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CEGL000150 Pinus contorta var. contorta - Pseudotsuga menziesii / Gaultheria shallon Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Beach Pine - Douglas-fir / Salal Forest
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association occurs in a wide range of environments in the Puget Lowlands, and the Olympic Mountains and North Cascade Range. Most locations are less than 850 m (2800 feet) elevation. Sites vary from flat terrain to steep slopes on variable aspects. These sites are dry to moderately dry and appear to have relatively nutrient-poor soil. This type occurs on gravelly, sandy loam outwash deposits, glacial till, and sedimentary residuum. Soil depth can be quite shallow. Pinus contorta usually dominates the tree layer with Pseudotsuga menziesii typically prominent to codominant. Pinus monticola is often present and can be prominent in the canopy. Tsuga heterophylla is usually present but with low abundance. The understory is a dense layer of Gaultheria shallon often with scattered Vaccinium parvifolium. Vaccinium ovatum is a common member of Puget Lowland representatives of this association. Pteridium aquilinum, Mahonia nervosa, Gaultheria ovatifolia, and Pyrola picta are frequent species in the typically depauperate ground cover. The lichen Cladonia bellidiflora occurs in most plots.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This is a persistent or long-lived, fire-maintained seral stage of either ~Pseudotsuga menziesii - Tsuga heterophylla / Gaultheria shallon - Holodiscus discolor Forest (CEGL005537)$$, ~Pseudotsuga menziesii - Tsuga heterophylla / Gaultheria shallon - Mahonia nervosa Forest (CEGL005538)$$, or ~Pseudotsuga menziesii / Gaultheria shallon - Vaccinium parvifolium Forest (CEGL005532)$$. The distinction between varieties contorta and latifolia in the lowlands west to the Cascades is rarely determined in field data. It is assumed that all Pinus contorta at low elevation (under 600 m [1970 feet]) west of the Cascades is variety contorta.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: No Data Available
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: No Data Available
Geographic Range: Restricted to the Puget Lowland of Washington and the Georgia Depression of British Columbia.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: WA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688194
Confidence Level: High
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1G2
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.Nd Vancouverian Forest & Woodland Division | D192 | 1.B.2.Nd |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Nd.3 Western Hemlock - Sitka Spruce - Redwood Rainforest Macrogroup | M024 | 1.B.2.Nd.3 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Nd.3.b Beach Pine Forest & Woodland Group | G205 | 1.B.2.Nd.3.b |
| Alliance | A3717 Beach Pine Sand Dune Woodland Alliance | A3717 | 1.B.2.Nd.3.b |
| Association | CEGL000150 Beach Pine - Douglas-fir / Salal Forest | CEGL000150 | 1.B.2.Nd.3.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Pinus contorta var. contorta-Pseudotsuga menziesii/Gaultheria shallon (Meidinger et al. 2005) [PNWCOAST_096]
= Pinus contorta var. contorta-Pseudotsuga menziesii/Gaultheria shallon (Chappell 2006b)
= Pinus contorta var. contorta-Pseudotsuga menziesii/Gaultheria shallon Forest (Crawford et al. 2009)
= Pinus contorta var. contorta-Pseudotsuga menziesii/Gaultheria shallon (Chappell 2006b)
= Pinus contorta var. contorta-Pseudotsuga menziesii/Gaultheria shallon Forest (Crawford et al. 2009)
- 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.
- Chappell, C. 1994. Natural forests of the Puget Lowland, Washington. Northwest Science Abstract.
- Chappell, C. B. 2006b. Upland plant associations of the Puget Trough ecoregion, Washington. Natural Heritage Report 2006-01. Washington Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program, Olympia, WA. [http://www.dnr.wa.gov/nhp/refdesk/communities/pdf/intro.pdf]
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- WNHP [Washington Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data files. Washington Natural Heritage Program, Department of Natural Resources, Olympia, WA.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.
- Wiedemann, A. M. [1977]. Southern Puget Trough. Pages 93-144 in: Chilote, editor. National Landmark Theme Study.