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CEGL000496 Tsuga heterophylla / Menziesia ferruginea Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Western Hemlock / Rusty Menziesia Forest
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This regionally endemic plant association is described as a unit of potential natural vegetation from stands located in the Selkirk Mountains of Washington and Idaho, within the eastern-most portion of the Okanogan Highlands ecoregional section. The association occurs between 1370 and 1585 m (4500-5200 feet) elevation on cool, moist sites on gentle, south-facing slopes and ridgelines. It is the highest elevation Tsuga heterophylla association; frost and high snowpacks are common. Soils are silt loams to loams; in the Okanogans derived from volcanic ash over mixed colluvium or glacial till. The structure of stands of this evergreen, needle-leaved forest can vary greatly, depending on stand age. Mature stands will generally have an open appearance, with 75-95% canopy cover and large Tsuga heterophylla dominating. Younger, seral stands are codominated by dense canopies of Abies lasiocarpa, Picea engelmannii and Tsuga heterophylla. The understory is very species-poor, consisting of a deciduous shrub layer with cover over 50%. Characteristic shrubs include Menziesia ferruginea, Rhododendron albiflorum and Vaccinium membranaceum. Herbs are very sparse, with only Goodyera oblongifolia showing any constancy.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Presence of Menziesia is an indicator of colder conditions than usually associated with Tsuga heterophylla, so the combination occurs only at the higher elevational limits of Tsuga heterophylla.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Structure of stands of this evergreen needle-leaved forest can vary greatly, depending on stand age. Mature stands will generally have an open appearance, with 75-95% canopy cover and large Tsuga heterophylla dominating. Younger, seral stands are codominated by dense canopies of Abies lasiocarpa, Picea engelmannii, and Tsuga heterophylla. The understory is very species-poor, consisting of a deciduous shrub layer with cover over 50%. Characteristic shrubs include Menziesia ferruginea, Rhododendron albiflorum, and Vaccinium membranaceum. Herbs are very sparse, with only Goodyera oblongifolia showing any constancy.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Tsuga heterophylla has a somewhat restricted ecological amplitude and in this region occupies moist (but not wet), moderate temperature sites. The region has an "inland maritime" climate regime, with wet, relatively mild winters and dry summers. This association occurs from 1373-1740 m (4500-5700 feet) elevation, generally on gentle slopes and ridgetops. It is apparently the highest elevation Tsuga heterophylla association; frost and high snowpacks are common. Soils are silt loams to loams; in the Okanogans derived from volcanic ash over mixed colluvium or glacial till.
Geographic Range: The regionally endemic plant association is known only from the Selkirk Mountains of Washington and Idaho, within the eastern-most region of the Okanogan Highlands ecoregional section.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: ID, WA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688429
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2
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.3 Western Hemlock - Grand Fir - Western Larch Mesic Lower Montane Forest Macrogroup | M500 | 1.B.2.Nb.3 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Nb.3.b Western Red-cedar - Western Hemlock Central Rocky Mountain Forest Group | G217 | 1.B.2.Nb.3.b |
| Alliance | A3612 Western Hemlock - Western Red-cedar Cool-Mesic Central Rocky Mountain Forest & Woodland Alliance | A3612 | 1.B.2.Nb.3.b |
| Association | CEGL000496 Western Hemlock / Rusty Menziesia Forest | CEGL000496 | 1.B.2.Nb.3.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Tsuga heterophylla / Menziesia ferruginea Association (Williams and Lillybridge 1985)
= Tsuga heterophylla / Menziesia ferruginea Habitat Type (Cooper et al. 1987)
= Tsuga heterophylla / Menziesia ferruginea Habitat Type (Cooper et al. 1987)
- 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.
- 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]
- 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 B. G. Smith. 1990. Forested plant associations of the Wenatchee National Forest. Unpublished draft prepared by the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland, OR. 217 pp.
- Williams, C. K., and T. R. Lillybridge. 1985. Forested plant associations of the Colville National Forest. Draft. Unpublished field guide prepared for USDA Forest Service.