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G200 Pinus cembroides - Pinus discolor - Juniperus coahuilensis Woodland Group
Type Concept Sentence: This conifer woodland group occurs in foothill and lower montane zones of northern Mexico, Trans-Pecos Texas, southern New Mexico and Arizona and is characterized pinyons Pinus cembroides, Pinus discolor, Pinus remota, or Pinus edulis (with Madrean elements in understory) with Juniperus coahuilensis, Juniperus deppeana, or Juniperus monosperma often present to dominant.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Mexican Pinyon - Border Pinyon - Redberry Juniper Woodland Group
Colloquial Name: Madrean Pinyon - Juniper Woodland
Hierarchy Level: Group
Type Concept: This conifer evergreen woodland group is found in the Sierra Madre Occidentale and Sierra Madre Orientale in Mexico, Trans-Pecos Texas, southern New Mexico and Arizona, generally south of the Mogollon Rim. Vegetation is characterized by an open tree canopy dominated by pinyon and juniper trees 2-5 m tall. The presence of pinyons Pinus cembroides, Pinus discolor, Pinus remota, or Pinus edulis with Madrean elements in understory is diagnostic of this group. Juniperus coahuilensis and Juniperus deppeana are characteristic species that are often present to dominant. Pinus edulis and Juniperus monosperma may be the dominants in the northern distribution of the group but in combination with Madrean shrub and/or graminoid elements. Pinus ponderosa is absent or scattered. Understory layers are variable, ranging from sparse to dense grass or shrub layers. If Madrean oak trees are present, then they do not dominate the tree canopy. Common shrub species may include chaparral, desert scrub or lower montane shrubs such as Arctostaphylos pungens, Canotia holacantha, Ceanothus greggii, Cercocarpus montanus, Quercus turbinella, Mimosa dysocarpa, or Rhus trilobata. Perennial grasses such as Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua eriopoda, Bouteloua gracilis, Muhlenbergia emersleyi, Muhlenbergia pauciflora, Piptochaetium fimbriatum, or Piptochaetium pringlei are present in many stands and may form an herbaceous layer. Stands occur on foothills, mountains and plateaus generally between 1460-2225 m in elevation. Substrates are variable, but soils are generally dry and rocky.
Diagnostic Characteristics: This woodland has pinyon trees present in the tree canopy. Pinus cembroides, Pinus discolor, and Juniperus coahuilensis are diagnostic species that may or may not be dominant tree species in this Madrean woodland. These species may occur with other, more widespread tree species such as Juniperus monosperma or Pinus edulis and still indicate this type. Juniperus deppeana has high constancy and is a diagnostic species when dominant, except when occurring in the subcanopy of montane forests or in the northern range extent with ~Southern Rocky Mountain Pinyon - Juniper Woodland Group (G253)$$ where Pinus edulis and/or Juniperus monosperma dominate and other Madrean canopy and understory species are absent. Characteristic understory species include the shrubs Arctostaphylos pungens, Canotia holacantha, Ceanothus greggii, Quercus turbinella, Mimosa dysocarpa, and perennial grasses Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua eriopoda, Bouteloua gracilis, Muhlenbergia emersleyi, Muhlenbergia pauciflora, Piptochaetium fimbriatum, and Piptochaetium pringlei.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: This upland group is typically a short (<5 m tall) open evergreen woodland or tree savanna with 10-60% tree cover, but may have a closed forest canopy. Needle- or scale-leaved trees dominate the tree canopy, such as Pinus cembroides, Pinus discolor, Juniperus coahuilensis, and Juniperus deppeana. Evergreen broad-leaved trees, including evergreen oaks such as Quercus arizonica, Quercus emoryi, or Quercus grisea, may be present, but they do not dominate the tree canopy (<50% relative tree cover). Shrub and herbaceous layers may be present or absent. The herbaceous layer, if present, is usually dominated by perennial grasses, sometimes with diverse forb species.
