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CEGL003096 Quercus lobata Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Valley Oak Woodland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: These woodlands are found in California''s Coast Ranges, the Great Central Valley, the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, the Cascades and the Klamath Range. Elevation ranges from sea level to 775 m. Stands occur on valley bottoms and gentle slopes and requires intermittently flooded or seasonally saturated soils. The soils are deep and alluvial or residual, and the water must be fresh. Periodic, low intensity floods help maintain this vegetation. Stands are usually found outside the immediate zone of high energy flood waters, in the lower-energy margins of the floodplain. The vegetation is a sclerophyllous evergreen woodland that forms a sparse to dense tree canopy less than 30 m in height. The tree canopy is dominated by Quercus lobata. Other trees in the canopy may include Quercus kelloggii, Quercus douglasii, Quercus agrifolia, Platanus racemosa, and Fraxinus latifolia. A sparse shrub layer (10-25% cover) is present and may include Frangula californica ssp. californica, and Toxicodendron diversilobum. Lianas such as Vitis californica and Clematis ligusticifolia are common. The moderately dense herbaceous layer of undisturbed stands is typically dominated by perennial graminoids, such as the rhizomatous Leymus triticoides. Introduced annual grasses dominate the ground layer of disturbed stands.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Survey and classification work are needed to determine if this this association should be split more finely and to determine if a flood regime should be added to the alliance.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The broad-leaved deciduous tree Quercus lobata is the sole or dominant tree in the canopy of stands of this alliance. Individuals often reach great size, up to 30 m in height, with chest-height diameters of well over 1 m, and large, spreading crowns. Other broad-leaved trees that may occur include the deciduous Quercus kelloggii, Quercus douglasii, Platanus racemosa, and Fraxinus latifolia, and the evergreen Quercus agrifolia or Quercus wislizeni. The tree canopy can be continuous, intermittent or open and savanna-like (slope and ridgetop stands are described as savannas). The understory of most stands is open and park-like, with shrubs only occasionally present. Woody lianas and vines are common, and quickly occupy windthrow-generated light gaps. Species include Vitis californica, Clematis ligusticifolia and Toxicodendron diversilobum. The herbaceous layer is typically dominated by perennial graminoids, with relatively high cover. The perennial rhizomatous grass Leymus triticoides is common.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Stands occur in Mediterranean California, in the rainshadow of the Coast Ranges. The climate is characterized by relatively low annual precipitation (approximately 40 to 45 cm), a very high percentage of which falls during the fall and winter months as rain, while summers are typically hot and dry. Winter temperatures are mild. Elevations range from sea level to 1200 m. Sites where this community was formerly most extensive (along the Sacramento and San Joaquin river valleys) are along the floodplains of low-gradient, depositional reaches of major streams and rivers. Stands are typically on the highest parts of the floodplains, distant from or higher above the most active river channels, and therefore less subject to physical disturbance from flooding. Annual inputs of silty alluvium occur, and stands receive subsurface irrigation from high spring water tables. Stands occurring in the valleys of the Coast Ranges are usually in valley bottoms, on gentle slopes, and occasionally extending onto low ridges of the southern Coast Ranges. Valley bottom sites typically have alluvial soils with loam textures.
Geographic Range: This alliance is found in the Central Valley of California, along the Sacramento and northern San Joaquin river valleys and their major tributaries, particularly the Kings and Kaweah rivers. Stands are also found in the valleys and foothills of the California Coastal Ranges, from Lake County to western Los Angeles County.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687425
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2?
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.1 Warm Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation | F018 | 1.B.1 |
| Division | 1.B.1.Nc Californian Forest & Woodland Division | D007 | 1.B.1.Nc |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.1.Nc.1 California Live Oak - California Laurel - Western Cypress species Forest & Woodland Macrogroup | M009 | 1.B.1.Nc.1 |
| Group | 1.B.1.Nc.1.a California Live Oak - Valley Oak - California Laurel Forest & Woodland Group | G195 | 1.B.1.Nc.1.a |
| Alliance | A3347 Valley Oak Woodland Alliance | A3347 | 1.B.1.Nc.1.a |
| Association | CEGL003096 Valley Oak Woodland | CEGL003096 | 1.B.1.Nc.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < Quercus lobata (Valley oak woodland) Alliance (Sawyer et al. 2009) [71.040.00]
< Quercus lobata Woodland Alliance (Keeler-Wolf et al. 2012)
= Valley Oak Woodland (#71130) (Holland 1986b)
< Quercus lobata Woodland Alliance (Keeler-Wolf et al. 2012)
= Valley Oak Woodland (#71130) (Holland 1986b)
- Cheatham, N. H., and J. R. Haller. 1975. An annotated list of California habitat types. Unpublished report. University of California, Natural Land and Water Reserves System.
- Conard, S. G., R. L. MacDonald, and R. F. Holland. 1980. Riparian vegetation and flora of the Sacramento Valley. Pages 47-55 in: A. Sands, editor. Riparian forests in California. Publication No. 15, University of California Institute of Ecology, Davis. 122 pp.
- Davis, F. W., D. M. Stoms, A. D. Hollander, K. A. Thomas, P. A. Stine, D. Odion, M. I. Borchert, J. H. Thorne, M. V. Gray, R. E. Walker, K. Warner, and J. Graae. 1998. The California Gap Analysis Project--Final Report. University of California, Santa Barbara, CA. [http://www.biogeog.ucsb.edu/projects/gap/gap _rep.html]
- Griffin, J. R. 1976. Regeneration on Quercus lobata savannas, Santa Lucia Mountains, California. The American Midland Naturalist 95:422-435.
- Griffin, J. R. 1988. Oak woodland. Pages 383-415 in: M. G. Barbour and J. Major, editors. 1988. Terrestrial vegetation of California: New expanded edition. California Native Plant Society, Special Publication 9, Sacramento. 1030 pp.
- Griffin, J. R., and W. B. Critchfield. 1972. The distribution of forest trees in California. Research Paper PSW-82/1972. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, Berkeley, CA. 114 pp.
- Holland, R. F. 1986b. Preliminary descriptions of the terrestrial natural communities of California. Unpublished report prepared for the California Department of Fish and Game, Nongame-Heritage Program and Natural Diversity Database, Sacramento. 156 pp.
- Keeler-Wolf, T., M. Schindel, S. San, P. Moore, and D. Hickson. 2003a. Classification of the vegetation of Yosemite National Park and surrounding environs in Tuolumne, Mariposa, Madera and Mono counties, California. Unpublished report by NatureServe in cooperation with the California Native Plant Society and California Department of Fish and Game, Wildlife and Habitat Data Analysis Branch, Sacramento, CA.
- Keeler-Wolf, T., P. E. Moore, E. T. Reyes, J. M. Menke, D. N. Johnson, and D. L. Karavidas. 2012. Yosemite National Park vegetation classification and mapping project report. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/YOSE/NRTR--2012/598. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
- Reid, M. S., L. S. Engelking, and P. S. Bourgeron. 1994. Rare plant communities of the conterminous United States, Western Region. Pages 305-620 in: D. H. Grossman, K. L. Goodin, and C. L. Reuss, editors. Rare plant communities of the conterminous United States, an initial survey. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA.
- Sawyer, J. O., T. Keeler-Wolf, and J. Evens. 2009. A manual of California vegetation. Second edition. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento CA. 1300 pp.
- Sawyer, J. O., and T. Keeler-Wolf. 1995. A manual of California vegetation. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento. 471 pp.
- Warner, R. E., and K. M. Hendrix. 1984. California riparian systems. University of California Press, Berkeley. 1035 pp.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.