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CEGL000555 Quercus macrocarpa / Ostrya virginiana Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Bur Oak / Hophornbeam Forest
Colloquial Name: Great Plains Bur Oak / Hophornbeam Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This bur oak community type is found in the Black Hills of the western United States. Stands occur at elevations of 1067-1400 m (3500-4600 feet) on gentle to moderately steep (14-47%) northerly slopes. Most occurrences are on upland slopes but some are along streams and gullies. The occurrences of this type along streams are often more floristically diverse than upland examples. The soils are sandy loams and loams with pH of 5.8-7.4. This community is dominated by closely spaced small trees of Quercus macrocarpa. In some areas across the range of this type Fraxinus pennsylvanica and Prunus virginiana may be present. Ostrya virginiana is present in the tree subcanopy. The shrub layer may contain Prunus virginiana var. virginiana, Ribes spp., and Symphoricarpos occidentalis. The herbaceous layer is moderately diverse. Species include Carex siccata, Carex saximontana, Carex sprengelii, Elymus virginicus, Mahonia repens, Maianthemum stellatum, Microsteris gracilis var. gracilis, Thalictrum spp., and Woodsia spp.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This community has been described only from the Black Hills, and could go with A3211, but has some affinities to Great Plains Bur Oak types, such as ~Quercus macrocarpa / Prunus virginiana - Symphoricarpos occidentalis Woodland (CEGL002138)$$. Quercus macrocarpa has a physiognomic appearance similar to Quercus gambelii, e.g., ~Pinus ponderosa / Quercus gambelii Woodland (CEGL000870)$$.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This community is dominated by closely spaced small trees of Quercus macrocarpa. In some areas across the range of this type, Fraxinus pennsylvanica may be present. Ostrya virginiana is present in the tree subcanopy. The shrub layer may contain Prunus virginiana var. virginiana, Ribes spp., and Symphoricarpos occidentalis. The herbaceous layer is moderately diverse. Species include Carex siccata (= Carex foenea), Carex saximontana, Carex sprengelii, Elymus virginicus, Mahonia repens, Maianthemum stellatum, Microsteris gracilis var. gracilis (= Phlox gracilis ssp. gracilis), Thalictrum spp., and Woodsia spp. In four stands sampled by Hoffman and Alexander (1987), the shrubs covered an average of 16%, graminoids 17%, and forbs 17%. The basal area in these stands was 26.6 m2/ ha. Invasive grass Poa pratensis is often found in the understory. Riparian sites are more floristically diverse and have a greater amount of vegetation cover (Hoffman and Alexander 1987).
Dynamics: The riparian edges of some stands may experience periodic flooding. The upland portions of some stands may also be exposed to periodic fire (which may encourage oak regeneration).
Environmental Description: This community has been reported on gentle to moderately steep (14-47%) northerly slopes (Hoffman and Alexander 1987, Johnston 1987). Most occurrences are on upland slopes, but some are along streams and gullies. The soils are sandy loams and loams with pH of 5.8-7.4 (Johnston 1987). It has been found in the limestone and crystalline core (granitic) portions of the Black Hills.
Geographic Range: This community type is found in the Black Hills of the western United States, particularly South Dakota and Wyoming.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: SD, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.689584
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
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.Ne North American Great Plains Forest & Woodland Division | D326 | 1.B.2.Ne |
Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Ne.1 Bur Oak - Quaking Aspen / Western Wheatgrass Forest Woodland Macrogroup | M151 | 1.B.2.Ne.1 |
Group | 1.B.2.Ne.1.a Bur Oak - Hazelnut species / Sedge species Forest & Woodland Group | G329 | 1.B.2.Ne.1.a |
Alliance | A1505 Bur Oak / Mixedgrass Woodland Alliance | A1505 | 1.B.2.Ne.1.a |
Association | CEGL000555 Bur Oak / Hophornbeam Forest | CEGL000555 | 1.B.2.Ne.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Ostrya virginiana / Quercus macrocarpa sparse understory Plant Association (Johnston 1987)
= Quercus macrocarpa / Ostrya virginiana Community (Jones 1992b)
= Quercus macrocarpa / Ostrya virginiana Forest (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
= Quercus macrocarpa / Ostrya virginiana Habitat Type (Hoffman and Alexander 1987)
= Quercus macrocarpa / Ostrya virginiana Community (Jones 1992b)
= Quercus macrocarpa / Ostrya virginiana Forest (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
= Quercus macrocarpa / Ostrya virginiana Habitat Type (Hoffman and Alexander 1987)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Johnston, B. C. 1987. Plant associations of Region Two: Potential plant communities of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas. R2-ECOL-87-2. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. Lakewood, CO. 429 pp.
- Jones, G. 1992b. Wyoming plant community classification (Draft). Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Laramie, WY. 183 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.
- McAdams, A. G., D. A. Stutzman, and D. Faber-Langendoen. 1998. Black Hills Community Inventory, unpublished data. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Regional Office, Minneapolis, MN.
- 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.
- Sieg, C. H. 1991. Ecology of bur oak woodlands in the foothills of the Black Hills, South Dakota. Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Range and Wildlife Management, Texas Tech University.
- 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.