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CEGL002057 Picea glauca Alluvial Black Hills Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: White Spruce Alluvial Black Hills Forest
Colloquial Name: Black Hills White Spruce Alluvial Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: The white spruce alluvial forest type is only known from the Black Hills of the United States. In the Hills, it is restricted to higher elevations in the Central Core and on the Limestone Plateau. It occurs in both narrow high-gradient drainages, and in broader lower-gradient drainage bottoms. The type is characterized by somewhat open to closed canopies dominated by Picea glauca. The understory is highly variable. Smaller spruce and Pinus ponderosa, as well as Populus tremuloides, Betula papyrifera and Acer negundo, may form a subcanopy. The understory may be sparse, with shrub and herbaceous cover each less than 25%. At other sites, the understory consists of species typical of riparian shrubland and wet meadow types, including Salix bebbiana, Betula occidentalis, Cornus sericea, Calamagrostis canadensis, and Carex nebrascensis.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type often occurs in mosaics with other riparian types, most commonly Sandbar Willow Shrubland, ~Salix exigua Riparian Wet Shrubland (CEGL001197)$$, Bebb''s Willow Shrubland, ~Salix bebbiana Wet Shrubland (CEGL001173)$$, Water Birch - Red-osier Dogwood Shrubland, ~Betula occidentalis / Cornus sericea Wet Shrubland (CEGL001161)$$, Nebraska Sedge Wet Meadow, ~Carex nebrascensis Wet Meadow (CEGL001813)$$, Canadian Reedgrass Wet Meadow, ~Calamagrostis canadensis Western Wet Meadow (CEGL001559)$$, and Western Great Plains Streamside Vegetation, ~Schoenoplectus spp. - Poa palustris - Mixed Herbaceous Great Plains Streamside Marsh (CEGL005263)$$. The spruce generally occupies the driest areas within these mosaics. Scattered white spruce trees may occur in stands of those types as well. Moving upland, adjacent communities include White Spruce / Twinflower Forest, ~Picea glauca / Linnaea borealis Forest (CEGL000382)$$ on slopes with northerly aspects, and ponderosa pine types on drier aspects. In narrow high-gradient drainages, White Spruce Alluvial Black Hills Forest may be the sole vegetation type in the drainage bottom.
This type is equivalent to the white spruce association in the Black Hills Riparian Vegetation Classification (RMS 1998). Girard (c. 1991) recognized only the white spruce / twinflower (Linnaea borealis) ecological type, and did not segregate out a separate type on wetter sites in drainage bottoms. The white spruce - twinflower habitat type of Steinauer (1981) does not include riparian spruce stands. The white spruce / twinflower habitat type by Hoffman and Alexander (1987) also did not include riparian stands. That type is considered an upland type in the current classification (CEGL000382), distinct from this type. This riparian type should be compared to stands further north in Canada.
This type is equivalent to the white spruce association in the Black Hills Riparian Vegetation Classification (RMS 1998). Girard (c. 1991) recognized only the white spruce / twinflower (Linnaea borealis) ecological type, and did not segregate out a separate type on wetter sites in drainage bottoms. The white spruce - twinflower habitat type of Steinauer (1981) does not include riparian spruce stands. The white spruce / twinflower habitat type by Hoffman and Alexander (1987) also did not include riparian stands. That type is considered an upland type in the current classification (CEGL000382), distinct from this type. This riparian type should be compared to stands further north in Canada.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The type is characterized by somewhat open to closed canopies dominated by Picea glauca. The understory is highly variable. Smaller spruce and Pinus ponderosa, as well as Populus tremuloides, Betula papyrifera and Acer negundo, may form a subcanopy. Shrub and herbaceous cover and composition are highly variable among stands surveyed. In narrow canyons, the understory often is sparse, with shrub and herbaceous cover each less than 25%. Common associates in these situations are Actaea rubra, Aralia nudicaulis, Maianthemum canadense, Lysimachia ciliata, and several species of Viola and Equisetum. At other sites, the understory consists of riparian shrubland and wet meadow types, including those dominated by Salix bebbiana, Betula occidentalis, Cornus sericea, Calamagrostis canadensis, and Carex nebrascensis (Marriott and Faber-Langendoen 2000).
