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CEGL000734 Juniperus osteosperma / Cercocarpus ledifolius Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Utah Juniper / Curl-leaf Mountain-mahogany Woodland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This sparse woodland type has been reported from the Pryor Mountains of south-central Montana and the western slope of the Bighorn Mountains in north-central Wyoming. Stands grow on southerly or westerly slopes in shallow, coarse-textured soils overlying fractured sandstone or limestone bedrock, at elevations from approximately 1200-1680 m (4000-5500 feet). The vegetation consists of a sparse (canopy cover often <10%), low tree layer of Juniperus osteosperma and a shrub layer dominated by Cercocarpus ledifolius var. ledifolius. Common species in the sparse undergrowth are Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis, Artemisia nova, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Pseudoroegneria spicata, and Arenaria hookeri.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association is based on quantitative data from 11 plots. Stands of this type usually are found next to stands of Juniperus osteosperma woodland without Cercocarpus ledifolius and stands of Cercocarpus ledifolius without Juniperus. All three types share the same low shrub and herbaceous species in the undergrowth. Indeed, this association may simply represent an ecotone between Juniperus osteosperma woodland (generally at lower elevation) and Cercocarpus ledifolius shrubland (at higher elevation). Until the range in species composition and cover allowed in this type has been specified, the differences between these three vegetation types will remain unclear. It is also unclear whether differences should be recognized in the infraspecific taxa of Cercocarpus ledifolius in the vegetation, which may produce stands with markedly different structure. In the Pryor Mountains and Bighorn Mountains, the shrub is Cercocarpus ledifolius var. ledifolius, which is seldom taller than 1.5 m. Stands in other western states may contain Cercocarpus ledifolius var. intercedens, which is seldom shorter than 2 m.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The vegetation consists of a sparse (canopy cover often <10%), low tree layer of Juniperus osteosperma and a shrub layer dominated by Cercocarpus ledifolius var. ledifolius. Common species in the sparse undergrowth are Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis, Artemisia nova, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Pseudoroegneria spicata, and Arenaria hookeri.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Stands grow on southerly or westerly slopes in shallow, coarse-textured soils overlying fractured sandstone or limestone bedrock, at elevations from approximately 1200-1680 m (4000-5500 feet).
Geographic Range: At present, this association has been described only from a limited geographic range in south-central Montana and north-central Wyoming. But Juniperus osteosperma and Cercocarpus ledifolius are common in Utah, Idaho, and Colorado, and this association may occupy a much larger geographic range than it is currently thought to.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: MT, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688358
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.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.d Limber Pine - Rocky Mountain Juniper Rocky Mountain Foothill Woodland Group | G209 | 1.B.2.Nb.2.d |
| Alliance | A3426 Rocky Mountain Juniper - Utah Juniper / Shrub Understory Central Rocky Mountain Woodland Alliance | A3426 | 1.B.2.Nb.2.d |
| Association | CEGL000734 Utah Juniper / Curl-leaf Mountain-mahogany Woodland | CEGL000734 | 1.B.2.Nb.2.d |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < Juniperus osteosperma / Agropyron spicatum Community (Jones 1992b)
= Juniperus osteosperma / Cercocarpus ledifolius Community Type (DeVelice and Lesica 1993)
= Juniperus / mountain mahogany woodland (Knight et al. 1987)
= Utah Juniper - Curlleaf Mountain Mahogany Stand (Marriott and Jones 1989)
= Juniperus osteosperma / Cercocarpus ledifolius Community Type (DeVelice and Lesica 1993)
= Juniperus / mountain mahogany woodland (Knight et al. 1987)
= Utah Juniper - Curlleaf Mountain Mahogany Stand (Marriott and Jones 1989)
- 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.
- DeVelice, R. L., and P. Lesica. 1993. Plant community classification for vegetation on BLM lands, Pryor Mountains, Carbon County, Montana. Unpublished report by Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, MT. 78 pp.
- Jones, G. 1992b. Wyoming plant community classification (Draft). Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Laramie, WY. 183 pp.
- Knight, D. H., G. P. Jones, Y. Akashi, and R. W. Myers. 1987. Vegetation ecology in the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. Unpublished report prepared for the USDI National Park Service and University of Wyoming-National Park Service Research.
- 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 G. P. Jones. 1989. Special status plant surveys and plant community surveys in the Trapper Creek and Medicine Lodge Wilderness Study Areas and the Spanish Point Karst ACEC. Report submitted to the Bureau of Land Management, Worland District Office, under Cooperative Agreement Task Order No. WY910-CA9-001TQE1. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Laramie. 42 pp. plus appendices.
- Stevens, J. E., D. S. Jones, and K. J. Benner. 2015. Vegetation classification and mapping project report: Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. Natural Resource Report NPS/GRYN/NRR--2015/1070. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 350 pp.
- WNDD [Wyoming Natural Diversity Database]. No date. Unpublished data on file. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.