Print Report
CEGL000415 Picea engelmannii / Maianthemum stellatum Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Engelmann Spruce / Starry False Lily-of-the-Valley Forest
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This forest association is uncommon on lower slopes and benches in the montane and lower subalpine zones between 1525 and 2135 m (5000-7000 feet) elevation in the mountains of southwest and central Montana. Soils are gravelly loams to silts derived from calcareous and non-calcareous parent material. This type is characterized by a closed or nearly closed forest canopy. Pseudotsuga menziesii and sometimes Pinus contorta dominate or codominate seral stands. Picea engelmannii or Picea x albertiana become dominant in late seral stands. There is a moderately dense shrub layer dominated by Juniperus communis, Mahonia repens, Spiraea betulifolia, and Symphoricarpos albus. Calamagrostis rubescens, Carex geyeri, Arnica cordifolia, and Geranium richardsonii dominate the herbaceous layer. Maianthemum stellatum and Thalictrum occidentale are both diagnostic species and may have as little as 1% cover. This association is very similar in composition and abiotic parameters to ~Picea engelmannii / Galium triflorum Forest (CEGL002174)$$, but this latter association occurs on moist to wet sites and has any two of the following forbs represented: Galium triflorum, Actaea rubra, or Streptopus amplexifolius. This association occurs on more mesic (collecting) positions than other adjacent upland types such as ~Picea (x albertiana, engelmannii) / Packera streptanthifolia Swamp Forest (CEGL000414)$$, ~Abies lasiocarpa - Picea engelmannii / Calamagrostis rubescens Forest (CEGL000301)$$ or ~Pseudotsuga menziesii / Calamagrostis rubescens Woodland (CEGL000429)$$.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This forest association was first described in Montana as Picea / Smilacina stellata habitat type by Pfister et al. (1977); Maianthemum stellatum is a synonym for Smilacina stellata. Picea is the diagnostic genus in this type, regardless of what seral tree species is the overstory dominant. Abies lasiocarpa should not be present or present only as "accidentals." ~Picea engelmannii / Arnica cordifolia Forest (CEGL000355)$$ of northwestern Wyoming partially overlaps in undergrowth diagnostic species. Ten sample plots were originally used to describe this type in Montana, five of which included cone material that would distinguish the hybrid Picea x albertiana [engelmannii x glauca] from pure Picea engelmannii. Pfister et al. (1977), in their Picea habitat type classification, report that their limited sample did not indicate a strong relationship between hybridization and habitat type or geographical area, and chose to group the hybrid and pure Picea engelmannii together under the Picea name. Because of the potential for Picea hybrids, this type was once named Picea (engelmannii x glauca, engelmannii) / Maianthemum stellatum Forest by the Montana Natural Heritage Program. For the sake of brevity, this name has been shorted to Picea engelmannii with the understanding that it could include stands dominated by either Picea engelmannii or the Picea x albertiana hybrids.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Most forests have a closed canopy or nearly so. Pseudotsuga menziesii (mean canopy cover of 41%) dominates seral stands, sometimes with Pinus ponderosa (37%), while Picea x albertiana (= Picea engelmannii x glauca) (52%) becomes dominant in near-climax forests. These is a moderate shrub layer dominated by Juniperus communis (6%), Mahonia repens (4%), Spiraea betulifolia (6%), and Symphoricarpos albus (8%). The lush ground layer is dominated by Calamagrostis rubescens (23%), Carex geyeri (10%), Arnica cordifolia (13%), Thalictrum occidentale (7%), Geranium richardsonii (2%), and Maianthemum stellatum (1%).
Dynamics: Fire frequency for dry spruce-fir forests is probably between 50 and 100 years (Fischer and Clayton 1983). Moderate- and high-severity fire favors dominance by Douglas-fir and probably helps maintain the lush understory by preventing formation of a dense canopy. Picea spp. would become dominant with fire suppression, and stand-replacing fires would become more likely.
Environmental Description: This community occurs on benches and lower slopes at 1525 and 2135 m (5000-7000 feet) (Pfister et al. 1977). Elevations in the Great Plains region would be toward the lower end of the range. Mean annual precipitation at these elevations in north-central Montana is probably about 45.7 cm (18 inches) (Soil Conservation Service 1981b). Soils are gravelly loams to silts derived from calcareous and non-calcareous parent material. Soil reaction was acidic to neutral (mean pH=5.9), and mean duff depth was 6 cm (Pfister et al. 1977).
Geographic Range: This forest association is uncommon in the mountains of southwest and central Montana.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: ID, MT, WA, WY?
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688427
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4?
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 | CEGL000415 Engelmann Spruce / Starry False Lily-of-the-Valley Forest | CEGL000415 | 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: = Picea spp. / Smilacina stellata Habitat Type (Pfister et al. 1977)
- 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.
- Fischer, W. C., and B. D. Clayton. 1983. Fire ecology of Montana forest habitat types east of the Continental Divide. General Technical Report INT-141. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Forest Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT. 83 pp.
- MTNHP [Montana Natural Heritage Program]. 2002b. List of ecological communities for Montana. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Montana State Library, Helena, MT.
- 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.
- Soil Conservation Service. 1981b. Average annual precipitation Montana. USDA-SCS, Bozeman, MT.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.