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CEGL000322 Abies lasiocarpa - Picea engelmannii / Oplopanax horridus Swamp Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Subalpine Fir - Engelmann Spruce / Devil''s-club Swamp Forest
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This minor coniferous forest association occurs in drainages and seeps at mid-elevations in mountain ranges of northwestern Montana and northern Idaho. Elevations range from 1200-1500 m. Stands tend to be small (<8 ha) and are restricted to low-lying areas with high water tables most of the year, such as along streams, springs and seeps. Sites are seasonally flooded with surface water present for extended periods during the growing season, and tree regeneration is dominated by Abies lasiocarpa. This association often forms long narrow stands within floodplains. Soils are variable, but generally acidic with a deep organic layer. Late-seral stands are characterized by a moderately dense to dense, sometimes giant (>50 m tall) tree canopy codominated by Abies lasiocarpa and Picea engelmannii or Picea glauca. Minor tree associates include Pseudotsuga menziesii, Larix occidentalis, and Pinus monticola. Oplopanax horridus and Taxus brevifolia dominate the moderately dense to dense tall-shrub layer; at least 5% cover of Oplopanax horridus is considered diagnostic for the association. Other common shrub associates include Menziesia ferruginea, Rubus parviflorus, Symphoricarpos albus, and Vaccinium spp. Linnaea borealis may also have high cover, and Abies lasiocarpa dominates the tree regeneration. The herbaceous layer is abundant, diverse, and forb-dominated, including species such as Clintonia uniflora, Maianthemum stellatum, Streptopus amplexifolius, Tiarella trifoliata, and the ferns Athyrium filix-femina and Gymnocarpium dryopteris. Diagnostic of this association is the closed coniferous tree canopy codominated by Abies lasiocarpa with an Oplopanax horridus-dominated tall-shrub layer.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association is always dominated by a combination of Abies lasiocarpa and Picea engelmannii of which the latter tree species nearly always is the tallest and the canopy dominant; Abies lasiocarpa appears more successful in the regeneration layers. This is the wettest association in which Abies lasiocarpa is capable of normal growth (not stunted and unthrifty) and functions as a dominant.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The upper canopy ranges from quite open to moderately closed with 40 to 70% cover dominated by a variable mix of Abies lasiocarpa and Picea engelmannii (or Picea engelmannii x Picea glauca hybrid swarms). Seral tree species establish in minimum numbers, though their subsequent growth appears to be normal; the following have been noted: Pseudotsuga menziesii, Larix occidentalis, Pinus monticola, and Pinus contorta. At least 5% cover of Oplopanax horridus is considered diagnostic for the association, but the modal situation would have this distinctive, well-armed shrub with 20 to 50% cover; it does not attain the high cover and is lower in height (0.8-1.4 m) than when found in ~Thuja plicata - Tsuga heterophylla / Oplopanax horridus Rocky Mountain Swamp Forest (CEGL000479)$$ (heights over 2 m commonly). Other shrubs are scarce with only Taxus brevifolia and Ribes lacustre being consistently present. The graminoid component is very depauperate with only Cinna latifolia and Bromus vulgaris regularly represented. Forbs are generally abundant and diverse with Aralia nudicaulis, Clintonia uniflora, Tiarella trifoliata, Circaea alpina, Gymnocarpium dryopteris, Athyrium filix-femina, Streptopus amplexifolius, and Senecio triangularis having the greatest constancy and cover.
Dynamics: Fire, both stand-replacing and underburning, often skips these stands while consuming adjacent terrain. As a consequence groves of trees become quite tall (over 45 m in the case of Picea) and old.
Environmental Description: This relatively uncommon wetland plant association occurs at the lowest elevations of the subalpine zone with a demonstrated elevation range of 1200 to 1500 m (3900-5000 feet). This association occurs on wet, subirrigated bottomlands, as a streamside stringer, near springs, and seepage areas (including moderate to steep slopes of various aspects) where the water table remains near the surface (within 1 m) throughout the year. Parent materials include a wide variety of noncalcareous rock types. Soil texture varies widely from fine to coarse, but rock fragments generally constitute at least 35% of the soil volume. Soil drainage varies from well-drained to poorly drained. Adjacent wetter communities are often Carex spp.-dominated, whereas relatively drier sites support ~Abies lasiocarpa - Picea engelmannii / Calamagrostis canadensis Swamp Forest (CEGL000300)$$, ~Abies lasiocarpa - Picea engelmannii / Streptopus amplexifolius Swamp Forest (CEGL000336)$$, or most frequently ~Abies lasiocarpa - Picea engelmannii / Clintonia uniflora Forest (CEGL005912)$$. The much more common ~Thuja plicata - Tsuga heterophylla / Oplopanax horridus Rocky Mountain Swamp Forest (CEGL000479)$$ occupies similar sites located on lower, warmer elevations.
Geographic Range: Minor type in northern Idaho and northwestern Montana. Similar plant associations have been described in eastern British Columbia and southwestern Alberta (Pfister et al. 1977).
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: AB?, ID, MT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687106
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
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.a Engelmann Spruce - Blue Spruce - Narrowleaf Cottonwood Riparian & Swamp Forest Group | G506 | 1.B.3.Nc.1.a |
| Alliance | A3757 Subalpine Fir - Engelmann Spruce Swamp Forest Alliance | A3757 | 1.B.3.Nc.1.a |
| Association | CEGL000322 Subalpine Fir - Engelmann Spruce / Devil''s-club Swamp Forest | CEGL000322 | 1.B.3.Nc.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Abies bifolia - Picea engelmannii / Oplopanax horridus (Allen 2005)
< Abies lasiocarpa / Oplopanax horridus Habitat Type (Pfister et al. 1977)
< Abies lasiocarpa / Oplopanax horridus Habitat Type (Hansen et al. 1995)
< Abies lasiocarpa / Oplopanax horridus Habitat Type (Pfister et al. 1977)
< Abies lasiocarpa / Oplopanax horridus Habitat Type (Hansen et al. 1995)
- Allen, L. 2005. Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre Preliminary Plant Community Tracking List. Alberta Community Development, Edmonton, Alberta. 94 pp.
- Allen, L. 2012-2013. Alberta Conservation Information Management System Ecological Community Tracking List. Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation, Edmonton, AB. [http://tpr.alberta.ca/parks/heritageinfocentre/default.aspx]
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- Ogilvie, R. T. 1962. Ecology of spruce forests on the east slope of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta. Unpublished dissertation, Washington State University, Pullman. 189 pp.
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- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.