Name:
Picea pungens - Populus tremuloides Forest Alliance
Reference:
Western Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
This mixed evergreen-deciduous forest alliance occurs on mountain slopes and plateaus in Utah. Sites occur on moderately steep, mid and lower slopes on all aspects. In the Uinta Mountains it occurs on south slopes. Soils are derived from alluvium and colluvium. Seral forests included in this alliance are composed of mixed coniferous and cold-deciduous trees, codominated by Populus tremuloides and Picea pungens. Several other species of conifers may be scattered within the stands, including Pseudotsuga menziesii, Abies concolor, Pinus flexilis, and Pinus contorta. Younger stands typically have dense Populus tremuloides with Picea pungens mixed in. As stands age, Populus tremuloides cover is slowly reduced until Picea pungens becomes dominant. The understory includes shrub and herbaceous layers that are typically sparse. The short-shrub layer is often dominated by Juniperus communis. Other shrubs may include Artemisia tridentata, Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus, Mahonia repens, Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus, Ribes inerme, and Symphoricarpos oreophilus. The relatively sparse herbaceous layer is a mixture of graminoids such as Bromus anomalus, Carex geyeri, Carex rossii, Elymus trachycaulus, Poa fendleriana, and Stipa spp., and forbs like Achillea millefolium, Antennaria microphylla, Fragaria vesca, Galium boreale, Geranium spp., Lathyrus spp., Mertensia arizonica, Thalictrum fendleri, and Vicia americana. The exotic species Poa pratensis and Taraxacum officinale are common in livestock-impacted stands. Diagnostic of this alliance in the codominance of Picea pungens and Populus tremuloides in the mixed canopy.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.18799.PICEAPUNGENSPOP
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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