Print Report
CEGL001081 Betula occidentalis / Crataegus douglasii Wet Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Water Birch / Black Hawthorn Wet Shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This is a riparian, bottomland community found on perennial third order streams to small rivers in medium to large U-shaped, valley bottoms. Occurrences occur at relatively low elevations in the valleys and mountains of eastern Oregon, eastern Idaho, and western Idaho. Betula occidentalis forms a low, patchy canopy along the stream, and occasionally spreads out throughout the floodplain with cover ranging from 30-50%. Crataegus douglasii is found throughout the bottomland, creating shrub thickets with overall cover ranging from 20-40%. Other trees and tall shrubs are rare, but can include Salix species (Salix exigua, Salix geyeriana, or Salix lucida ssp. lasiandra), Cornus sericea, Populus tremuloides, or Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa. Low shrubs (Rosa woodsii, Ribes aureum, Toxicodendron radicans), graminoids (Leymus cinereus, Carex spp., Deschampsia cespitosa, Carex amplifolia, Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis) dominate the understory, along with some non-native grasses and forbs (Bromus tectorum, Poa pratensis, Verbascum thapsus and Solanum dulcamara).
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type appears to really be two types: Betula occidentalis / Crataegus douglasii shrubland growing along streambanks, and Crataegus douglasii / Rosa woodsii along upper stream terraces, that are adjacent to each other (J. Kagan pers. comm.). He is uncertain if it should remain in the classification, so the rank changed from G2 to G1Q and Confidence level = 3. This community type has been around forever, but is completely without plot data. While reported from Idaho, there are no known sites. Evans (1989a) does not mention this type from Washington, but it is currently listed as occurring there (J. Kagan pers. comm.). It is historically known from three sites in Oregon, two in the High Lava Plains (on the Columbia Plateau), and one in the Blue Mountains. When seen in the 1980s, all of the Oregon sites were grazed and somewhat degraded. It is quite possible that with exclusion from grazing, the Betula occidentalis along the stream would turn into one of the known Betula occidentalis types while the Crataegus douglasii in the valley floor would become a known Crataegus douglasii association.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Betula occidentalis forms a low, patchy canopy along the stream, and occasionally spreads out throughout the floodplain with cover ranging from 30-50%. Crataegus douglasii is found throughout the bottomland, creating shrub thickets with overall cover ranging from 20-40%. Other trees and tall shrubs are rare, but can include Salix species (Salix exigua, Salix geyeriana, or Salix lucida ssp. lasiandra), Cornus sericea, Populus tremuloides, or Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa (= Populus trichocarpa). Low shrubs (Rosa woodsii, Ribes aureum, Toxicodendron radicans), graminoids (Leymus cinereus (= Elymus cinereus), Carex spp., Deschampsia cespitosa, Carex amplifolia, Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis (= Juncus balticus)) dominate the understory, along with some non-native grasses and forbs (Bromus tectorum, Poa pratensis, Verbascum thapsus, Solanum dulcamara).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This is a riparian, bottomland community found on perennial third order streams to small rivers in medium to large U-shaped, valley bottoms.
Geographic Range: This type is known from low-elevation riparian areas at the southern margin of the Grande Ronde valley (in the Idaho Batholith region), and in a few small tributaries of the Deschutes River in the High Lava Plains ecoregion of the Columbia Plateau. It is reported from the Columbia Plateau and Palouse region of southern Washington and western Idaho.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: ID, OR, WA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.689456
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class | C02 | 2 |
| Subclass | 2.C Shrub & Herb Wetland Subclass | S44 | 2.C |
| Formation | 2.C.4 Temperate to Polar Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Formation | F013 | 2.C.4 |
| Division | 2.C.4.Nb Western North American Temperate Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Division | D031 | 2.C.4.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.4.Nb.5 Sitka Alder - Booth''s Willow / Northwest Territory Sedge Montane Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Macrogroup | M893 | 2.C.4.Nb.5 |
| Group | 2.C.4.Nb.5.d Willow species - Alder species - Water Birch Riparian & Seep Shrubland Group | G527 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.d |
| Alliance | A3772 Water Birch Wet Shrubland Alliance | A3772 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.d |
| Association | CEGL001081 Water Birch / Black Hawthorn Wet Shrubland | CEGL001081 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.d |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Betula occidentalis / Crataegus douglasii shrubland (Kagan pers. comm.) [growing along streambanks.]
= Betula occidentalis (Evans 1989a) [(p.12)]
? Crataegus douglasii / Rosa woodsii (Kagan pers. comm.) [growing along upper stream terraces.]
= Betula occidentalis (Evans 1989a) [(p.12)]
? Crataegus douglasii / Rosa woodsii (Kagan pers. comm.) [growing along upper stream terraces.]
- 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.
- Evans, S. 1989a. Riparian survey of Washington''s Columbia Basin. Unpublished report prepared for The Nature Conservancy Washington Natural Heritage Program, Olympia, Washington.
- IDCDC [Idaho Conservation Data Center]. 2005. Wetland and riparian plant associations in Idaho. Idaho Conservation Data Center, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Boise. [http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/tech/CDC/ecology/wetland_riparian_assoc.cfm] (accessed 14 June 2005).
- Kagan, J. S., J. A. Christy, M. P. Murray, and J. A. Titus. 2004. Classification of native vegetation of Oregon. January 2004. Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center, Portland. 52 pp.
- Kagan, Jimmy. Personal communication. Coordinator, Oregon Natural Heritage Program, Portland.
- Moseley, R. K. 1986. Establishment record, Snowy Top Research Natural Area within Kaniksu National Forest, Boundary County, Idaho. Unpublished report prepared for USDA Forest Service, Idaho Panhandle National Forests, by The Nature Conservancy, Moscow, ID. 22 pp.
- ORNHP [Oregon Natural Heritage Program]. No date. Unpublished data files. Oregon Natural Heritage Program, The Nature Conservancy, Portland, OR.
- 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.