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A3623 Picea glauca Black Hills Forest Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: This is a restricted alliance found in high elevations of the Black Hills and possibly Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming and South Dakota, and dominated by Picea glauca, with or without Populus tremuloides and Pinus ponderosa.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: White Spruce Black Hills Forest Alliance
Colloquial Name: Black Hills White Spruce Forest
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: This is a restricted alliance found in high elevations of the Black Hills and possibly Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming and South Dakota, and dominated by Picea glauca, with or without Populus tremuloides and Pinus ponderosa. The latter two species are remnants from earlier successional stages and do not reproduce successfully. There is a prominent low-shrub layer with common constituents including Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Juniperus communis, Linnaea borealis, Mahonia repens, Rosa acicularis, Shepherdia canadensis, and Symphoricarpos albus. The herbaceous layer is less dense and typically contains Achillea millefolium, Fragaria virginiana, Galium boreale, Hedysarum alpinum, and Oryzopsis asperifolia. Mosses and lichens are common. This type is also found in limited areas of floodplains in the Black Hills where Picea glauca occurs with Betula papyrifera and Populus tremuloides. Corylus cornuta is a common understory shrub. This alliance occurs on moderate (28-63%) slopes on loamy soils. It generally occurs at the higher elevations in the Black Hills and has been sampled from 1737-2040 m (5700-6693 feet). Most sites are on northeast- to northwest-facing slopes, but other aspects are possible.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Canopy dominated by Picea glauca. Absence of Pinus contorta, Pseudotsuga menziesii, or Abies lasiocarpa, when compared with ~Picea glauca - Pseudotsuga menziesii Forest Alliance (A3624)$$.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Stands along riparian streams may be quite wet, approaching forest swamp conditions.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Open to closed canopies of needleleaf evergreen conifers, with some deciduous hardwoods intermingled in some occurrences. Typically there is a well-developed shrub layer of deciduous species, along with forbs, graminoids and often high cover of mosses.
Floristics: Stands are dominated by Picea glauca, with or without Populus tremuloides and Pinus ponderosa. The latter two species are remnants from earlier successional stages and do not reproduce successfully (Hoffman and Alexander 1987). There is a prominent low-shrub layer with common constituents including Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Juniperus communis, Linnaea borealis, Mahonia repens, Rosa acicularis, Shepherdia canadensis, and Symphoricarpos albus. The herbaceous layer is less dense and typically contains Achillea millefolium, Fragaria virginiana, Galium boreale, Hedysarum alpinum, and Oryzopsis asperifolia. Mosses and lichens are common. This type is also found in limited areas of floodplains in the Black Hills where Picea glauca occurs with Betula papyrifera and Populus tremuloides. Corylus cornuta is a common understory shrub (Marriott and Faber-Langendoen 2000).
Dynamics: The Black Hills spruce (Picea x albertiana) may have colonized there 500,000 years ago when the glacial periods were occurring. As the climate warmed over the last 10,000 years, the white spruce population spread north leaving a remnant population in the cool mountain climate of the Black Hills (The Natural Source 2014).
Environmental Description: This alliance occurs on moderate (28-63%) slopes on loamy soils (Johnston 1987). It generally occurs at the higher elevations in the Black Hills and has been sampled from 1737-2040 m (5700-6693 feet) (Hoffman and Alexander 1987). Most sites are on northeast- to northwest-facing slopes but other aspects are possible. In riparian settings, stands are relatively small and restricted to areas along streams and ravine bottoms at relatively high elevations in the Black Hills. They may be flooded for a short period in the spring season. Elevation is a more important factor in the development of this alliance than substrate. Stands dominated by Picea glauca occur on soils derived from both igneous and limestone rocks in the Black Hills (Hoffman and Alexander 1987, Marriott and Faber-Langendoen 2000).
Geographic Range: This alliance is known from the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming, and possibly the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: SD, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.899681
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.Nb Rocky Mountain Forest & Woodland Division | D194 | 1.B.2.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Nb.5 Subalpine Fir - Engelmann Spruce - Whitebark Pine Rocky Mountain Forest Macrogroup | M020 | 1.B.2.Nb.5 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Nb.5.f White Spruce - Douglas-fir Central Rocky Mountain Forest Group | G345 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.f |
| Alliance | A3623 White Spruce Black Hills Forest Alliance | A3623 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.f |
| Association | CEGL000382 White Spruce / Twinflower Forest | CEGL000382 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.f |
| Association | CEGL000383 White Spruce / Grouse Whortleberry Forest | CEGL000383 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.f |
| Association | CEGL002057 White Spruce Alluvial Black Hills Forest | CEGL002057 | 1.B.2.Nb.5.f |
Concept Lineage: Old Alliance I.A.8.N.c. Picea glauca Forest Alliance (A.167) & Old Alliance I.A.8.N.e. Picea glauca Temporarily Flooded Forest Alliance (A.172)
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Picea glauca series (Hoffman and Alexander 1987)
= Northern Coniferous Forest Complex (Froiland 1990)
= Northern Coniferous Forest Complex (Froiland 1990)
- 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.
- Froiland, S. G. 1990. Natural history of the Black Hills and Badlands. The Center for Western Studies, Augustana College, Sioux Falls, SD. 224 pp.
- Hoffman, G. R., and R. R. Alexander. 1987. Forest vegetation of the Black Hills National Forest of South Dakota and Wyoming: A habitat type classification. Research Paper RM-276. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 48 pp.
- Johnston, B. C. 1987. Plant associations of Region Two: Potential plant communities of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas. R2-ECOL-87-2. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. Lakewood, CO. 429 pp.
- Marriott, H. J., and D. Faber-Langendoen. 2000. The Black Hills community inventory. Volume 2: Plant community descriptions. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Conservation Science Center and Association for Biodiversity Information, Minneapolis, MN. 326 pp.
- The Natural Source. 2014. Black Hills spruce (Picea glauca var. densata). Northern State University, Aberdeen, SD. [http://www3.northern.edu/natsource/TREESA1/Blackh1.htm] (accessed 19 November 2014).