Print Report
CEGL005372 Pinus ponderosa / Quercus gambelii / Carex inops ssp. heliophila Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Ponderosa Pine / Gambel Oak / Sun Sedge Woodland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This coniferous woodland is known from Bandelier National Monument in north-central New Mexico and likely occurs on mesic sites elsewhere in the southern Rocky Mountains. Sites vary from mesatops and shoulders with low to moderate slopes (6-25%) to steep canyon slopes (50-65%); aspects vary from northwest through northeast at lower elevations to southerly on higher sites. Soils vary and are mapped as poorly-developed and rocky Entisols or Inceptisols derived from rhyolitic colluvium; fine-textured Alfisols and loamy Mollisols from rhyolite, dacite, or pumice slope alluvium; or simply as rock outcrop. The ground surface is characterized by scattered bunchgrasses and sedges intermixed with litter, and some sites are very rocky. Elevation ranges from 1980 to 2652 m (6500-8700 feet). Conifer canopy cover ranges from open (25%) to closed (>60%). The overstory is dominated by Pinus ponderosa with seedlings and saplings present in the understory. Pseudotsuga menziesii can also be present in the canopy or as seedlings and saplings, but it is clearly subordinate, and other conifers are rare. The understory of this association is characteristically shrubby with Quercus gambelii well-represented to abundant as shrubs or mature trees. Robinia neomexicana and Rosa woodsii can also be abundant. The herbaceous layer is rich in species but variable in cover. Diagnostic and often abundant graminoids include Carex inops ssp. heliophila and other deer sedges (Carex occidentalis, Carex rossii, and Carex wootonii). Additional graminoids may include Elymus elymoides, Koeleria macrantha, Muhlenbergia montana, and Poa fendleriana. Forb composition, while diverse, is variable and usually less than 5% total cover. The most frequent and abundant forb species include Achillea millefolium, Antennaria parvifolia, Artemisia carruthii, Artemisia ludoviciana, Erigeron subtrinervis, Heterotheca villosa, Lithospermum multiflorum, and Penstemon barbatus.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Balice et al. (1997) have reported a Pinus ponderosa / Quercus gambelii Cover Type for the Los Alamos Region. Also, Muldavin and Tonne (2003) and Muldavin et al. (2006) described the Pinus ponderosa / Quercus gambelii association for the adjacent Valles Caldera National Preserve that is likely synonymous with this association. This woodland was once part of the broadly defined ~Pinus ponderosa / Quercus gambelii Woodland (CEGL000870)$$, but it represents relatively mesic stands of that association.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Conifer canopy cover ranges from open (25%) to closed (>60%). The overstory is dominated by Pinus ponderosa with seedlings and saplings present in the understory. Pseudotsuga menziesii can also be present in the canopy or as seedlings and saplings, but it is clearly subordinate, and other conifers are rare. The understory of this association is characteristically shrubby with Quercus gambelii well-represented to abundant as shrubs or mature trees. Robinia neomexicana and Rosa woodsii can also be abundant. The herbaceous layer is rich in species but variable in cover. Diagnostic and often abundant graminoids include Carex inops ssp. heliophila and other deer sedges (Carex occidentalis, Carex rossii, and Carex wootonii). Additional graminoids may include Elymus elymoides, Koeleria macrantha, Muhlenbergia montana, and Poa fendleriana. Forb composition, while diverse, is variable and usually less than 5% total cover. The most frequent and abundant forb species include Achillea millefolium, Antennaria parvifolia, Artemisia carruthii, Artemisia ludoviciana, Erigeron subtrinervis, Heterotheca villosa, Lithospermum multiflorum, and Penstemon barbatus.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: In New Mexico, this mid-elevation association occurs on sites varying from mesatops and shoulders with low to moderate slopes (6-25%) to steep canyon slopes (50-65%); aspects vary from northwest through northeast at lower elevations to southerly on higher sites Soils vary and are mapped as poorly-developed and rocky Entisols or Inceptisols derived from rhyolitic colluvium; fine-textured Alfisols and loamy Mollisols from rhyolite, dacite, or pumice slope alluvium; or simply as rock outcrop (Hibner 2009). The ground surface is characterized by scattered bunch grasses and sedges intermixed with litter, and some sites are very rocky. Elevation ranges from 1980 to 2652 m (6500-8700 feet).
Geographic Range: This coniferous woodland is known from Bandelier National Monument, Valles Caldera National Preserve, and the Los Alamos region in north-central New Mexico and likely occurs on mesic sites elsewhere in the southern Rocky Mountains.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NM
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.820834
Confidence Level: Moderate
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.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.1 White Fir - Douglas-fir - Blue Spruce Forest Macrogroup | M022 | 1.B.2.Nb.1 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Nb.1.b Ponderosa Pine Southern Rocky Mountain Forest & Woodland Group | G228 | 1.B.2.Nb.1.b |
| Alliance | A3398 Ponderosa Pine Southern Rocky Mountain Forest & Woodland Alliance | A3398 | 1.B.2.Nb.1.b |
| Association | CEGL005372 Ponderosa Pine / Gambel Oak / Sun Sedge Woodland | CEGL005372 | 1.B.2.Nb.1.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Pinus ponderosa / Quercus gambelii / Carex inops ssp. heliophila Woodland (Muldavin et al. 2011b)
= Pinus ponderosa / Quercus gambelii / Carex inops ssp. heliophila Woodland (Muldavin and Tonne 2003)
= Pinus ponderosa / Quercus gambelii / Carex inops ssp. heliophila Woodland (Muldavin et al. 2006)
= Pinus ponderosa / Quercus gambelii Cover Type (Balice et al. 1997)
= Pinus ponderosa / Quercus gambelii / Carex inops ssp. heliophila Woodland (Muldavin and Tonne 2003)
= Pinus ponderosa / Quercus gambelii / Carex inops ssp. heliophila Woodland (Muldavin et al. 2006)
= Pinus ponderosa / Quercus gambelii Cover Type (Balice et al. 1997)
- Balice, R. G., S. G. Ferran, and T. S. Foxx. 1997. Preliminary vegetation and land cover classification for the Los Alamos region. Report LA-UR-97-4627, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM.
- Hibner, C. D. 2009. Special project soil survey of Bandelier National Monument. Natural Resources Conservation Science. In cooperation with the USDI National Park Service and the New Mexico Agricultural Experiment Station. [in review]
- Muldavin, E., A. Kennedy, C. Jackson, P. Neville, T. Neville, K. Schulz, and M. Reid. 2011b. Vegetation classification and map: Bandelier National Monument. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/SCPN/NRTR--2011/438. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
- Muldavin, E., P. Neville, C. Jackson, and T. Neville. 2006. A vegetation map of Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico. Natural Heritage New Mexico Publication No. 06-GTR-302. Natural Heritage New Mexico, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. 59 pp.
- Muldavin, E., and P. Tonne. 2003. A vegetation survey and preliminary ecological assessment of Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico. Natural Heritage New Mexico Publication No. 03-GTR-272. Natural Heritage New Mexico, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. 73 pp. plus appendices.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.