Floristics: These typically open pinyon - juniper woodlands are characterized by the presence of pinyon trees. Madrean tree species Pinus cembroides, Pinus discolor, Pinus remota, Juniperus coahuilensis, Juniperus deppeana, Juniperus flaccida, or Juniperus pinchotii are diagnostic of this group. Communities may actually be dominated by northern species tree species such as Juniperus monosperma and/or Pinus edulis, but then Madrean species will always be present as indicator species. These indicator species include the above-mentioned evergreen trees, as well as evergreen oaks such as Quercus arizonica, Quercus emoryi, Quercus grisea, Quercus hypoleucoides, and Quercus rugosa. Pinus ponderosa is absent or scattered. Understory layers are variable, ranging from sparse to dense grass or shrub layers. Common shrub species may include chaparral, desert scrub or lower montane shrubs such as Acacia angustissima, Arctostaphylos pungens, Canotia holacantha, Ceanothus greggii, Cercocarpus montanus, Dasylirion wheeleri, Garrya wrightii, Quercus gravesii, Quercus graciliformis, Quercus mohriana, Quercus turbinella, Quercus toumeyi, Mimosa dysocarpa, Agave lechuguilla, Larrea tridentata, Mimosa dysocarpa, Nolina microcarpa, Prosopis glandulosa, Rhus trilobata, Yucca baccata, and Yucca madrensis (= Yucca schottii). Perennial grasses such as Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua eriopoda, Bouteloua gracilis, Muhlenbergia emersleyi, Muhlenbergia pauciflora, Piptochaetium fimbriatum, or Piptochaetium pringlei are present in many stands and may form an herbaceous layer.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This group is common in foothills, mountains and plateaus in the Sierra Madre Occidentale and Sierra Madre Orientale in Mexico, Trans-Pecos Texas, southern New Mexico and Arizona, generally south of the Mogollon Rim. Stands are generally restricted to foothill and lower montane elevations. Elevation generally ranges from 1460-2225 m with high-elevation stands restricted to warmer southern aspects. Stands extend down to 760 m elevation in Trans-Pecos ranges. Sites range from gentle to steep slopes. Ground cover often has high cover of rock or bare ground. Soil/substrate/hydrology: Substrates are variable, but soils are generally shallow, dry and rocky often with rock outcrops.
Geographic Range: This group occurs in the Sierra Madre Occidentale and Sierra Madre Orientale of northern Mexico, Trans-Pecos Texas, southern New Mexico and Arizona, generally south of the Mogollon Rim. Stands occur on the southwestern side of the Sacramento Mountains, but transition into ~Southern Rocky Mountain Pinyon - Juniper Woodland Group (G253)$$ further north.
Nations: MX,US
States/Provinces: AZ, MXCHH, MXCOA, MXSON, NM, TX
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.833205
Confidence Level: Low
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.1 Warm Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation | F018 | 1.B.1 |
| Division | 1.B.1.Nd Madrean-Balconian Forest & Woodland Division | D060 | 1.B.1.Nd |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.1.Nd.1 Alligator Juniper - Mexican Pinyon - Arizona White Oak Madrean Lowland Evergreen Woodland Macrogroup | M010 | 1.B.1.Nd.1 |
| Group | 1.B.1.Nd.1.c Mexican Pinyon - Border Pinyon - Redberry Juniper Woodland Group | G200 | 1.B.1.Nd.1.c |
| Alliance | A3131 Mexican Pinyon - Border Pinyon - Two-needle Pinyon / Shrub Understory Woodland Alliance | A3131 | 1.B.1.Nd.1.c |
| Alliance | A3132 Mexican Pinyon - Border Pinyon - Two-needle Pinyon / Grass Understory Woodland Alliance | A3132 | 1.B.1.Nd.1.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = High Sun Mild (HSM) Pinyon - Juniper Climatic Region (Moir and Carleton 1987)
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- Brown, D. E., editor. 1982a. Biotic communities of the American Southwest-United States and Mexico. Desert Plants Special Issue 4(1-4):1-342.
- Dick-Peddie, W. A. 1993. New Mexico vegetation: Past, present, and future. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque. 244 pp.
- Eyre, F. H., editor. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Society of American Foresters, Washington, DC. 148 pp.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., J. Drake, S. Gawler, M. Hall, C. Josse, G. Kittel, S. Menard, C. Nordman, M. Pyne, M. Reid, L. Sneddon, K. Schulz, J. Teague, M. Russo, K. Snow, and P. Comer, editors. 2010-2019a. Divisions, Macrogroups and Groups for the Revised U.S. National Vegetation Classification. NatureServe, Arlington, VA. plus appendices. [in preparation]
- Gottfried, G. 1992. Pinyon-juniper woodlands in the southwestern United States. Pages 53-67 in: P. F. Ffolliott and A. Ortega-Rubio, editors. Ecology and Management of Forests, Woodlands, and Shrublands in Dryland Regions of the United States and Mexico: Perspectives for the 21st Century. Co-edition number 1. University of Arizona-Centro de Investigacione.
- Moir, W. H., and J. O. Carleton. 1987. Classification of pinyon-juniper (P-J) sites on national forests in the Southwest. Pages 216-226 in: R. L. Everett, editor. Proceedings of the Pinyon-Juniper Conference, Reno, NV, 13-16 January 1986. General Technical Report. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT. 581 pp.
- Shiflet, T. N., editor. 1994. Rangeland cover types of the United States. Society for Range Management. Denver, CO. 152 pp.
- USDA [U.S. Department of Agriculture]. 2001. Existing vegetation map (base - 1:24,000). Lincoln National Forest, Alamogordo, New Mexico. Terrestrial Ecosystem Survey (TES). [http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/lincoln/contact/gis/index.htm].