Print Report
CEGL000187 Pinus ponderosa / Mahonia repens Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Ponderosa Pine / Creeping Barberry Forest
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association has been described for only the Little Rocky Mountains of north-central Montana and the Black Hills of eastern Wyoming. Stands occur below 1280 m (4200 feet), adjacent to major creek bottoms and the lower toeslopes and footslope positions on adjacent slopes, showing no favor for particular aspects. In Montana, post-fire seral conditions can be dominated by almost pure stands of Populus tremuloides with scattered Pinus ponderosa in the seedling-sapling layer. Seral stands may also have relatively few veteran, fire-scarred Pinus ponderosa with Populus tremuloides in the understory. Stands undisturbed by fire (at least for several hundred years) may be pure Pinus ponderosa. The undergrowth is shrub-dominated with Mahonia repens, the diagnostic species, having the highest cover with Prunus virginiana, Symphoricarpos occidentalis and Spiraea betulifolia usually common. The only graminoid of note is Oryzopsis asperifolia. Forbs with high constancy include Eurybia conspicua, Thalictrum occidentale, Viola canadensis, Galium boreale, and Monarda fistulosa. In stands at Devils Tower, Wyoming, the overstory was dominated by Pinus ponderosa with cover in the 25-60% range. Though a range of tree sizes was present, it was difficult to identify two distinct strata. Juniperus scopulorum and Quercus macrocarpa were present but sparse. Shrub cover was less than 25% in stands sampled. Mahonia repens often dominated the shrub stratum but was sometimes sparse. Symphoricarpos albus was sometimes present but sparse. Herbaceous cover was in the 25-100% range, with a diverse mix of grassland and woodland species. Nassella viridula was a common graminoid in both stands sampled.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association has been described for only the Little Rocky Mountains of north-central Montana and the Black Hills (original name Pinus ponderosa / Berberis repens), and is based on only 5 plots established in 1980. It has not been recorded subsequently, though localized inventories have taken place in the north-central and/or northeastern Montana region. There is considerable overlap with some Pinus ponderosa associations that have a tall-shrub component well represented; in the area for which this type was originally defined, high cover values for Mahonia repens were given diagnostic precedence over tall shrubs that were less well represented. This association is very similar to ~Pinus ponderosa / Prunus virginiana Forest (CEGL000192)$$, ~Populus tremuloides / Mahonia repens Forest (CEGL000594)$$, and to the Mahonia repens phase of ~Pinus ponderosa / Symphoricarpos albus Forest (CEGL000203)$$. Though the composition of ~Pinus ponderosa / Mahonia repens Forest (CEGL000187)$$ appears only superficially like that of ~Pinus ponderosa / Amelanchier alnifolia Woodland (CEGL000840)$$, some of the stands within ~Pinus ponderosa / Mahonia repens Forest (CEGL000187)$$ would key to this type based on Amelanchier alnifolia being well represented.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Few stands of this community have been studied, and rangewide information is limited. The overstory is dominated by Pinus ponderosa. In central Montana, the low-shrub layer was dominated by Mahonia repens (= Berberis repens), with Spiraea betulifolia and Juniperus communis also common (Pfister et al. 1977). In several stands at Devils Tower, Wyoming, the overstory was dominated by Pinus ponderosa, with tree cover in the 25-60% range (Salas and Pucherelli 1998a). Though a range of tree sizes was present, it was difficult to identify two distinct strata. Juniperus scopulorum and Quercus macrocarpa were present but sparse. Shrub cover was less than 25%. Mahonia repens often dominated the shrub stratum but was sometimes sparse. Symphoricarpos albus was sometimes present but sparse. Herbaceous cover was in the 25-100% range, with a diverse mix of grassland and woodland species. Nassella viridula was a common graminoid (Marriott and Faber-Langendoen 2000). Forbs with high constancy include Eurybia conspicua (= Aster conspicuus), Thalictrum occidentale, Viola canadensis, Galium boreale, and Monarda fistulosa.
Dynamics: In Montana, post-fire seral conditions can be dominated by almost pure stands of Populus tremuloides with scattered Pinus ponderosa in the seedling-sapling layer. Seral stands may also have relatively few, veteran, fire-scarred Pinus ponderosa, with Populus tremuloides in the understory. Stands undisturbed by fire (at least for several hundred years) may be pure pine.
Environmental Description: In the vicinity of Lewiston and Roundup, Montana, this vegetation type has been reported from gentle slopes and benches, on silt loam to clay loam soils derived from limestone (Pfister et al. 1977). In the Black Hills, this community has been found on northerly and westerly, moderate to somewhat steep slopes in areas underlain by sandstone and buried talus. Elevational range of the few stands surveyed is 1250-1275 m (4040-4120 feet) (Marriott and Faber-Langendoen 2000).
Geographic Range: This association has been described for only the Little Rocky Mountains of north-central Montana, and the Black Hills of eastern Wyoming.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: MT, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688173
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3Q
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.2 Ponderosa Pine - Douglas-fir - Limber Pine Central Rocky Mountain Dry Forest Macrogroup | M501 | 1.B.2.Nb.2 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Nb.2.e Ponderosa Pine Northwestern Great Plains Forest & Woodland Group | G216 | 1.B.2.Nb.2.e |
| Alliance | A3464 Ponderosa Pine Dry-Mesic Black Hills Forest & Woodland Alliance | A3464 | 1.B.2.Nb.2.e |
| Association | CEGL000187 Ponderosa Pine / Creeping Barberry Forest | CEGL000187 | 1.B.2.Nb.2.e |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Pinus ponderosa / Mahonia repens Forest (Marriott and Faber-Langendoen 2000)
= Pinus ponderosa / Mahonia repens Forest (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
= Pinus ponderosa / Mahonia repens Forest (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
- 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.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., editor. 2001. Plant communities of the Midwest: Classification in an ecological context. Association for Biodiversity Information, Arlington, VA. 61 pp. plus appendix (705 pp.).
- Hoffman, G. R., and R. R. Alexander. 1987. Forest vegetation of the Black Hills National Forest of South Dakota and Wyoming: A habitat type classification. Research Paper RM-276. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 48 pp.
- MTNHP [Montana Natural Heritage Program]. 2002b. List of ecological communities for Montana. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Montana State Library, Helena, MT.
- Marriott, H. J., and D. Faber-Langendoen. 2000. The Black Hills community inventory. Volume 2: Plant community descriptions. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Conservation Science Center and Association for Biodiversity Information, Minneapolis, MN. 326 pp.
- Pfister, R. D., B. L. Kovalchik, S. F. Arno, and R. C. Presby. 1977. Forest habitat types of Montana. General Technical Report INT-34. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT. 174 pp.
- Roberts, D. W. 1980. Forest habitat types of the Bear''s Paw Mountains and Little Rocky Mountains, Montana. Unpublished thesis, Department of Forestry, University of Montana, Missoula. 116 pp.
- Salas, D. E., and M. J. Pucherelli. 1998a. USGS-NPS vegetation mapping, Devil''s Tower National Monument, Wyoming. USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Technical Memorandum No. 8260-98-08. Denver, CO.
- TNC [The Nature Conservancy]. [1998] f. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Classification of the vegetation of Devils Tower National Monument. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Regional Office, Minneapolis, MN, and International Headquarters, Arlington, VA. 28 pp.
- Thilenius, J. F. 1972. Classification of the deer habitat in the ponderosa pine forest of the Black Hills, South Dakota. Research Paper RM-91. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 28 pp.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.