Print Report
CEGL000303 Abies lasiocarpa - Picea engelmannii / Carex siccata Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Subalpine Fir - Engelmann Spruce / Dry-spike Sedge Forest
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This plant association is restricted to elevations above 3050 m on the western side of Mount Graham, ridgelines and moderately steep southern aspect slopes in the Pinaleno Mountains in southeastern Arizona. It may also occur in the White Mountains of Arizona. This high-elevation forest is codominated by Abies lasiocarpa and Picea engelmannii with occasional Pseudotsuga menziesii and Populus tremuloides trees. Shrub cover is sparse. Herbaceous cover is abundant but patchy near rock outcrops. Cover is dominated by graminoids, mostly Carex siccata with Poa fendleriana or Poa pratensis. Forb cover is relatively low, usually consisting of Campanula rotundifolia, Lathyrus lanszwertii var. leucanthus, Mertensia franciscana, Oreochrysum parryi, and Vicia americana.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Picea engelmannii and Abies lasiocarpa are present in the overstory. Graminoids dominate the understory with Carex siccata forming up to 70% cover in small patches.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This high-elevation forest is codominated by Abies lasiocarpa and Picea engelmannii with occasional Pseudotsuga menziesii and Populus tremuloides trees. Shrub cover is sparse. Herbaceous cover is abundant but patchy near rock outcrops. Cover is dominated by graminoids, mostly Carex siccata (= Carex foenea) with Poa fendleriana or Poa pratensis. Forb cover is relatively low, usually consisting of Campanula rotundifolia, Lathyrus lanszwertii var. leucanthus (= Lathyrus arizonicus), Mertensia franciscana, Oreochrysum parryi (= Solidago parryi), and Vicia americana.
Dynamics: Fire history suggested by abundance of old-growth stands is one of long return intervals of stand-replacing fires (Grissino-Mayer and Swetnam 1992). For the Pinaleno Mountains at elevations exceeding 2800 m (9200 feet), Stromberg and Patten (1991) present the following model for a successional pathway following disturbance: (1) spruce colonization; (2) reduction in further recruitment of all species; and (3) abundant recruitment of Abies lasiocarpa and Picea engelmannii 80 to 150 years after initial colonization. This sequence which is recovery to old-growth status requires more than 300 years on gentle slopes. On steeper, lower elevation sites recovery time would be longer and colonizing species would be Picea engelmannii and Pseudotsuga menziesii.
Environmental Description: This plant association is restricted to elevations above 3050 m (10,000 feet) on the western side of Mount Graham, ridgelines and moderately steep southern aspect slopes in the Pinaleno Mountains in southeastern Arizona. It may also occur in the White Mountains of Arizona.
Geographic Range: This plant association is found in the Pinaleno Mountains in southeastern Arizona and may also occur in the White Mountains of Arizona.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AZ
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688449
Confidence Level: Low
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.5 Subalpine Fir - Engelmann Spruce - Whitebark Pine Rocky Mountain Forest Macrogroup | M020 | 1.B.2.Nb.5 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Nb.5.b Engelmann Spruce - Subalpine Fir - Lodgepole Pine Dry-Mesic Forest & Woodland Group | G219 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.b |
| Alliance | A3641 Subalpine Fir - Engelmann Spruce Southern Rocky Mountain Dry-Mesic Forest Alliance | A3641 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.b |
| Association | CEGL000303 Subalpine Fir - Engelmann Spruce / Dry-spike Sedge Forest | CEGL000303 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Abies biflora / Carex foenea (Stuever and Hayden 1997a)
= Abies lasiocarpa / Carex foenea Habitat Type (Bassett et al. 1987)
< Picea engelmannii / Carex foenea Habitat Type (Muldavin et al. 1996) [includes stands codominated by Abies lasiocarpa]
= Picea engelmannii/Carex foenea (Moir and Ludwig 1979)
< Corkbark Fir-Engelmann Spruces Series (Dick-Peddie 1993)
= Abies lasiocarpa / Carex foenea Habitat Type (Bassett et al. 1987)
< Picea engelmannii / Carex foenea Habitat Type (Muldavin et al. 1996) [includes stands codominated by Abies lasiocarpa]
= Picea engelmannii/Carex foenea (Moir and Ludwig 1979)
< Corkbark Fir-Engelmann Spruces Series (Dick-Peddie 1993)
- Bassett, D., M. Larson, and W. Moir. 1987. Forest and woodland habitat types of Arizona south of the Mogollon Rim and southwestern New Mexico. Edition 2. USDA Forest Service, Southwestern Region, Albuquerque, NM.
- 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 J. A. Ludwig. 1983b. Forest habitat types south of the Mogollon Rim, Arizona and New Mexico. Final Report, CA K-28-240. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 48 pp. plus appendices.
- Dick-Peddie, W. A. 1993. New Mexico vegetation: Past, present, and future. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque. 244 pp.
- Grissino-Mayer, H. D., and T. W. Swetnam. 1992. Dendroecological research on Mt. Graham: Development of tree-ring chrononologies for the Pinaleño Mountains. Laboratory of Tree Ring Research, University of Arizona.
- Kearsley, M. J. C., K. Green, M. Tukman, M. Reid, M. Hall, T. J. Ayers, and K. Christie. 2015. Grand Canyon National Park-Grand Canyon / Parashant National Monument vegetation classification and mapping project. Natural Resource Report NPS/GRCA/NRR--2015/913. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 75 pp. plus appendices.
- Moir, W. H., and J. A. Ludwig. 1979. A classification of spruce-fir and mixed conifer habitat types of Arizona and New Mexico. Research Paper RM-207. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 47 pp.
- Muldavin, E. H., R. L. DeVelice, and F. Ronco, Jr. 1996. A classification of forest habitat types of southern Arizona and portions of the Colorado Plateau. General Technical Report RM-GTR-287. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 130 pp.
- Muldavin, E., R. L. DeVelice, and W. A. Dick-Peddie. 1986. Forest habitat types of the Fort Apache, San Carlos and Hualapai Indian reservations, Arizona. Final Report Cooperative Agreement 28-K3-208 Addendum, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station and New Mexico State University. 67 pp.
- Reid, M. S., and M. E. Hall. 2010. Vegetation classification of Grand Canyon National Park. Draft report submitted to National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
- Stromberg, J. C., and D. T. Patten. 1991. Dynamics of the spruce-fir forest on the Pinaleno Mountains, Graham Co., Arizona. The Southwestern Naturalist 36(1):37-48.
- Stuever, M. C., and J. S. Hayden. 1997a. Plant associations of Arizona and New Mexico, edition 3. Volume 1: Forests. USDA Forest Service, Southwestern Region. Habitat Typing Guides. 291 pp.
- USFS [U.S. Forest Service]. 1987a. Forest and woodland habitat types (plant associations) of northern New Mexico and northern Arizona. USDA Forest Service, Southwestern Region, Albuquerque, NM. Second edition, 170 pp. plus insert.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.