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A3356 Pinus attenuata - Pinus coulteri - Pinus sabiniana Woodland Alliance

Type Concept Sentence: This woodland alliance is characterized by the dominance of Pinus attenuata, Pinus coulteri, and/or Pinus sabiniana in the canopy. Shrubs are continuous in cover to infrequent and the herbaceous layer is sparse. It occurs in Baja California and California''s foothills and mountains on all aspects on ridges and upper slopes.

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Knobcone Pine - Coulter Pine - California Foothill Pine Woodland Alliance

Colloquial Name: California Foothills Pine Woodland

Hierarchy Level:  Alliance

Type Concept: This alliance consists of woodlands dominated by Pinus attenuata, Pinus coulteri, and/or Pinus sabiniana in the canopy. Other trees present may include Pinus monticola, Pinus ponderosa, Pseudotsuga macrocarpa, Quercus agrifolia, Quercus chrysolepis, Quercus douglasii, Quercus kelloggii, Quercus lobata, and Quercus wislizeni. Shrubs are continuous in cover to infrequent, and the herbaceous layer is sparse. Shrubs could include Adenostoma fasciculatum, Arctostaphylos columbiana, Arctostaphylos glandulosa, Arctostaphylos glauca, Arctostaphylos patula, Arctostaphylos pungens, Arctostaphylos viscida, Ceanothus cuneatus, Ceanothus papillosus, Cercocarpus montanus var. glaber, Quercus durata, and Quercus vacciniifolia. This woodland alliance occurs in Baja California, Mexico, and throughout California''s foothills and mountains on all aspects on ridges and upper slopes. Stands are found at elevations ranging from 300-2100 m. The soils are usually shallow, infertile, and moderately to excessively drained. The surface is often covered with stones and rock outcrops. This region has a Mediterranean climate with most precipitation falling between November and May. Summers are warm and dry, winters are mild. The unusually large range of this alliance is indicative of its tolerance to varied environmental factors such as precipitation. In the southern reaches of the range, this alliance may receive fewer than 60 cm of rain per year; at the northern extreme perhaps as much as 150 cm per year.

Diagnostic Characteristics: Dominance of Pinus attenuata, Pinus coulteri, and/ or Pinus sabiniana in the canopy often mixed or emergent over species of California oaks, including Quercus agrifolia, Quercus chrysolepis, Quercus douglasii, Quercus kelloggii, Quercus lobata, and/or Quercus wislizeni. Shrub composition of montane chaparral species of Arctostaphylos, Ceanothus, and Quercus.

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: Associations dominated by one of the three Pinus species that occur on extremely infertile or sterile soils of ultramafics, serpentine, or sterile volcanic substrates are included here with other stands on generally infertile soils. Stands where the oaks are the dominants and the pines are not particularly abundant are placed into one of the oak alliances in ~Californian Broadleaf Forest & Woodland Group (G195)$$.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: This rounded-crown, temperate or subpolar, needle-leaved evergreen woodland forms an open to continuous canopy less than 30 m in height. Shrubs may be infrequent to common. The herbaceous layer is sparse.

Floristics: This alliance is defined by the dominance of Pinus attenuata, Pinus coulteri, and/or Pinus sabiniana in the canopy. Other trees present may include Pinus monticola, Pinus ponderosa, Pseudotsuga macrocarpa, Quercus agrifolia, Quercus chrysolepis, Quercus douglasii, Quercus kelloggii, Quercus lobata, and Quercus wislizeni. Shrubs are continuous in cover to infrequent and the herbaceous layer is sparse. Shrubs could include Adenostoma fasciculatum, Arctostaphylos columbiana, Arctostaphylos glandulosa, Arctostaphylos glauca, Arctostaphylos patula, Arctostaphylos pungens, Arctostaphylos viscida, Ceanothus cuneatus, Ceanothus papillosus, Cercocarpus montanus var. glaber, Quercus durata, and Quercus vacciniifolia.

Dynamics:  This alliance is subject to fairly frequent fires. Fire exclusion may be facilitating the conversion of some oak stands to Pinus coulteri stands. Other stands require intermittently flooded soils.
Environmental Description:  The soils are usually shallow, infertile, and moderately to excessively drained. The surface is often covered with stones and rock outcrops. This alliance occurs in a Mediterranean climate with most precipitation falling between November and May. Summers are warm and dry, winters are mild. The unusually large range of this alliance is indicative of its tolerance to varied environmental factors such as precipitation. In the southern reaches of the range, this alliance may receive fewer than 60 cm of rain per year; at the northern extreme perhaps as much as 150 cm per year. Stands are found at elevations ranging from 300-2100 m.
Geographic Range: Stands of this alliance are widespread, extending from Baja California, Mexico, to northern California. Stands are found between 180 and 2100 m elevation at suitable locations in virtually every mountain range not immediately adjacent to the coast. The montane regions of the northern, central and southern Coast Ranges, the margins of the Sacramento Valley, the inner Klamath Mountains and foothills, the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada foothills, the Peninsular and Transverse ranges, the Modoc Plateau and into the western Mojave Desert.

