Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Douglas-fir - Grand Fir / Salal - Oceanspray Forest

Colloquial Name: No Data Available

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This association is currently described from San Juan Island National Historical Park, Washington. Additional global information will be added when available. In Washington, this association occurs in the San Juan Islands, islands in western Skagit County, northern and central Whidbey Island, and possibly the far northeastern Olympic Peninsula. It probably also occurs in adjacent British Columbia on the Gulf Islands and southeastern Vancouver Island, but is recognized as part of a broader unit there. This association is limited to dry climatic areas and occurs on moderately dry and relatively nutrient-poor sites. Most stands are within 1 mile of saltwater shorelines. Slopes are usually gentle and occasionally moderate in steepness. Aspect is variable. The association is often found on parent materials consisting of glacial till but also includes glacial drift without a restrictive layer. Stony or gravelly loams are the most typical soil types. Fire is the primary natural disturbance. Old-growth stands show evidence of past low- to moderate-severity fire. Pseudotsuga menziesii dominates the upper canopy. Abies grandis can be a codominant. Abies grandis dominates tree regeneration or a lower canopy layer. Picea sitchensis is occasionally prominent. Thuja plicata is sometimes present in small amounts. Gaultheria shallon dominates the understory while Holodiscus discolor usually forms a prominent to codominant tall-shrub layer. Rosa gymnocarpa and Rubus ursinus are usually present. The herb layer is poorly developed. Festuca occidentalis, Pteridium aquilinum var. pubescens, and Polystichum munitum are usually present in small amounts. The absence of fire results in Abies grandis increasing and Pseudotsuga menziesii decreasing, although Pseudotsuga menziesii still remains prominent after hundreds of years. Some of these stands may have been Pseudotsuga menziesii savannas prior to fire suppression. Depending on seed sources, Arbutus menziesii or Pinus contorta var. contorta could regenerate abundantly on these sites after a major disturbance and persist until sometime in the middle of the sere. Most occurrences have been displaced or degraded by development. The vast majority of extant stands have been significantly impacted by past timber harvest. Development is an ongoing threat. The type has a limited geographic range.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: No Data Available

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available

note: No Data Available