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CEGL005658 Pinus edulis - Juniperus osteosperma / Artemisia tridentata (ssp. wyomingensis, ssp. vaseyana) Woodland

Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Two-needle Pinyon - Utah Juniper / (Wyoming Big Sagebrush, Mountain Big Sagebrush) Woodland

Colloquial Name: No Data Available

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This woodland association is common on the Colorado Plateau, the dry foothills and mesas of northwestern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado, and continues west into the eastern portions of the Mojave Desert, as well as northwestern Colorado and northern Utah. The vegetation is characterized by an open tree canopy (<50% cover) that is dominated by Pinus edulis and Juniperus osteosperma. Juniperus monosperma may be present in northern Arizona, and Juniperus scopulorum is more common in higher elevation stands. Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana or Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis strongly dominates the short-shrub layer (10-35% cover). Other shrubs are often present but are not consistent nor have as much cover. The herbaceous cover is variable but generally sparse and dominated by graminoids (<5% cover) with scattered forbs. Elevations range from 1465 to 2500 m (4800-8200 feet). Stands occur most often on flat to gentle slopes on all aspects. The soils are generally poorly developed, moderately deep to deep, well-drained to rapidly drained loams and sands. Ground cover is variable; bare soil is common, but bedrock, litter, and large or small rocks can also be abundant on some sites. Parent material includes sandstone and shale.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: This association is largely known and described from National Park Service inventory efforts in the Colorado Plateau. On dry, rocky or slickrock sites on the Colorado Plateau, this pinyon-juniper woodland association may include stands with very open tree canopies (5-10% cover) in cases where the total vegetation cover is less than 15%. These stands may be similar to open Artemisia tridentata shrublands with scattered pinyon and juniper trees but is considered to be a variation of the woodland type because of the ecological values of the trees.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available

Floristics: This woodland is characterized by a typically open tree canopy (usually 10-30% cover but ranges up to 50% cover) that ranges from 2 to 10 m tall in most stands. The tree canopy is usually codominated by Pinus edulis and Juniperus osteosperma. The species of Juniperus varies with geography and elevation. Juniperus monosperma may be present northern Arizona. Juniperus osteosperma is common in stands reported from northwestern New Mexico, western Colorado, Arizona and Utah. Juniperus scopulorum is more common in higher elevation stands. Artemisia tridentata strongly dominates the relatively sparse to moderately dense short-shrub layer (10-35% cover); either ssp. vaseyana or ssp. wyomingensis may be present, with ssp. vaseyana being more characteristic of higher elevations or more mesic conditions. Purshia stansburiana is typically absent or scarce. Other shrubs present may include Amelanchier utahensis, Arctostaphylos patula, Cercocarpus montanus, Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus, Ephedra cutleri, Ephedra viridis, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Mahonia fremontii, Quercus gambelii (typically <5% cover), Yucca spp., Opuntia polyacantha, and other Opuntia species. Herbaceous cover is variable but is generally sparse and dominated by graminoids (<5% cover) with scattered forbs. Associated graminoids include Achnatherum hymenoides (= Oryzopsis hymenoides), Bouteloua gracilis, Carex filifolia, Hesperostipa comata, Koeleria macrantha, Muhlenbergia torreyi, Pascopyrum smithii, Pleuraphis jamesii, and Poa fendleriana. Forbs include Cryptantha spp., Eriogonum spp., Packera multilobata (= Senecio multilobatus), Heterotheca villosa, Penstemon spp., and Descurainia pinnata. Cryptogram cover tends to be low, but some stands may have moderate cover.

Dynamics:  Stuever and Hayden (1997) described two phases of this plant community, a Juniperus osteosperma and a Juniperus monosperma phase. Both are restricted by its geographic range, and where the Juniperus spp. are sympatric, Juniperus osteosperma generally occurs at high elevations. Fires in this association are thought to be infrequent because Pinus edulis, Juniperus osteosperma, Juniperus monosperma, and Artemisia tridentata are killed by burns and do not resprout (Wright et al. 1979). Artemisia tridentata will re-establish relatively quickly (about 10-20 years) if a seed source is nearby (Bunting 1987). However, Pinus edulis, Juniperus osteosperma, and Juniperus monosperma are relatively slow to recover following fire, and sagebrush may dominate the sites for decades (Jameson et al. 1962, Erdman 1970). If fire-return intervals are more frequent than 10 years, then Artemisia tridentata has difficulty recovering (Bunting 1987, Everett 1987).
Environmental Description:  This woodland association occurs on dry foothills and mesas across much of the Colorado Plateau and adjacent areas. Elevations range from 1459 to 2502 m. Stands occur most often on flat to gentle slopes but can be found on moderate to moderately steep slopes on all aspects. The soils are often deep, generally poorly developed, moderately well-drained to rapidly drained loams and sands, and skeletal. Ground cover is variable; bare soil is common, but bedrock, litter, and large or small rocks, and biological soil crust can also be abundant on some sites. Parent material includes sandstone and shale.
Geographic Range: This woodland association is common on the Colorado Plateau and western slope of the Southern Rocky Mountains to the eastern Mojave Desert. Stands occur from northwestern New Mexico across northern Arizona to southeastern Nevada, and north into western Colorado and southwestern Wyoming and Utah.

Nations: US

States/Provinces:  AZ, CO, NM, NV, UT, WY


Confidence Level: High

Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G5

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.Nc Western North American Pinyon - Juniper Woodland & Scrub Division D010 1.B.2.Nc
Macrogroup 1.B.2.Nc.1 Singleleaf Pinyon - Utah Juniper - Western Juniper Intermountain Woodland Macrogroup M896 1.B.2.Nc.1
Group 1.B.2.Nc.1.a Two-needle Pinyon - Utah Juniper Woodland Group G900 1.B.2.Nc.1.a
Alliance A3571 Two-needle Pinyon - Utah Juniper / Shrub Understory Foothill & Lower Montane Dry-Mesic Woodland Alliance A3571 1.B.2.Nc.1.a
Association CEGL005658 Two-needle Pinyon - Utah Juniper / (Wyoming Big Sagebrush, Mountain Big Sagebrush) Woodland CEGL005658 1.B.2.Nc.1.a
Concept Lineage: No Data Available

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: > 122.4143 Juniperus osteosperma - Pinus edulis - Artemisia tridentata Vegetation Type (Warren et al. 1982)
> 122.4144 Juniperus osteosperma - Artemisia tridentata - Pinus edulis Vegetation Type (Warren et al. 1982)
= Pinus edulis - Juniperus osteosperma / Artemisia tridentata Plant Association (Johnston 1987)
< Pinus edulis / Artemisia tridentata (Stuever and Hayden 1997b)
< Pinus edulis / Artemisia tridentata (Larson and Moir 1987)
< Coronado Province Pinyon - Juniper Woodlands (Isaacson 1967)
= High-elevation Pinyon-Juniper/Shallow Sand Loams (Tiedemann 1978)
< La Sal Province Pinyon - Juniper Woodlands (Isaacson 1967)
> Tree type (Jameson et al. 1962)
>< Upland sand (pinyon - juniper ) site (Mason et al. 1967)
Concept Author(s): K.A. Schulz and M.S. Reid

Author of Description: K.A. Schulz, J. Drake, J. Coles and G. Kittel

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 07-13-16
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