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CEGL000374 Picea engelmannii / Ribes montigenum Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Engelmann Spruce / Gooseberry Currant Forest
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This Engelmann spruce forest association is found in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Nevada and may extend as far south as Arizona and New Mexico. The current 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 at 3152 m in elevation with a slope of 10° and aspect of 210°. The stand is located on the low slope in a drainage bottom, and sampling took place on a bench away from the main stream channel. The ground cover is 71% litter broken up by piles of large rocks (possibly indicating an old stream channel or mass-wasting event) and small patches of moss and bare soil. The soil is well-drained loamy sand. Picea engelmannii forms a canopy of 50% cover with scattered Pseudotsuga menziesii and Populus tremuloides. Ribes montigenum is the dominant shrub in an otherwise sparse understory with 15-30% cover. Acer glabrum, typical of drainage channels, is present in the tall-shrub layer. Short shrubs include Sambucus racemosa and Symphoricarpos sp. Oreochrysum parryi, Fragaria vesca and Carex sp. are the most abundant plants in the herbaceous layer.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Characterized by nearly pure stands of Picea engelmannii. Where present, the shrub cover is dominated by Ribes montigenum. Abies lasiocarpa may be an accidental tree in this type.
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: No Data Available
Dynamics: Fires may be stand-replacing events with long fire-return intervals.
Environmental Description: This type occurs on north-facing high mountain slopes with extremely rocky soils. Elevations range from 3000 to 3420 m (10,000-11,400 feet). It is from San Francisco Peaks, Arizona, and generally the higher mountains of northern New Mexico, and southern Utah.
Geographic Range: This forest association is found in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Nevada and may extend as far south as Arizona and New Mexico.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AZ?, CO, NM?, NV, UT, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687471
Confidence Level: Moderate
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.5 Subalpine Fir - Engelmann Spruce - Whitebark Pine Rocky Mountain Forest Macrogroup | M020 | 1.B.2.Nb.5 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Nb.5.c Engelmann Spruce - Subalpine Fir - Mountain Hemlock Moist Forest & Woodland Group | G218 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.c |
| Alliance | A3615 Subalpine Fir - Engelmann Spruce Southern Rocky Mountain Moist Forest Alliance | A3615 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.c |
| Association | CEGL000374 Engelmann Spruce / Gooseberry Currant Forest | CEGL000374 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Picea engelmannii / Ribes montigenum (Larson and Moir 1987)
= Picea engelmannii / Ribes montigenum (Steele et al. 1983)
= Picea engelmannii / Ribes montigenum (Stuever and Hayden 1997a)
= Picea engelmannii / Ribes montigenum (Steele et al. 1983)
= Picea engelmannii / Ribes montigenum (Stuever and Hayden 1997a)
- Billings, W. D. 1969. Vegetational pattern near alpine timberline as affected by fire-snowdrift interactions. Vegetatio 19:192-207.
- 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.
- Cogan, D., J. E. Taylor, and K. Schulz. 2012. Vegetation inventory project: Great Basin National Park. Natural Resource Report NPS/MOJN/NRR--2012/568. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 373 pp.
- Jones, G., and S. Ogle. 2000. Characterization abstracts for vegetation types on the Bighorn, Medicine Bow, and Shoshone national forests. Prepared for USDA Forest Service, Region 2 by the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming.
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- Pfister, R. D. 1972. Vegetation and soils in the subalpine forests of Utah. Unpublished dissertation, Washington State University, Pullman. 98 pp.
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- 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.
- Wasser, C. H., and K. Hess. 1982. The habitat types of Region II. USDA Forest Service: A synthesis. Final report prepared for USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 140 pp.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.
- Youngblood, A. P., and R. L. Mauk. 1985. Coniferous forest habitat types of central and southern Utah. General Technical Report INT-187. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Ogden, UT. 89 pp.