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A3237 Pinus strobus - Quercus spp. Driftless Forest & Woodland Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: This alliance contains white pine-dominated and mixed pine - oak forests and woodlands found within the Driftless area of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. Stands typically occur on mostly dry sites and rocky outcrops along bluffs. Pinus strobus typically dominates. Pinus resinosa, oak species such as Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, Quercus muehlenbergii, or Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana are common associates and may be locally dominant in some areas.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Eastern White Pine - Oak species Driftless Forest & Woodland Alliance
Colloquial Name: White Pine - Oak Driftless Forest & Woodland
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: This alliance contains white pine-dominated and mixed pine - oak forests and woodlands found within the Driftless area of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. Stands typically occur on mostly dry sites and rocky outcrops along bluffs. Pinus strobus typically dominates. Oak species such as Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, Quercus muehlenbergii, or Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana are common associates and may be locally dominant in some areas. Pinus resinosa is an occasional associate. The understory is extremely variable and typically contains dry to dry-mesic prairie flora in combination with herb and shrub species typical of northern forests.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Stands are typically dominated by Pinus strobus alone or in combination with oaks such as Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, and/or Quercus muehlenbergii. Juniperus virginiana stands may also occur mixed with these oaks. It is restricted to dry sites within the Driftless area of the upper Midwest.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This may be a "suballiance" but the unique landscape and combination of species make it difficult to fit into an existing alliance so it seemed appropriate to create an independent alliance. It is here placed in a Midwest group, in part because we include stands with central species, such as Juniperus virginiana, Quercus muehlenbergii, and Quercus velutina. Curtis (1959) treats the dry Driftless stands in Wisconsin as outliers of the northern dry-mesic forest (Curtis 1959, p. 215).Pinus resinosa stands sometimes co-occur with Pinus strobus in Wisconsin. This alliance also lacks the mesic northern hardwood-conifer species such as Tsuga canadensis or Abies balsamea [see ~Pinus strobus - Abies balsamea - Betula alleghaniensis Driftless Forest (CEGL002111)$$, ~Tsuga canadensis - Acer saccharum / (Hepatica nobilis var. acuta) Driftless Forest (CEGL002597)$$], which are more decidedly northern in their character.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Pinus strobus typically dominates. Oak species such as Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, and Quercus muehlenbergii, or Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana are common associates and may be locally dominant in some areas. Pinus resinosa is an occasional associate. The stands have both a northern conifer and central hardwoods component. The understory is extremely variable and typically contains dry to dry-mesic prairie flora in combination with herb and shrub species typical of northern forests.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Stands typically occur on mostly dry sites and rocky outcrops along bluffs in the Driftless area.
Geographic Range: This alliance is found in the Driftless area of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: IA, IL, MN, WI
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.899361
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.Na Eastern North American Forest & Woodland Division | D008 | 1.B.2.Na |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Na.4 White Oak - Bur Oak - Shagbark Hickory Forest, Woodland & Savanna Macrogroup | M012 | 1.B.2.Na.4 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.4.b North-Central Oak - Hickory Forest & Woodland Group | G649 | 1.B.2.Na.4.b |
| Alliance | A3237 Eastern White Pine - Oak species Driftless Forest & Woodland Alliance | A3237 | 1.B.2.Na.4.b |
| Association | CEGL002378 Eastern White Pine - (Red Pine) Driftless Bluff Forest | CEGL002378 | 1.B.2.Na.4.b |
| Association | CEGL002597 Eastern Hemlock - Sugar Maple / Sharp-lobe Liverleaf Driftless Forest | CEGL002597 | 1.B.2.Na.4.b |
| Association | CEGL005561 Eastern White Pine - (White Oak, Northern Red Oak, Black Oak) Driftless Bluff Forest | CEGL005561 | 1.B.2.Na.4.b |
Concept Lineage: Dry pine and pine - oak associations restricted to the Driftless area of the MW. It contains associations with similar dominants and diagnostics. Component associations come from old alliances A.621, A.128, A.401.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: >< Northern Dry-mesic Forest (Curtis 1959) [p. 215]
- Curtis, J. T. 1959. The vegetation of Wisconsin: An ordination of plant communities. Reprinted in 1987. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison. 657 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.
- 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.