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CEGL002079 Betula papyrifera / Corylus cornuta Forest

Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Paper Birch / Beaked Hazelnut Forest

Colloquial Name: Paper Birch / Hazelnut Forest

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This paper birch / beaked hazelnut forest type is found in the northwestern Great Plains and Black Hills of the United States. Stands occur on nearly level ground to steep north-facing slopes with silt loam soil. This community has a predominantly closed canopy dominated by Betula papyrifera. Other trees that may contribute significantly to the canopy are Quercus macrocarpa, Populus tremuloides, and, in the Bear Lodge Mountains, Pinus ponderosa. Fraxinus pennsylvanica may be present, especially as small trees or saplings. There is a tall-shrub layer that usually reaches 2 m or more. The most abundant shrub is Corylus cornuta. Other species found in this layer are Amelanchier alnifolia and Prunus virginiana. There is a low-shrub layer that consists of Symphoricarpos spp., Spiraea betulifolia, Shepherdia argentea, and Ribes spp. Common herbaceous species include Actaea rubra, Maianthemum canadense, Carex spp., Aralia nudicaulis, Apocynum androsaemifolium, and Schizachne purpurascens.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: This type is predominately based on information from the Black Hills (McAdams et al. 1998). It is similar to ~Betula papyrifera / Corylus cornuta Woodland (CEGL002128)$$. Clematis occidentalis may be a diagnostic species for the woodland type, and that type also occurs on the top of steep, north-facing slopes (Girard et al. 1989). This type may be more similar to the ~Quercus macrocarpa / Corylus cornuta Woodland (CEGL002137)$$, to which it may be related successionally. See also ~Betula papyrifera - (Tilia americana, Quercus macrocarpa) Canyon Forest (CEGL002013)$$ in Nebraska, which may be an outlier set of stands that fit with this type.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available

Floristics: This community has a predominantly closed canopy dominated by Betula papyrifera. Other trees that may contribute significantly to the canopy are Quercus macrocarpa, Populus tremuloides, and, in the Bear Lodge Mountains, Pinus ponderosa. Fraxinus pennsylvanica may be present, especially as small trees or saplings. There is a tall-shrub layer that usually reaches 2 m or more. The most abundant shrub is Corylus cornuta. Other species found in this layer are Amelanchier alnifolia and Prunus virginiana. Jones (1992b) reported a low-shrub layer that consisted of Symphoricarpos spp., Spiraea betulifolia, Shepherdia argentea, and Ribes spp. Common herbaceous species include Actaea rubra, Maianthemum canadense, Carex spp., Aralia nudicaulis, Apocynum androsaemifolium, and Schizachne purpurascens. Exotics are present in many of these communities, perhaps attributable to cattle grazing, and may include Cirsium arvense, Cynoglossum officinale, and Trifolium repens.

Dynamics:  This community type may occasionally be flooded during periods of unusually high rainfall.
Environmental Description:  This community has been sampled in the Killdeer Mountains of North Dakota and the Black Hills of western South Dakota and eastern Wyoming, where it is found on nearly level ground or lower slopes with silt loam soil in North Dakota and the Black Hills (Girard et al. 1989, McAdams et al. 1998) and, more rarely, on steep north-facing slopes in the Black Hills (Jones 1992b).
Geographic Range: This paper birch / beaked hazelnut forest type is found in the northwestern Great Plains and Black Hills of the United States, particularly the western Dakotas and Wyoming.

Nations: US

States/Provinces:  ND, SD, WY


Confidence Level: Low

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.c Quaking Aspen - Bur Oak / Big Bluestem Woodland Group G146 1.B.2.Ne.1.c
Alliance A3209 Paper Birch - Quaking Aspen - Bur Oak Forest Alliance A3209 1.B.2.Ne.1.c
Association CEGL002079 Paper Birch / Beaked Hazelnut Forest CEGL002079 1.B.2.Ne.1.c
Concept Lineage: No Data Available

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Betula papyrifera / Corylus cornuta Community Type (Girard et al. 1989)
= Betula papyrifera / Corylus cornuta Forest (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
= Betula papyrifera / Corylus cornuta Plant Association (Johnston 1987)
= Betula papyrifera Series (Jones 1992b)
Concept Author(s): D. Faber-Langendoen (2001)

Author of Description: J. Drake

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 12-12-95
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  • 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. M., H. Goetz, and A. J. Bjugstad. 1989. Native woodland habitat types of southwestern North Dakota. Research Paper RM-281. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 36 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.
  • NDNHI [North Dakota Natural Heritage Inventory]. 2018. Unpublished data. Vegetation classification of North Dakota. North Dakota Natural Heritage Inventory, North Dakota Parks & Recreation Department, Bismarck.
  • 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.
  • TNC [The Nature Conservancy]. [1997] c. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Classification of the vegetation of Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Regional Office, Minneapolis, MN, and International Headquarters, Arlington, VA. 28 pp.
  • WNDD [Wyoming Natural Diversity Database]. No date. Unpublished data on file. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.