Nations: MX,US

States/Provinces:  CA, MXBCN, OR


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.1 Warm Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation F018 1.B.1
Division 1.B.1.Nc Californian Forest & Woodland Division D007 1.B.1.Nc
Macrogroup 1.B.1.Nc.1 California Live Oak - California Laurel - Western Cypress species Forest & Woodland Macrogroup M009 1.B.1.Nc.1
Group 1.B.1.Nc.1.b Western Cypress species - Pine species Forest & Woodland Group G198 1.B.1.Nc.1.b
Alliance A3356 Knobcone Pine - Coulter Pine - California Foothill Pine Woodland Alliance A3356 1.B.1.Nc.1.b
Association CEGL000763 Knobcone Pine / Pinemat Manzanita Woodland CEGL000763 1.B.1.Nc.1.b
Association CEGL008623 Knobcone Pine / Sticky Whiteleaf Manzanita Woodland CEGL008623 1.B.1.Nc.1.b
Association CEGL008635 California Foothill Pine - Interior Live Oak / Buckbrush Woodland CEGL008635 1.B.1.Nc.1.b
Association CEGL008636 California Foothill Pine - Interior Live Oak / Sticky Whiteleaf Manzanita Woodland CEGL008636 1.B.1.Nc.1.b
Concept Lineage: includes A.514, A.525

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: > Pinus attenuata (Knobcone pine forest) Alliance (Sawyer et al. 2009) [87.100.00]
> Pinus coulteri (Coulter pine woodland) Alliance (Sawyer et al. 2009) [87.090.00]
> Pinus sabiniana (Ghost pine woodland) Alliance (Sawyer et al. 2009) [87.130.00]
> Pinus sabiniana Woodland Alliance (Keeler-Wolf et al. 2012)
> Pinus sabiniana Alliance (Ghost pine woodland) (Buck-Diaz et al. 2012)
>< Coulter Pine Forest (#84140) (Holland 1986b)
? Knobcone Forest (Cheatham and Haller 1975)
? Knobcone Pine Forest (#83210) (Holland 1986b)
? Knobcone Pine: 248 (Eyre 1980)
>< Nonserpentine Digger Pine-Chaparral Woodland (#71322) (Holland 1986b)
>< Serpentine Digger Pine-Chaparral Woodland (#71321) (Holland 1986b)
Concept Author(s): M.S. Reid, in Faber-Langendoen et al. (2013)

Author of Description: M.S. Reid

Acknowledgements: We have incorporated significant descriptive information previously compiled by J. Evens.

Version Date: 12-18-14
  • Buck-Diaz, J., S. Batiuk, and J. M. Evens. 2012. Vegetation alliances and associations of the Great Valley ecoregion, California. California Native Society, Sacramento, CA. [http://cnps.org/cnps/vegetation/pdf/great_valley_eco-vegclass2012.pdf]
  • Cheatham, N. H., and J. R. Haller. 1975. An annotated list of California habitat types. Unpublished report. University of California, Natural Land and Water Reserves System.
  • 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.
  • Holland, R. F. 1986b. Preliminary descriptions of the terrestrial natural communities of California. Unpublished report prepared for the California Department of Fish and Game, Nongame-Heritage Program and Natural Diversity Database, Sacramento. 156 pp.
  • Hopkins, W. E. 1979a. Plant associations of the Fremont National Forest. Technical Report R6-ECOL-79-004. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland.
  • Keeler-Wolf, T., P. E. Moore, E. T. Reyes, J. M. Menke, D. N. Johnson, and D. L. Karavidas. 2012. Yosemite National Park vegetation classification and mapping project report. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/YOSE/NRTR--2012/598. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
  • Sawyer, J. O., T. Keeler-Wolf, and J. Evens. 2009. A manual of California vegetation. Second edition. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento CA. 1300 pp.
  • Sawyer, J. O., and T. Keeler-Wolf. 1995. A manual of California vegetation. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento. 471 pp.