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CEGL000420 Pseudotsuga menziesii / Amelanchier alnifolia Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Douglas-fir / Saskatoon Serviceberry Forest
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association has been reported from colluvial slopes, ridges, mountains and canyon walls in northwestern Colorado, northwestern Wyoming and central Montana. In the northern part of its range, stands occur on warm, southerly slopes, whereas in Colorado the type is restricted to cold north-facing slopes. Slopes range from moderate to very steep (over 100%); elevations range from 1220 m in Montana to more than 2250 m in Colorado (4000-8350 feet). Soils are gravelly loams and sandy loams derived from granite or sandstone and often are very rocky. Litter and duff cover much of the unvegetated ground surface. Pseudotsuga menziesii dominates the tree canopy of this association with at least 20% cover, except in Montana, where cover may be as low as 5%. Other trees, such as Pinus albicaulis, Pinus flexilis, Pinus ponderosa, Populus tremuloides, or Juniperus scopulorum, may be present to codominant. In younger stands, these species may have higher cover than Pseudotsuga menziesii. Abies concolor is typically absent. The shrub layer is often dense. Dominant shrubs in the understory include Amelanchier alnifolia, Prunus virginiana, Spiraea betulifolia, and Symphoricarpos spp., as well as lesser amounts of Rosa spp., Ribes spp., Juniperus communis, Mahonia repens, and Paxistima myrsinites. Graminoids are rare to abundant; Pseudoroegneria spicata, Bromus carinatus, Achnatherum lettermanii, Elymus trachycaulus, Carex geyeri, and Agrostis scabra are common species. Common forbs include Eurybia conspicua, Eucephalus engelmannii, Helianthella uniflora, Fragaria virginiana, Symphyotrichum ascendens, and Maianthemum racemosum.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Roberts'' (1980) 5 stands are in a relatively early-seral stage, dominated by Pinus ponderosa (average cover 38%), with a constant presence of Pseudotsuga menziesii with average cover of only 5%. The Grand Teton and Dinosaur plots have no ponderosa pine, but do have other pines and early-seral species. To better fit with the NatureServe concept of plant associations as existing vegetation, it is suggested that we place the Roberts type in ~Pinus ponderosa / Amelanchier alnifolia Woodland (CEGL000840)$$.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Pseudotsuga menziesii dominates the tree canopy of this association with at least 20% cover, except in Montana, where cover may be as low as 5%. Other trees, such as Pinus albicaulis, Pinus flexilis, Pinus ponderosa, Populus tremuloides, or Juniperus scopulorum, may be present to codominant. In younger stands, these species may have higher cover than Pseudotsuga menziesii. Abies concolor is typically absent. The shrub layer is often dense. Dominant shrubs in the understory include Amelanchier alnifolia (5-30% cover), Prunus virginiana (5-15%), Spiraea betulifolia (0-15%), and Symphoricarpos spp. (3-10%), as well as lesser amounts of Rosa spp., Ribes spp., Juniperus communis, Mahonia repens, and Paxistima myrsinites. Graminoids are rare to abundant; Pseudoroegneria spicata, Bromus carinatus, Achnatherum lettermanii, Elymus trachycaulus, Carex geyeri, and Agrostis scabra are common species. Common forbs include Eurybia conspicua (= Aster conspicuus), Eucephalus engelmannii, Helianthella uniflora, Fragaria virginiana, Symphyotrichum ascendens, and Maianthemum racemosum.
Dynamics: Mean fire interval in the moist Pseudotsuga menziesii habitat types of Montana is about 40 years. In Wyoming and Colorado, the fire-return interval is at least 200 years. Long fire-free intervals result in high fuel loads and eventually a stand-replacing fire. Less severe fires result in more park-like stands (Fischer and Clayton 1983). Fire suppression is undoubtedly increasing the proportion of stands with high stocking of Pseudotsuga menziesii and high fuel loads and decreasing the proportion of more park-like stands dominated by pine.
Environmental Description: This association has been reported from colluvial slopes, ridges, mountains and canyon walls in northwestern Colorado, northwestern Wyoming and central Montana. In the northern part of its range, stands occur on warm, southerly slopes, whereas in Colorado it is restricted to cold north-facing slopes. Slopes range from moderate to very steep (over 100%); elevations range from 1220 m in Montana to more than 2250 m in Colorado (4000-8350 feet). Mean annual precipitation is about 40-50 cm in Montana (Soil Conservation Service 1981b). Soils are gravelly loams and sandy loams with a slightly acidic reaction and often are very rocky. Litter and duff cover much of the unvegetated ground surface. Parent materials include granite and sandstone.
Geographic Range: This association is known from just north of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, from Dinosaur National Monument in northwestern Colorado and from the Bear''s Paw Mountains of the Montana Isolated Mountain Ranges Subsection of the Northwestern Glaciated Plains Section (Roberts 1980).
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO, MT, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688568
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2Q
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.c Douglas-fir Middle Rocky Mountain Montane Forest & Woodland Group | G215 | 1.B.2.Nb.2.c |
| Alliance | A3463 Douglas-fir Middle Rocky Mountain Mesic-Wet Forest Alliance | A3463 | 1.B.2.Nb.2.c |
| Association | CEGL000420 Douglas-fir / Saskatoon Serviceberry Forest | CEGL000420 | 1.B.2.Nb.2.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Pseudotsuga menziesii / Amelanchier alnifolia Habitat Type (Roberts 1980)
- 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.
- Cogan, D., K. Varga, and G. Kittel. 2005. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Grand Teton National Park and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. Final Project Report 2002-2005 Vegetation Mapping Project. Technical Memorandum 8260-06-02. USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, CO. 87 pp. plus Appendixes A-F.
- Coles, J., A. Tendick, J. Von Loh, G. Bradshaw, G. Manis, A. Wight, G. Wakefield, and A. Evenden. 2010. Vegetation classification and mapping project report, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NCPN/NRTR--2010/361. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
- Coles, J., D. Cogan, D. Salas, A. Wight, G. Wakefield, J. Von Loh, and A. Evenden. 2008a. Vegetation classification and mapping project report, Dinosaur National Monument. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NCPN/NRTR-2008/112. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 814 pp.
- 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.
- Roberts, D. W. 1980. Forest habitat types of the Bear''s Paw Mountains and Little Rocky Mountains, Montana. Unpublished thesis, Department of Forestry, University of Montana, Missoula. 116 pp.
- Soil Conservation Service. 1981b. Average annual precipitation Montana. USDA-SCS, Bozeman, MT.
- Tendick, A., J. Coles, P. Williams, G. Bradshaw, G. Manis, A. Wight, G. Wakefield, and A. Evenden. 2010. Vegetation classification and mapping project report, Curecanti National Recreation Area. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NCPN/NRTR--2010/408. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 797 pp.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.