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CEGL002613 Abies lasiocarpa / Rhododendron albiflorum / Senecio triangularis Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Subalpine Fir / Cascade Azalea / Arrowleaf Ragwort Woodland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This riparian association is endemic to the Okanogan Highlands of Washington from Pend Oreille River to the Sinlahekin drainage in the eastern Cascades. It is likely in adjacent British Columbia. This association appears in valley bottoms on sites that occasionally flood, are seasonally saturated, and where the water table lowers to two or more feet below the soil surface. It typically has an open canopy of Abies lasiocarpa and Picea engelmannii trees. Tsuga heterophylla may be a member of the canopy. Early seral tree species are rare. The subcanopy and tree seedling layer always contains Abies lasiocarpa and often contains Picea engelmannii. The undergrowth layer is dominated by a 1-m or taller deciduous shrub layer composed of a mixture of Rhododendron albiflorum and/or Menziesia ferruginea often with Vaccinium membranaceum. The trailing woody vine Rubus pedatus is frequently a part of the ground cover. Senecio triangularis is always present although usually not abundant. Other frequently occurring forbs are Mitella pentandra, Tiarella trifoliata var. unifoliata, Trautvetteria caroliniensis, and Athyrium filix-femina. Ground cover is sometimes dominated by the fern Gymnocarpium dryopteris. Moss cover commonly contributes to ground cover.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association is defined as a PNV vegetation type. If it were renamed as a dominance type, the species would include Picea engelmannii and Abies lasiocarpa. Named by Kovalchik (1993) in a draft riparian classification as an association that included the riparian parts of the Abies lasiocarpa / Rhododendron albiflorum association of Williams and Lillybridge (1983), Williams et al. (1990b) and Clausnitzer and Zamora (1987). This association is partially distinguished by its location in valley bottoms, which "occasionally flood during peak runoff, are seasonally saturated, and [where] water table lowers to two or more feet below the soil surface towards the end of growing season." He stated it may occupy the same sites as ~Abies lasiocarpa - Picea engelmannii / Streptopus amplexifolius Swamp Forest (CEGL000336)$$ of Cooper et al. (1987), although inspection of stand table reveals very different vegetation. The Abies lasiocarpa / Streptopus amplexifolius, Menziesia ferruginea phase of Hansen et al. 1995 in Montana is similar but without Rhododendron albiflorum. Re-evaluation of classification will follow publication of Kovalchik''s final classification in 2001.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Vegetation typically is an open canopy of Abies lasiocarpa and Picea engelmannii trees. Tsuga heterophylla may be a member of the canopy. Early seral tree species are rare. The subcanopy and tree seedling layer always contains Abies lasiocarpa and often contains Picea engelmannii. The undergrowth layer is dominated by a 1-m or taller deciduous shrub layer composed of a mixture of Rhododendron albiflorum and/or Menziesia ferruginea often with Vaccinium membranaceum. The trailing woody vine Rubus pedatus is frequently a part of the ground cover. Senecio triangularis is always present although usually not abundant. Other frequently occurring forbs are Mitella pentandra, Tiarella trifoliata var. unifoliata, Trautvetteria caroliniensis, and Athyrium filix-femina. Ground cover is sometimes dominated by the fern Gymnocarpium dryopteris. Moss cover commonly contributes to ground cover.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association appears in valley bottoms on sites that occasionally flood, are seasonally saturated, and where the water table lowers to two or more feet below the soil surface.
Geographic Range: This association is endemic to the Okanogan Highlands of Washington from Pend Oreille to Sinlahekin in eastern Cascades. Its distribution in British Columbia is unknown but likely to be just across the border.
Nations: CA?,US
States/Provinces: BC?, WA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688378
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3G4
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 | A3614 Subalpine Fir - Engelmann Spruce Rocky Mountain Moist Forest Alliance | A3614 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.c |
| Association | CEGL002613 Subalpine Fir / Cascade Azalea / Arrowleaf Ragwort Woodland | CEGL002613 | 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: = Abies lasiocarpa / Rhododendron albiflorum / Senecio triangularis Association (Kovalchik 1993) [(p.66)]
? Abies lasiocarpa / Rhododendron albiflorum Plant Association (Williams and Lillybridge 1983)
? Abies lasiocarpa / Rhododendron albiflorum Plant Association (Williams et al. 1990b)
? Abies lasiocarpa / Rhododendron albiflorum association (Clausnitzer and Zamora 1987)
? Abies lasiocarpa / Streptopus amplexifolius Habitat Type, Menziesia ferruginea Phase (Hansen et al. 1995) [similar but without Rhododendron albiflorum.]
? Abies lasiocarpa / Rhododendron albiflorum Plant Association (Williams and Lillybridge 1983)
? Abies lasiocarpa / Rhododendron albiflorum Plant Association (Williams et al. 1990b)
? Abies lasiocarpa / Rhododendron albiflorum association (Clausnitzer and Zamora 1987)
? Abies lasiocarpa / Streptopus amplexifolius Habitat Type, Menziesia ferruginea Phase (Hansen et al. 1995) [similar but without Rhododendron albiflorum.]
- 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.
- Clausnitzer, R. R., and B. A. Zamora. 1987. Forest habitat types of the Colville Indian Reservation. Unpublished report prepared for the Department of Forest and Range Management, Washington State University, Pullman. 110 pp.
- Cooper, S. V., K. E. Neiman, R. Steele, and D. W. Roberts. 1987. Forest habitat types of northern Idaho: A second approximation. General Technical Report INT-236.USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Ogden, UT. 135 pp. [reprinted in 1991]
- Hansen, P. L., R. D. Pfister, K. Boggs, B. J. Cook, J. Joy, and D. K. Hinckley. 1995. Classification and management of Montana''s riparian and wetland sites. Miscellaneous Publication No. 54. Montana Forest and Conservation Experiment Station, School of Forestry, University of Montana. 646 pp. plus posters.
- Kovalchik, B. L. 1993. Riparian plant associations on the national forests of eastern Washington - Draft version 1. USDA Forest Service, Colville National Forest, Colville, WA. 203 pp.
- Kovalchik, B. L. 2001. Classification and management of aquatic, riparian and wetland sites on the national forests of eastern Washington. Part 1: The series descriptions. 429 pp. plus appendix. [http://www.reo.gov/col/wetland_classification/wetland_classification.pdf]
- 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.
- Williams, C. K., T. R. Lillybridge, and B. G. Smith. 1990b. Forested plant associations of the Colville National Forest. Report prepared for USDA Forest Service, Colville National Forest, Colville, WA. 133 pp.
- Williams, C. K., and T. R. Lillybridge. 1983. Forested plant associations of the Okanogan National Forest. R6-Ecol-132b-1983. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland, OR. 140 pp.