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CEGL005837 Pinus albicaulis - Abies lasiocarpa / Vaccinium membranaceum / Xerophyllum tenax Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Whitebark Pine - Subalpine Fir / Thinleaf Huckleberry / Common Beargrass Woodland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This small- to large-patch type is manifested as a seral type from central Idaho north to northern Idaho, eastern Washington and western Montana (northern Rocky Mountains) and southwestern Alberta (Canadian Rockies), and it very probably will be identified for British Columbia as well. This association is most prominent in west-central and central Montana forests. This association''s elevation range is rather broad, ranging from 1030 to 2015 m (3100-6600 feet). It is much more prevalent within the upper elevation range. It occupies primarily south- through west-facing, moderate to steep slopes and is usually found on midslope to slope shoulder positions. It also occurs on benches associated with broad ridges. Soils are well-drained and derived from a broad spectrum of parent materials, including glacial till and drift, both calcareous and noncalcareous sedimentary types, intrusive and extrusive igneous rock and metamorphic types, particularly quartzite. Ground surfaces have little or no bare soil or rock exposed. The canopy structure ranges from moderately open to closed (>60% cover) with Picea engelmannii and Abies lasiocarpa dominant but in which Pinus albicaulis is a significant component (at least 5% canopy cover). These sites often have lesser amounts of Larix occidentalis, Pseudotsuga menziesii, and Pinus contorta. Even should Abies lasiocarpa and Picea engelmannii be minor components of the overstory, they are always major components of the subcanopy. Unthrifty Pinus albicaulis specimens may be members of this layer too, but all indications are that they will not make the canopy (especially given the ubiquity of white pine blister rust). The short-shrub layer dominates the undergrowth with Vaccinium membranaceum being dominant, often exceeding 50% canopy cover; Spiraea betulifolia, Lonicera utahensis, Paxistima myrsinites, Amelanchier alnifolia, and Rosa gymnocarpa are the other high-constancy species of this layer. Dwarf-shrub layer species that occur with consistency include only Vaccinium scoparium and Mahonia repens. The herbaceous layer is generally relatively depauperate with the diagnostic species Xerophyllum tenax being strongly dominant (average cover reported by various studies ranging from 25 to 61%). Only two graminoids occur consistently and are well-represented, Calamagrostis rubescens and Carex geyeri. Other forbs with moderate to high constancy include Arnica cordifolia, Arnica latifolia, Chimaphila umbellata, Orthilia secunda, Thalictrum occidentale, and Viola orbiculata; not all of these forbs have high constancy throughout the range of the type.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Virtually all of the stands within this association are merely seral representatives of ~Abies lasiocarpa - Picea engelmannii / Vaccinium membranaceum / Xerophyllum tenax Forest (CEGL005917)$$. The association under consideration is recognized, at least in the Glacier-Waterton International Peace Park vegetation keys, as having at least 5% canopy cover of Pinus albicaulis. Recognition of a type based on a very minimal cover of a seral tree species (Pinus albicaulis) of broad distribution should provoke questions; the intent of this broadly inclusive type was to capture stands (specifically their locations, particularly in mapping efforts) wherein this highly threatened species occurs or will have once occurred.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The canopy structure ranges from moderately open to closed (>60% cover) with Picea engelmannii and Abies lasiocarpa dominant but in which Pinus albicaulis is a significant component (at least 5% canopy cover). These sites often have lesser amounts of Larix occidentalis, Pseudotsuga menziesii, and Pinus contorta (sites are beyond the cold limits of Pinus ponderosa for the most part). Even should Abies lasiocarpa and Picea engelmannii be minor components of the overstory, they are always major components of the subcanopy. Unthrifty Pinus albicaulis specimens may be members of this layer too, but all indications are that they will not make the canopy (especially given the ubiquity of white pine blister rust). A tall-shrub layer is absent and even scattered individuals are rare. The short-shrub layer dominates the undergrowth with Vaccinium membranaceum being dominant, often exceeding 50% canopy cover; Spiraea betulifolia, Lonicera utahensis, Paxistima myrsinites, Amelanchier alnifolia, and Rosa gymnocarpa are the other high-constancy species of this layer. Dwarf-shrub layer species that occur with consistence include only Vaccinium scoparium and Mahonia repens (= Berberis repens). The herbaceous layer is generally relatively depauperate with the diagnostic species Xerophyllum tenax being strongly dominant (average cover reported by various studies ranging from 25 to 61%). Only two graminoids occur consistently and are well-represented, Calamagrostis rubescens and Carex geyeri. Other forbs with moderate to high constancy include Arnica cordifolia, Arnica latifolia, Chimaphila umbellata, Orthilia secunda (= Pyrola secunda), Thalictrum occidentale, and Viola orbiculata; not all of these forbs have high constancy throughout the range of the type.
