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CEGL000732 Juniperus osteosperma / Sparse Understory Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Utah Juniper / Sparse Understory Woodland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This widespread woodland association occurs in the Great Basin, Colorado Plateau and western Rocky Mountain regions where it occupies sites in which junipers have become established but that are too dry to support a developed understory of shrubs, forbs and grasses. Total vegetation cover ranges from (3) 10 to 70% and consists almost entirely of the Juniperus osteosperma canopy. Shrub cover and herbaceous cover each total less than 5%, and usually total 1% or less. Because of the sparseness of the understory vegetation, there are few species that can be expected throughout the range of this association. Common species include Ephedra viridis, Gutierrezia sarothrae, and Elymus elymoides. Cryptobiotic crust cover may be high where there is little disturbance from cattle grazing. Lack of soil moisture-holding capacity, southern or western aspects, old-growth conditions (lack of disturbance), or high cover by rocks or bedrock may all contribute to the development of these stands. Elevations range between 1400 and 2200 m, and stands occur on a variety of soils, geology, slopes, aspects and landforms.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association is largely known and described from National Park Service inventory efforts in the Colorado Plateau. Milton and Purdy (1983) describe a pinyon-juniper / sparse understory woodland type at two sites in the Great Basin of Nevada and western Utah. The soils at these sites are derived from hydrothermally altered rocks. Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) is the dominant tree; however, the scattered pinyon pine in these sites is Pinus monophylla, not Pinus edulis as occurs in the Colorado Plateau.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This common woodland association is characterized by a canopy of Juniperus osteosperma with between 10 and 70% cover, sometimes less in very open stands. In many stands the total vegetation cover does not exceed 20%. Pinus edulis is generally absent from the canopy. Trees may be barely 2 m high on shale sites, or in old-growth stands the trees may approach 5 m in height. Scattered shrubs are usually present, but do not exceed 5% cover, and usually the total is 1% or less. Shrub species present are variable and may include Ephedra viridis, Chrysothamnus greenei, Cercocarpus montanus, Artemisia filifolia, Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis, Gutierrezia microcephala, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Fraxinus anomala, Shepherdia rotundifolia, and Opuntia spp. Forbs and grasses also total less than 5% (usually 1% or less) and may include Pleuraphis jamesii, Achnatherum hymenoides, Heterotheca villosa (= Chrysopsis villosa), Petradoria pumila, or Elymus elymoides. Cryptobiotic crusts may cover as much as 25% of the unvegetated area in stands with sandy substrates.
Dynamics: This association is generally the result of the development of a juniper woodland on soils with poor water-holding capacity, such as shale or coarse sands. Less often it results from a lack of sites for herbaceous species to establish, such as talus slopes or sites with high exposure of bedrock. It is not meant to include stands where the understory is sparse because of disturbance such as grazing, drought or fire. Some stands are very open, sparse woodlands, while others have a well-developed, relatively dense canopy, but they have in common the fact that the substrate cannot support a developed understory, even in wet years.
Environmental Description: This widespread woodland association occurs on slopes, ridges, benches and mesas at elevations ranging between 1200 and 2200 m (3940-7220 feet). Slopes range from gentle to moderately steep, with a few examples on very steep slopes. Sites may be oriented to any aspect. In Colorado Plateau and Great Basin stands, substrates and soils tend to have poor water-holding capacity (hydrothermally altered volcanic tuff, clay or coarse sands) and are on warm south or west exposures. In some Colorado Plateau stands, the substrate is so rocky as to afford few places for shrubs or herbaceous species to grow, or the woodland is in an old-growth condition and juniper trees are using all of the available light and moisture. The unvegetated ground surface may have high cover of cryptobiotic crusts on sandy sites; shale sites usually have high cover of bare ground, and other sites may have high cover by rock, bedrock and gravel.
Geographic Range: This association occurs widely in the Great Basin, Colorado Plateau and western Southern Rocky Mountains, and extends north to the Uinta Mountains.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AZ, CO, NV, UT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688904
Confidence Level: High
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNRQ
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.Nc Western North American Pinyon - Juniper Woodland & Scrub Division | D010 | 1.B.2.Nc |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Nc.1 Singleleaf Pinyon - Utah Juniper - Western Juniper Intermountain Woodland Macrogroup | M896 | 1.B.2.Nc.1 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Nc.1.a Two-needle Pinyon - Utah Juniper Woodland Group | G900 | 1.B.2.Nc.1.a |
| Alliance | A4371 Utah Juniper Colorado Plateau Shrubby Woodland Alliance | A4371 | 1.B.2.Nc.1.a |
| Association | CEGL000732 Utah Juniper / Sparse Understory Woodland | CEGL000732 | 1.B.2.Nc.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
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