Print Report
CEGL003775 Populus fremontii / Equisetum spp. Riparian Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Fremont Cottonwood / Horsetail species Riparian Woodland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This deciduous riparian woodland is found in the Colorado Plateau in southeastern Utah, where it occurs along narrow streams, on low alluvial terraces in canyon bottoms and intermittently flooded wash bottoms with a high water table. These sites flood periodically and generally have a high water table or flowing water during the growing season. Sampled sites slope gently (not exceeding 3%) at 1421-1536 m elevation. The unvegetated surface has high cover of litter. Soils are rapidly drained sandy loams derived from alluvium. The vegetation is characterized by an open tree canopy, typically 15-20 m tall, of Populus fremontii trees with up to 45% cover, with the understory dominated by the fern ally Equisetum hyemale (up to 35% cover). Flood scouring removes most vegetation except for Equisetum sp. Scattered shrubs and other trees species may be present, including Juniperus osteosperma, Forestiera pubescens, Rhus trilobata, Salix exigua, and Salix lutea, but do make a distinct shrub layer. The sparse to moderately dense herbaceous layer is moderately diverse in species composition. Other herbaceous species include relatively mesic species such as Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis, Maianthemum stellatum, Artemisia ludoviciana and exotic forage species Medicago sativa, Melilotus officinalis, and Poa pratensis.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: ~Populus fremontii / Scour Riparian Forest (CEGL005978)$$ is very similar to this type. More sampling is needed to clarify differences.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This riparian woodland is characterized by an open to moderate tree canopy (30-45% cover), typically 10-20 m tall, of Populus fremontii trees. The understory is dominated by the fern ally Equisetum hyemale (20-35% cover). Flood scouring removes most vegetation except for Equisetum sp. Scattered shrubs and other trees species may be present, including Juniperus osteosperma, Forestiera pubescens, Rhus trilobata var. trilobata, Salix exigua, and Salix lutea, but do make a distinct shrub layer. The vine Clematis ligusticifolia is usually present and may provide up to 10% cover. The sparse to moderately dense herbaceous layer is moderately diverse in species composition. Other herbaceous species include Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis (= Juncus balticus), Maianthemum stellatum, Artemisia ludoviciana, Comandra umbellata, Cirsium calcareum, Glycyrrhiza lepidota, and exotic forage species Medicago sativa, Melilotus officinalis, and Poa pratensis.
Dynamics: This Fremont cottonwood / horsetail woodland association is maintained by periodic flooding that scours stream banks and returns understory vegetation to an early-seral stage dominated by Equisetum spp.
Environmental Description: This deciduous riparian woodland is known from drainages in the Colorado Plateau in southeastern Utah. Stands occur in intermittently flooded wash bottoms with a high water table, along narrow streams and on low alluvial terraces in canyon bottoms. These sites flood periodically and generally have a high water table or flowing water during the growing season. Sampled sites are gently sloping (not exceeding 3%) and range from 1421-1536 m elevation. The unvegetated surface has high cover of litter. Soils are rapidly drained sandy loams derived from alluvium.
Geographic Range: This association is known only from Arches and Canyonlands national parks in southeastern Utah but likely occurs elsewhere in the southwestern U.S. along rivers and streams with periodic flooding.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: UT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.791987
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
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.3 Temperate Flooded & Swamp Forest Formation | F026 | 1.B.3 |
| Division | 1.B.3.Nd Western North American Interior Flooded Forest Division | D013 | 1.B.3.Nd |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.3.Nd.2 Interior Warm & Cool Desert Riparian Forest Macrogroup | M036 | 1.B.3.Nd.2 |
| Group | 1.B.3.Nd.2.b Western Interior Riparian Forest & Woodland Group | G797 | 1.B.3.Nd.2.b |
| Alliance | A0644 Fremont Cottonwood Great Basin Riparian Forest Alliance | A0644 | 1.B.3.Nd.2.b |
| Association | CEGL003775 Fremont Cottonwood / Horsetail species Riparian Woodland | CEGL003775 | 1.B.3.Nd.2.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Populus fremontii / Equisetum spp. Woodland (Coles et al. 2009a)
- Coles, J., A. Tendick, G. Manis, A. Wight, G. Wakefield, J. Von Loh, and A. Evenden. 2009a. Vegetation classification and mapping project report, Arches National Park. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NCPN/NRTR--2009/253. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 544 pp.
- Tendick, A., J. Coles, K. Decker, M. Hall, J. Von Loh, T. Belote, A. Wight, G. Wakefield, and A. Evenden. 2012. Vegetation classification and mapping project report, Canyonlands National Park. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NCPN/NRTR--2012/577. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.