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CEGL002650 Populus tremuloides / Betula occidentalis Riparian Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Quaking Aspen / Water Birch Riparian Forest
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This plant association of Colorado and eastern Nevada is a lush, deciduous riparian woodland with a canopy of aspen and sometimes conifer or cottonwood trees. The understory has a high structural diversity of mesic shrubs and an herbaceous undergrowth ranging from a thick carpet of grasses and forbs to a very sparse ground cover in heavily shaded areas. The streamside location and the presence of obligate riparian shrub species, such as Betula occidentalis, Salix exigua, and Cornus sericea, distinguish this association from upland Populus tremuloides communities.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
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: This structurally diverse forest association is characterized by a canopy 10-15 m tall of Populus tremuloides, sometimes with Abies concolor, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Pinus ponderosa, or Populus deltoides present. Total canopy closure is 30% to more than 100%, with Populus tremuloides providing 20-85% cover. Betula occidentalis forms a subcanopy or tall-shrub layer with 15-80% cover. The short-shrub layer is diverse and can include Cornus sericea, Amelanchier alnifolia, Acer glabrum, Rosa woodsii, Salix scouleriana, Salix bebbiana, Salix exigua, and Symphoricarpos oreophilus. If Alnus incana is present, it has less than 5% cover. Because of light and soil moisture competition by the trees and shrubs, the herbaceous layer tends to be relatively sparse, rarely exceeding 10% cover. Common species include Poa pratensis, Calamagrostis canadensis, Equisetum arvense, Maianthemum stellatum (= Smilacina stellata), Urtica dioica, Taraxacum officinale, and Clematis ligusticifolia.
Dynamics: In Nevada, this association is described as likely succeeding to a conifer-dominated riparian type because of the presence of conifers in the canopy (Manning and Padgett 1992). Conifers are absent from the Colorado stand, which is likely an isolated relict of cooler, wetter climates of the early Holocene. If the groundwater that sustains the Colorado stand is eliminated, the stand would likely be converted to a mesic shrub community.
Environmental Description: This association occurs on seasonally flooded bottoms, terraces and benches of narrow canyons in the mountains of Nevada and Colorado and in sheltered canyons of western Colorado. Except during spring runoff, the water table is generally at least 1 m or more below the ground surface. Elevations range from 1875 to 3100 m (6150-10,400 feet), and slope gradients are gentle (3-6%), except in a few tributary gulch sites which have steeper gradients. Soils are coarse sandy alluvium, often with buried cobble layers. Litter and bare soil account for most of the unvegetated ground surface cover.
Geographic Range: This association is known to occur in eastern Nevada and middle-elevation canyons throughout Colorado. It may occur in southeastern Utah in sheltered canyons with perennial water.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO, NV, UT?
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687846
Confidence Level: Low
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 | A3760 Quaking Aspen Riparian Forest Alliance | A3760 | 1.B.3.Nc.1.a |
| Association | CEGL002650 Quaking Aspen / Water Birch Riparian Forest | CEGL002650 | 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: = Populus tremuloides / Betula occidentalis Community Type (Manning and Padgett 1995)
= Populus tremuloides / Betula occidentalis Association (Crowe et al. 2004)
= Populus tremuloides / Betula occidentalis Forest (Carsey et al. 2003a)
? Populus tremuloides/Betula occidentalis Community Type (Manning and Padgett 1995)
= Populus tremuloides/Betula occidentalis (Kittel et al. 1999b)
= Quaking aspen/river birch (Populus tremuloides/Betula occidentalis) Plant Association (Kittel et al. 1997a)
= Quaking aspen/river birch (Populus tremuloides/Betula occidentalis) Plant Association (Kittel et al. 1999a)
= Populus tremuloides / Betula occidentalis Association (Crowe et al. 2004)
= Populus tremuloides / Betula occidentalis Forest (Carsey et al. 2003a)
? Populus tremuloides/Betula occidentalis Community Type (Manning and Padgett 1995)
= Populus tremuloides/Betula occidentalis (Kittel et al. 1999b)
= Quaking aspen/river birch (Populus tremuloides/Betula occidentalis) Plant Association (Kittel et al. 1997a)
= Quaking aspen/river birch (Populus tremuloides/Betula occidentalis) Plant Association (Kittel et al. 1999a)
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