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CEGL000477 Tsuga heterophylla / Ledum glandulosum / Carex obnupta - Lysichiton americanus Treed Bog
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Western Hemlock / Western Labrador-tea / Slough Sedge - American Skunk-cabbage Treed Bog
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This mid-seral to climax association occurs on perennially saturated or flooded peat soils adjacent to open mire and shrub swamps. Restricted to coastal Oregon, this vegetation is distinguished from similar associations farther north by the dominance of Ledum glandulosum instead of Ledum groenlandicum. The tree layer is dominated by Tsuga heterophylla with up to 60% cover. Thuja plicata is the second most abundant species of tree, but most specimens are suppressed in the waterlogged soils, older ones are dying, and no old-growth is evident. Other species present in lesser amounts are Picea sitchensis and Pinus contorta var. contorta. The dense shrub layer is dominated by Gaultheria shallon and Ledum glandulosum, both with a constancy of 100% and cover up to 40%. Vaccinium ovatum, Vaccinium parvifolium, and Morella californica are present in lesser amounts. Both trees and shrubs favor elevated microsites on decaying logs, stumps, and old root wads. Wetland species dominate the herb layer, with Carex obnupta and Lysichiton americanus present with constancy of 100% but with Carex being more abundant. Other wetland species such as Juncus sp., Oenanthe sarmentosa, Blechnum spicant, and Athyrium filix-femina are typical. The moss layer is conspicuous, with Sphagnum palustre always present and covering up to 20% of the surface. Stands are subject to windthrow in severe winter storms, which frequently occur.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association formerly had a larger representation of Pinus contorta var. contorta, but most have died from successional changes or flooding caused by beavers. This association is distinguished from similar types farther north by the dominance in the shrub layer of Ledum glandulosum instead of Ledum groenlandicum. The latter species extends in mires southward to northern California, but the area covered by these mires diminishes rapidly to the south, and most wetland sites are not big enough for these stands to develop.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The tree layer is dominated by Tsuga heterophylla with up to 60% cover. Thuja plicata is the second most abundant species of tree, but most specimens are suppressed in the waterlogged soils, older ones are dying, and no old-growth is evident. Other species present in lesser amounts are Picea sitchensis and Pinus contorta var. contorta. The dense shrub layer is dominated by Gaultheria shallon and Ledum glandulosum, both with a constancy of 100% and cover up to 40%. Vaccinium ovatum, Vaccinium parvifolium, and Morella californica (= Myrica californica) are present in lesser amounts. Both trees and shrubs favor elevated microsites on decaying logs, stumps, and old root wads. Wetland species dominate the herb layer, with Carex obnupta and Lysichiton americanus present with constancy of 100% but with Carex being more abundant. Other wetland species such as Juncus sp., Oenanthe sarmentosa, Blechnum spicant, and Athyrium filix-femina are typical. The moss layer is conspicuous, with Sphagnum palustre always present and covering up to 20% of the surface.
Dynamics: Stands are subject to windthrow in severe winter storms, which frequently occur.
Environmental Description: This mid-seral to climax association occurs on perennially saturated or flooded peat soils adjacent to open mire and shrub swamps.
Geographic Range: This association is restricted to coastal northern Oregon.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: OR
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687402
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class | C02 | 2 |
| Subclass | 2.C Shrub & Herb Wetland Subclass | S44 | 2.C |
| Formation | 2.C.2 Temperate to Polar Bog & Fen Formation | F016 | 2.C.2 |
| Division | 2.C.2.Na North American Bog & Fen Division | D029 | 2.C.2.Na |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.2.Na.3 Beach Pine / Bog Labrador-tea / Cusick''s Sedge North Pacific Bog & Fen Macrogroup | M063 | 2.C.2.Na.3 |
| Group | 2.C.2.Na.3.c Beach Pine / Bog Labrador-tea / Peatmoss species Wooded Bog & Poor Fen Group | G610 | 2.C.2.Na.3.c |
| Alliance | A3763 Western Hemlock - Western Red-cedar / Western Labrador-tea Treed Bog Alliance | A3763 | 2.C.2.Na.3.c |
| Association | CEGL000477 Western Hemlock / Western Labrador-tea / Slough Sedge - American Skunk-cabbage Treed Bog | CEGL000477 | 2.C.2.Na.3.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Tsuga heterophylla / Ledum glandulosum / Carex obnupta - Lysichiton americanus Association (Christy 2004)
= Tsuga heterophylla / Ledum glandulosum / Carex obnupta - Lysichiton americanus (McCain and Christy 2005) [8 plots]
= Tsuga heterophylla / Ledum glandulosum / Carex obnupta - Lysichiton americanus (McCain and Christy 2005) [8 plots]
- 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.
- Christy, J. A. 2001a. Low-elevation Sphagnum wetlands in western Oregon. Report to Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10. Oregon Natural Heritage Program, Portland. 90 pp.
- Christy, J. A. 2004. Native freshwater wetland plant associations of northwestern Oregon. Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center, Oregon State University, Portland, OR.
- Franklin, J. F. 1966. Vegetation and soils in the subalpine forests of the southern Washington Cascade Range. Ph.D. dissertation, Washington State University, Pullman. 132 pp.
- Glad, J. B., R. Mishaga, and R. R. Halse. 1987. Habitat characteristics of Sidalcea nelsoniana Piper (Malvaceae) at Walker Flat, Yamhill County, Oregon. Northwest Science 61:257-263.
- Howarth, J. 1995. Gearhart Bog Preserve: Plant community mapping and background information. The Nature Conservancy, Oregon Field Office, Portland. 36 pp. plus appendices.
- 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.
- McCain, C., and J. A. Christy. 2005. Field guide to riparian plant communities in northwestern Oregon. Technical Paper R6-NR-ECOL-TP-01-05. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland. 357 pp.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.