Dynamics: Prior to the advent of white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola) in the ecosystems containing this association, this type would have been considered a long-persisting seral community because the diagnostic species Pinus albicaulis is quite capable of attaining ages in excess of 400 years. Persistence to these extreme ages would have assured this species being present (say within a drainage) given normal fire-return intervals. However, some disturbance (most usually fire) is needed to reinitiate this association once the Pinus albicaulis has died out. Dispersal by animal vectors is its normal mode of reestablishing; corvid birds caching seeds on recently denuded slopes is the dominant mode of dispersal (unrecovered seeds germinate to form seedling clusters). Squirrels also harvest cones which are cached, but these caches are not likely to go unharvested (by squirrels or bears). Should unharvested seeds remain to germinate, they would do so well within an established stand and be subject to canopy shading, a light regime inimical to their establishment and survival. Given the virulence of white pine blister rust within the geographic area supporting this association, it is probable that the term ecologically extinct applied to Pinus albicaulis in Glacier National Park will become operative for much of this type''s distribution.
Environmental Description: This small- to large-patch type is manifested as a seral type from central Idaho north to northern Idaho, eastern Washington and western Montana (northern Rocky Mountains) and southwestern Alberta (Canadian Rockies), and it very probably will be identified for British Columbia as well. This association is most prominent in west-central and central Montana forests. This association''s elevation range is rather broad, ranging from 1030 to 2015 m (3100-6600 feet). It is much more prevalent within the upper elevation range. It occupies primarily south- through west-facing, moderate to steep slopes and is usually found on midslope to slope shoulder positions. It also occurs on benches associated with broad ridges. Soils are well-drained and derived from a broad spectrum of parent materials including glacial till and drift, both calcareous and noncalcareous sedimentary types, intrusive and extrusive igneous rock and metamorphic types, particularly quartzite. In one study soil texture ranged from gravelly sandy loams to silts, and a yet greater range in texture can be expected across the type''s distribution. Ground surfaces have little or no bare soil or rock exposed.
Geographic Range: This association is found from the northern portion of the middle Rocky Mountains of Idaho to the northern Rocky Mountains and documented well into the southeastern portion of the Canadian Rockies. It is somewhat surprising that this association has not yet been documented as a seral type on the Colville National Forest of northeastern Washington (as stands within Williams et al.''s (1995) Abies lasiocarpa / Xerophyllum tenax Plant Association) and less surprising that it has not been sampled on the Wenatchee National Forest (Lillybridge et al. 1995); all characteristic species are found on these forests, but perhaps their distributions are not overlapping.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: AB, ID, MT, WA?
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.730879
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3?
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.g Whitebark Pine - Subalpine Fir - Subalpine Larch Northern Rocky Mountain Woodland Group | G223 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.g |
| Alliance | A3368 Whitebark Pine Forest & Woodland Alliance | A3368 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.g |
| Association | CEGL005837 Whitebark Pine - Subalpine Fir / Thinleaf Huckleberry / Common Beargrass Woodland | CEGL005837 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.g |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Abies lasiocarpa / Xerophyllum tenax Habitat Type, Vaccinium membranaceum Phase (Cooper et al. 1987)
= Abies lasiocarpa / Xerophyllum tenax Habitat Type, Vaccinium membranaceum Phase (Pfister et al. 1977)
>< Picea engelmannii - Abies lasiocarpa / Xerophyllum tenax Habitat Type (Ogilvie 1962)
= Pinus albicaulis - Abies lasiocarpa / Vaccinium membranaceum / Xerophyllum tenax Woodland (Hop et al. 2007)
= Abies lasiocarpa / Xerophyllum tenax Habitat Type, Vaccinium membranaceum Phase (Pfister et al. 1977)
>< Picea engelmannii - Abies lasiocarpa / Xerophyllum tenax Habitat Type (Ogilvie 1962)
= Pinus albicaulis - Abies lasiocarpa / Vaccinium membranaceum / Xerophyllum tenax Woodland (Hop et al. 2007)
- Achuff, P. L., R. L. McNeil, M. L. Coleman, C. Wallis and C. Wershler. 2002. Ecological land classification of Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta. Volume I: Integrated resource description. Parks Canada, Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta. 226 pp.
- Cooper, S. V., K. E. Neiman, R. Steele, and D. W. Roberts. 1987. Forest habitat types of northern Idaho: A second approximation. General Technical Report INT-236.USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Ogden, UT. 135 pp. [reprinted in 1991]
- Hop, K., M. Reid, J. Dieck, S. Lubinski, and S. Cooper. 2007. U.S. Geological Survey-National Park Service Vegetation Mapping Program: Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse, WI. 131 pp. plus Appendices A-L.
- Lillybridge, T. R., B. L. Kovalchik, C. K. Williams, and B. G. Smith. 1995. Field guide for forested plant associations of the Wenatchee National Forest. General Technical Report PNW-GTR-359. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland, OR. 335 pp.
- Ogilvie, R. T. 1962. Ecology of spruce forests on the east slope of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta. Unpublished dissertation, Washington State University, Pullman. 189 pp.
- Pfister, R. D., B. L. Kovalchik, S. F. Arno, and R. C. Presby. 1977. Forest habitat types of Montana. General Technical Report INT-34. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT. 174 pp.
- Reid, M. S., S. V. Cooper, and G. Kittel. 2004. Vegetation classification of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. Final report for USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program, International Peace Park Mapping Project. NatureServe, Arlington VA.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.
- Williams, C. K., B. F. Kelly, B. G. Smith, and T. R. Lillybridge. 1995. Forest plant associations of the Colville National Forest. General Technical Report PNW-GTR-360. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland, OR. 140 pp.