group | G226 | 1.B.2.Nb.1.c |
| Alliance | A3454 Douglas-fir Southern Rocky Mountain Forest & Woodland Alliance | A3454 | 1.B.2.Nb.1.c |
| Association | CEGL000433 Douglas-fir / Arizona Fescue Forest | CEGL000433 | 1.B.2.Nb.1.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Pinus strobiformis / Festuca arizonica (Moir and Ludwig 1979)
= Pseudotsuga menziesii / Festuca arizonica (Stuever and Hayden 1997a)
= Pseudotsuga menziesii / Festuca arizonica Habitat Type (DeVelice et al. 1986)
= Pseudotsuga menziesii / Festuca arizonica Habitat Type (Fitzhugh et al. 1987)
= Pseudotsuga menziesii / Festuca arizonica (Stuever and Hayden 1997a)
= Pseudotsuga menziesii / Festuca arizonica Habitat Type (DeVelice et al. 1986)
= Pseudotsuga menziesii / Festuca arizonica Habitat Type (Fitzhugh et al. 1987)
- Alexander, B. G., Jr., E. L. Fitzhugh, F. Ronco, Jr., and J. A. Ludwig. 1987. A classification of forest habitat types of the northern portion of the Cibola National Forest, NM. General Technical Report RM-143. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 35 pp.
- Alexander, B. G., Jr., F. Ronco, Jr., A. S. White, and J. A. Ludwig. 1984b. Douglas-fir habitat types of northern Arizona. General Technical Report RM-108. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 13 pp.
- 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.
- CNHP [Colorado Natural Heritage Program]. 2006-2017. Tracked natural plant communities. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. [https://cnhp.colostate.edu/ourdata/trackinglist/plant_communities/]
- DeVelice, R. L., J. A. Ludwig, W. H. Moir, and F. Ronco, Jr. 1986. A classification of forest habitat types of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. General Technical Report RM-131. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 59 pp.
- Diamond, D. D. 1993. Classification of the plant communities of Texas (series level). Unpublished document. Texas Natural Heritage Program, Austin. 25 pp.
- Fitzhugh, E. L., W. H. Moir, J. A. Ludwig, and F. Ronco, Jr. 1987. Forest habitat types in the Apache, Gila, and part of the Cibola national forests. General Technical Report RM-145. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 116 pp.
- Johnston, B. C. 1987. Plant associations of Region Two: Potential plant communities of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas. R2-ECOL-87-2. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. Lakewood, CO. 429 pp.
- Larson, M., and W. H. Moir. 1987. Forest and woodland habitat types of northern New Mexico and northern Arizona. Edition 2. USDA Forest Service, Southwestern Region, Albuquerque, NM.
- Moir, W. H., and J. A. Ludwig. 1979. A classification of spruce-fir and mixed conifer habitat types of Arizona and New Mexico. Research Paper RM-207. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 47 pp.
- Salas, D. E., J. Stevens, K. Schulz, M. Artmann, B. Friesen, S. Blauer, E. W. Schweiger, and A. Valdez. 2010b. Vegetation classification and mapping project report: Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Natural Resource Report NPS/ROMN/NRR--2010/179. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
- Stuever, M. C., and J. S. Hayden. 1997a. Plant associations of Arizona and New Mexico, edition 3. Volume 1: Forests. USDA Forest Service, Southwestern Region. Habitat Typing Guides. 291 pp.
- TNHS [Texas Natural History Survey]. No date. Unpublished data. Texas Natural History Survey, The Nature Conservancy, San Antonio.
- USFS [U.S. Forest Service]. 1986. Forest and woodland habitat types (plant associations) of southern New Mexico and central Arizona (north of the Mogollon Rim). USDA Forest Service, Southwestern Region, Albuquerque, NM. Second edition, 140 pp. plus insert.
- USFS [U.S. Forest Service]. 1987a. Forest and woodland habitat types (plant associations) of northern New Mexico and northern Arizona. USDA Forest Service, Southwestern Region, Albuquerque, NM. Second edition, 170 pp. plus insert.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.