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A3209 Betula papyrifera - Populus tremuloides - Quercus macrocarpa Forest Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: This alliance consists of forests along ravines, draws, and intermittent streams and on mesic, protected slopes in the northern half of the central and eastern Great Plains. The canopy is moderately closed to closed and usually dominated by some combination of Betula papyrifera and Populus tremuloides.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Paper Birch - Quaking Aspen - Bur Oak Forest Alliance
Colloquial Name: Northern Great Plains Birch - Aspen Forest
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: This alliance consists of forests along ravines, draws, and intermittent streams and on mesic, protected slopes in the northern half of the central and eastern Great Plains. Sites are sheltered from fire and receive moisture from runoff and snow accumulation but are not flooded. The canopy is moderately closed to closed and usually dominated by some combination of Betula papyrifera and Populus tremuloides. Other trees can be present to common, including Quercus macrocarpa, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, and Ulmus americana. The shrub and herbaceous strata can range from sparse to dense. Herbaceous composition is typically distinct from the nearby prairies.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Forests in ravines and draws or on protected slopes in a largely prairie landscape. The canopy is dominated by a combination of Betula papyrifera and Populus tremuloides sometimes with significant Quercus macrocarpa. The herbaceous stratum is not dominated by species typical of the prairie.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This alliance includes stands across the northern Great Plains and into the lower elevations of the Black Hills. There is overlap with some associations in the Black Hills in ~Rocky Mountain Subalpine-Montane Aspen Forest & Woodland Group (G222)$$ and ~Black Hills-Northwestern Great Plains Ponderosa Pine Forest & Woodland Group (G216)$$. Differentiating this alliance from Populus tremuloides-dominated stands in those groups may be difficult. This alliance is also similar to ~Betula papyrifera / Corylus cornuta Woodland Alliance (A3248)$$ in ~Northwestern Great Plains Aspen Woodland Group (G328)$$, which is generally found further north than this alliance, but their distributions are near or overlap in western North Dakota and differential species are not well-established.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: This alliance is dominated by deciduous trees with a moderate to closed canopy. Trees are typically moderately tall (8-15 m). Shrubs may be nearly absent to abundant, tending to vary in inverse density with the tree canopy. Most shrubs are deciduous and 1-3 m tall. The herbaceous layer is typically dominated by forbs, except in northeastern Nebraska and southeastern South Dakota where some stands have a graminoid-dominated understory.
Floristics: The tree canopy of this alliance is dominated by Populus tremuloides and Betula papyrifera with Quercus macrocarpa and Tilia americana present to abundant in some stands, particularly in northeast Nebraska and the Black Hills. Fraxinus pennsylvanica is present to abundant in some stands. Pinus ponderosa is in some stands in the Black Hills and nearby areas but is not abundant. The shrub layer commonly contains Amelanchier alnifolia, Corylus spp., Prunus virginiana, Ribes spp., Spiraea betulifolia, and Symphoricarpos occidentalis. Across most of its range, the herbaceous stratum is dominated by forbs and is distinct from nearby prairies, but in eastern South Dakota and Nebraska graminoids are the dominant understory species. Common forbs include Actaea rubra, Aralia nudicaulis, Galium boreale, Maianthemum canadense, and Maianthemum stellatum. Common graminoids in the southeastern stands are Carex eburnea, Carex sprengelii, Elymus virginicus, Elymus villosus, Festuca subverticillata, and Piptatheropsis micrantha (= Piptatherum micranthum).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This alliance is found in ravines, valleys, and on slopes protected from fires spreading from nearby prairies. These sites also tend to receive additional moisture in the form of seeps, runoff from higher slopes, or the melting of snow drifts that have accumulated in the sheltered areas.
Geographic Range: This alliance is found in the north-central and northeastern Great Plains from Nebraska north to near the Canadian border and west to eastern Wyoming and possibly eastern Montana.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: MB, ND, NE, SD, SK, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.899333
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.Ne North American Great Plains Forest & Woodland Division | D326 | 1.B.2.Ne |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Ne.1 Bur Oak - Quaking Aspen / Western Wheatgrass Forest Woodland Macrogroup | M151 | 1.B.2.Ne.1 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Ne.1.c Quaking Aspen - Bur Oak / Big Bluestem Woodland Group | G146 | 1.B.2.Ne.1.c |
| Alliance | A3209 Paper Birch - Quaking Aspen - Bur Oak Forest Alliance | A3209 | 1.B.2.Ne.1.c |
| Association | CEGL002079 Paper Birch / Beaked Hazelnut Forest | CEGL002079 | 1.B.2.Ne.1.c |
| Association | CEGL002129 Paper Birch / Creeping Juniper Shale Woodland | CEGL002129 | 1.B.2.Ne.1.c |
Concept Lineage: This alliance consists of the Great Plains portion of three old alliances (A.267, A.603, and A.610).
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Betula papyrifera / Corylus cornuta Community Type (Girard et al. 1989)
- 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, M. Hall, G. Kittel, S. Menard, C. Nordman, M. Pyne, M. Reid, M. Russo, K. Schulz, L. Sneddon, K. Snow, and J. Teague. 2013-2019b. Screening alliances for induction into the U.S. National Vegetation Classification: Part 1 - Alliance concept review. NatureServe, Arlington, VA.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., and Midwest State Natural Heritage Program Ecologists. 1996. Terrestrial vegetation of the midwest United States. International classification of ecological communities: Terrestrial vegetation of the United States. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA.
- Girard, M. M., H. Goetz, and A. J. Bjugstad. 1989. Native woodland habitat types of southwestern North Dakota. Research Paper RM-281. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 36 pp.
- Johnson-Groh, C. L. 1985. Vegetation communities of Ledges State Park, Boone County, Iowa. Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science 92:125-128 and map.
- Jones, G. 1992b. Wyoming plant community classification (Draft). Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Laramie, WY. 183 pp.
- MNNHP [Minnesota Natural Heritage Program]. 1993. Minnesota''s native vegetation: A key to natural communities. Version 1.5. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program, St. Paul, MN. 110 pp.