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A3211 Fraxinus pennsylvanica - Ulmus americana Great Plains Forest Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: This alliance is found in mesic ravines or draws in the northern and central Great Plains with an open to closed short tree canopy typically dominated by Fraxinus pennsylvanica and Ulmus americana.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Green Ash - American Elm Great Plains Forest Alliance
Colloquial Name: Great Plains Ash - Elm Ravine Forest
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: This alliance is found in the northern and central Great Plains. Tree canopy is variable, ranging from open to closed. Trees are often short (5-10 m tall) and dominant trees are Fraxinus pennsylvanica and Ulmus americana. Acer negundo can also be common in some stands and Populus deltoides may be scattered. The shrub layer can be sparse to dense. Prunus virginiana and Symphoricarpos occidentalis are common shrubs. Sites are usually found in mesic ravines and draws that concentrate the available precipitation by receiving runoff from higher uplands and trapping drifting snow. Some stands may be inundated for brief periods in the spring or after heavy rains but flooding does not persist. Rarely, stands of this alliance can be found upper terraces of rivers or streams or on north- or east-facing hillsides. Fires from adjacent upland prairies do not usually move through these sites due to the more mesic conditions and the lower landscape position.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Fraxinus pennsylvanica- and Ulmus americana-dominated stands in ravines but not on active floodplains.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: There are many associations that share dominant canopy species with this alliance and distinguishing those from this alliance where the ranges overlap could be difficult. Other associations dominated by Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Ulmus americana, and Acer negundo in the Great Plains may have some similarity to this alliance but they are found on true floodplains and experience more frequent flooding.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Stands of this alliance have a short tree canopy (5-10 m) composed of cold-deciduous trees (USACE 1979, Girard et al. 1989). The canopy is moderately closed to closed. There is usually a deciduous shrub layer but height and cover are variable. Short evergreen trees are present or dominate in the shrub or subcanopy layers in some stands. The herbaceous layer cover is variable, typically in inverse proportion to the cover of trees and shrubs above it.
Floristics: Across the range of this alliance, the most abundant tree species are Fraxinus pennsylvanica and Ulmus americana. Acer negundo is present to codominant in many stands. Celtis spp., Populus deltoides, and Quercus macrocarpa are often present and become more common in the eastern portion of this alliance''s range. Populus tremuloides and Tilia americana occur only in the east. Common shrubs include Juniperus scopulorum, Rosa spp., Prunus americana, Prunus virginiana, Ribes spp., Symphoricarpos occidentalis, and Vitis spp. Herbaceous species of this alliance include Carex spp., Elymus spp., Maianthemum stellatum, Poa pratensis, Piptatheropsis micrantha (= Oryzopsis micrantha), and Taraxacum spp.
Dynamics: Stands of this alliance are typically in ravines and can be flooded or saturated for brief periods after heavy rains or spring snowmelt. Flooding does not shape this alliance to the extent that it does communities on true floodplains, though. Fires spreading from adjacent grasslands can burn the edges of stands but does not usually spread through the entire stand. In Nebraska, stands are becoming more ruderal.
Environmental Description: This alliance is found in upland ravines, upper terraces of rivers and streams, and, rarely, on north- or east-facing slopes (Rolfsmeier and Steinauer 2010). Sites are usually found in mesic ravines and draws that concentrate the available precipitation by receiving runoff from higher uplands and trapping drifting snow. Some stands may be inundated for brief periods in the spring or after heavy rains but flooding does not persist.
Geographic Range: This alliance is found in the northern Great Plains from the southern Canadian Prairie Provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan south through eastern Montana, eastern Wyoming to Nebraska. In the east it extends into central North and South Dakota.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: MB, MT, ND, NE, SD, SK, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.899335
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.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.b Green Ash - American Elm / Cherry species Forest & Woodland Group | G145 | 1.B.2.Ne.1.b |
| Alliance | A3211 Green Ash - American Elm Great Plains Forest Alliance | A3211 | 1.B.2.Ne.1.b |
| Association | CEGL000643 Green Ash - American Elm / Chokecherry Woodland | CEGL000643 | 1.B.2.Ne.1.b |
| Association | CEGL002082 Green Ash - American Elm / Western Snowberry Forest | CEGL002082 | 1.B.2.Ne.1.b |
Concept Lineage: One association from two old alliances (A.259, A.629).
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: > Green Ash - Eastern Red Cedar Scarp Woodland (Rolfsmeier and Steinauer 2010) [Green Ash - Elm - Hackberry Canyon Bottom Woodland and Green Ash - Eastern Red Cedar Scarp Woodland equal A3211 in Nebraska.]
> Green Ash - Elm - Hackberry Canyon Bottom Woodland (Rolfsmeier and Steinauer 2010) [Green Ash - Elm - Hackberry Canyon Bottom Woodland and Green Ash - Eastern Red Cedar Scarp Woodland equal A3211 in Nebraska.]
> Green Ash - Elm - Hackberry Canyon Bottom Woodland (Rolfsmeier and Steinauer 2010) [Green Ash - Elm - Hackberry Canyon Bottom Woodland and Green Ash - Eastern Red Cedar Scarp Woodland equal A3211 in Nebraska.]
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