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CEGL005928 Pinus contorta / Menziesia ferruginea Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Lodgepole Pine / Rusty Menziesia Forest
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This subalpine forest association is known from the northern Rocky Mountains from northwestern Montana and northern Idaho. It is occurs on relatively cold and mesic sites ranging from 1500 to 2200 m (4900-7200 feet), but may extend down to 915 m (3000 feet) in frost pockets. Sites at lower elevation and latitude are typically found on sheltered, steep, northerly aspects. Higher elevation sites also occur on gentler slopes with eastern and more westerly aspects. The vegetation is characterized by an overstory tree canopy dominated by Pinus contorta with Menziesia ferruginea prominent in the understory. The tree subcanopy may be dominated by Picea engelmannii with Pinus albicaulis or Populus tremuloides present. Menziesia ferruginea is important (10% or more cover) in the short-shrub layer. Vaccinium membranaceum, Vaccinium myrtillus, or Vaccinium scoparium (in drier and higher elevation sites) occupies the dwarf-shrub layer. The sparse to moderately dense herbaceous layer is composed of a variety of forbs.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association includes Pinus contorta-dominated stands within the Abies lasiocarpa / Menziesia ferruginea Habitat Type (Pfister et al. 1977) and both the Vaccinium scoparium and Xerophyllum tenax phases of Abies lasiocarpa / Menziesia ferruginea Habitat Type and the Xerophyllum tenax Phase of Tsuga mertensiana / Menziesia ferruginea Habitat Type of Cooper et al. (1987) for northern Idaho.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This forest association is characterized by an overstory tree canopy dominated by Pinus contorta with Menziesia ferruginea prominent in the understory. The tree subcanopy may be dominated by Picea engelmannii with Pinus albicaulis or Populus tremuloides present. Menziesia ferruginea is important (10% or more cover) in the short-shrub layer. Northern stands may be codominated by Rhododendron albiflorum. Vaccinium membranaceum, Vaccinium myrtillus, or Vaccinium scoparium (in drier and higher elevation sites) occupy the dwarf-shrub layer. The sparse to moderately dense herbaceous layer is composed of a variety of forbs. The most common species are Arnica latifolia, Chimaphila umbellata, Goodyera oblongifolia, Orthilia secunda (= Pyrola secunda), Thalictrum occidentale, Viola orbiculata, and Xerophyllum tenax.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This subalpine forest association is known from the northern Rocky Mountains. It occurs on relatively cold and mesic sites ranging from 1500 to 2200 m (4900-7200 feet), but may extend down to 915 m (3000 feet) in frost pockets. Sites at lower elevation and latitude are typically found on sheltered, steep, northerly aspects. Higher elevation sites also occur on gentler slopes with eastern and more westerly aspects and protected ridgeline benches. Though sites are relatively mesic, higher elevation sites are often located on slopes that receive additional moisture from blowing snow, and are stressful due the frequency of high winds and cold temperatures. Parent materials are various, typically composed of colluvium derived from gneiss, quartzite, schist phyllite, or granites. Soil texture is often silt or silt loam. Litter dominates the ground cover.
Geographic Range: This subalpine forest association is known from the northern Rocky Mountains from northwestern Montana and northern Idaho. It is likely to occur in the mountains of Alberta.
Nations: CA?,US
States/Provinces: AB?, ID, MT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.732459
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3G4
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.a Lodgepole Pine Rocky Mountain Forest & Woodland Group | G220 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.a |
| Alliance | A3366 Lodgepole Pine Rocky Mountain Forest Alliance | A3366 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.a |
| Association | CEGL005928 Lodgepole Pine / Rusty Menziesia Forest | CEGL005928 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < Abies lasiocarpa / Menziesia ferruginea Habitat Type (Pfister et al. 1977)
< Abies lasiocarpa / Menziesia ferruginea Habitat Type, Vaccinium scoparium Phase (Cooper et al. 1987)
< Abies lasiocarpa / Menziesia ferruginea Habitat Type, Xerophyllum tenax Phase (Cooper et al. 1987)
= Pinus contorta / Menziesia ferruginea Forest (Hop et al. 2007)
< Tsuga mertensiana / Menziesia ferruginea Habitat Type, Xerophyllum tenax Phase (Cooper et al. 1987)
< Abies lasiocarpa / Menziesia ferruginea Habitat Type, Vaccinium scoparium Phase (Cooper et al. 1987)
< Abies lasiocarpa / Menziesia ferruginea Habitat Type, Xerophyllum tenax Phase (Cooper et al. 1987)
= Pinus contorta / Menziesia ferruginea Forest (Hop et al. 2007)
< Tsuga mertensiana / Menziesia ferruginea Habitat Type, Xerophyllum tenax Phase (Cooper et al. 1987)
- ANHIC [Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre]. 2018. Community database files. Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre, Parks and Protected Areas Division, Alberta Community Development, Edmonton.
- 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.
- 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.