Dynamics: Picea glauca may occur as scattered trees (less than 20% overall cover) in other riparian types, including ~Betula papyrifera / Corylus cornuta Forest (CEGL002079)$$, ~Salix bebbiana Wet Shrubland (CEGL001173)$$, ~Betula occidentalis / Cornus sericea Wet Shrubland (CEGL001161)$$, and ~Carex nebrascensis Wet Meadow (CEGL001813)$$, suggesting possible successional trends. Girard (c. 1991) considered the Picea glauca / Linnaea borealis Forest ecological type in the Black Hills (equivalent to CEGL000382) the end point of riparian succession at high elevations, with soils becoming drier and well-drained. She also observed that with a rise in the water table (for example, from beaver activity), Picea glauca stands appear to revert directly back to sedge- or willow-dominated types (Marriott and Faber-Langendoen 2000).
Environmental Description: Stands occur in drainage bottoms at higher elevations (1525-1920 m [5000-6300 feet]) (Steinauer 1981, Girard c. 1991, BHCI 1999). They have been found in both narrow canyons with moderate- to high-gradient channels, and in broader low- to moderate-gradient drainages. Sites are level, or gently sloping with northerly aspects. Flowing streams or standing water may be present. White spruce alluvial forest has been documented from the Central Core and Limestone Plateau in areas underlain by granite, schist, slate, quartzite and limestone (Marriott and Faber-Langendoen 2000).
Geographic Range: This white spruce forest type is found in riparian areas in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: SD
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688962
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2G3
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.f White Spruce - Douglas-fir Central Rocky Mountain Forest Group | G345 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.f |
| Alliance | A3623 White Spruce Black Hills Forest Alliance | A3623 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.f |
| Association | CEGL002057 White Spruce Alluvial Black Hills Forest | CEGL002057 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.f |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Picea glauca / Linnaea borealis (Hoffman and Alexander 1987)
= Picea glauca Alluvial Black Hills Forest (Marriott and Faber-Langendoen 2000)
= Picea glauca Alluvial Black Hills Forest (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
= Picea glauca Alluvial Black Hills Forest (Marriott and Faber-Langendoen 2000)
= Picea glauca Alluvial Black Hills Forest (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
- BHCI [Black Hills Community Inventory]. 1999. Unpublished element occurrence and plot data collected during the Black Hills Community Inventory. Available upon request from the South Dakota Natural Heritage Program, Pierre, and Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Laramie.
- Caicco, S. L., J. M. Scott, B. Butterfield, and B. Csuti. 1995. A gap analysis of the management status of the vegetation of Idaho (U.S.A.). Conservation Biology 9(3):498-511.
- Clary, W. P., and B. F. Webster. 1989. Managing grazing of riparian areas in the Intermountain Region. General Technical Report INT-263. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Ogden, UT. 11 pp.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., editor. 2001. Plant communities of the Midwest: Classification in an ecological context. Association for Biodiversity Information, Arlington, VA. 61 pp. plus appendix (705 pp.).
- Girard, M. [1991]. ECODATA survey of riparian communities of Black Hills National Forest, 1986-1990. Unpublished files, field forms, notes, data analyses and type descriptions. Supervisor''s Office, Black Hills National Forest, Custer, SD.
- Girard, M., D. L. Wheeler, and S. B. Mills. 1997. Classification of riparian communities on the Bighorn National Forest. R2-RR-97-02. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, Sheridan, WY. 308 pp.
- Hansen, P. L., R. D. Pfister, K. Boggs, B. J. Cook, J. Joy, and D. K. Hinckley. 1995. Classification and management of Montana''s riparian and wetland sites. Miscellaneous Publication No. 54. Montana Forest and Conservation Experiment Station, School of Forestry, University of Montana. 646 pp. plus posters.
- Hoffman, G. R., and R. R. Alexander. 1987. Forest vegetation of the Black Hills National Forest of South Dakota and Wyoming: A habitat type classification. Research Paper RM-276. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 48 pp.
- Marriott, H. J., D. Faber-Langendoen, A. McAdams, D. Stutzman, and B. Burkhart. 1999. The Black Hills Community Inventory: Final report. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Conservation Science Center, Minneapolis, MN.
- Marriott, H. J., and D. Faber-Langendoen. 2000. The Black Hills community inventory. Volume 2: Plant community descriptions. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Conservation Science Center and Association for Biodiversity Information, Minneapolis, MN. 326 pp.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- RMS. 1998. Unpublished, untitled document containing Black Hills riparian vegetation classification, key and tables of canopy cover and constancy estimates. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Rapid City, SD.
- SDNHP [South Dakota Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data. South Dakota Natural Heritage Program, Pierre, SD.
- Steinauer, G. A. 1981. A classification of the Cercocarpus montanus, Quercus macrocarpa, Populus tremuloides, and Picea glauca habitat types of the Black Hills National Forest. Unpublished thesis, University of South Dakota, Brookings. 95 pp.