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Pinus ponderosa - Pseudotsuga menziesii Forest Alliance | Western Ecology Working Group of...
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Name: Pinus ponderosa - Pseudotsuga menziesii Forest Alliance Reference: Western Ecology Working Group of... Description: This forest alliance has been reported from relatively dry, fire-prone areas of the Pacific Northwest, but the alliance may be more widespread than present classifications indicate. The Blue Mountains are in the rainshadow of the Cascades and coastal ranges to the west. Annual precipitation ranges from less than 30 cm at lower elevations to 100 cm at higher and, except for a short summer dry season, is evenly distributed throughout the year. These forests occur from roughly 765 m to over 1680 m in elevation (lower montane zone in these mountains), on both southerly and northerly aspects. Slopes can be moderate to steep (3-60%), and soils are derived from pumice ash, lava, tuff, and granitics. Ash soils are subject to mass movement on steep slopes. These forests were probably subject to a moderately severe fire regime in pre-settlement times. Associations in this alliance usually have a closed to somewhat open canopy (50-90% cover) of Pseudotsuga menziesii and Pinus ponderosa. Other needle-leaved evergreen trees, such as Larix occidentalis and Abies grandis, are occasionally present. Larix occidentalis has high constancy, but is rarely codominant. The forest understory is usually open and shrubs may be present or not. When present, common shrub species in stands of this alliance include Symphoricarpos albus, Purshia tridentata, and Physocarpus malvaceus. The herbaceous layer is usually dominated by a sod-forming sedge, Carex geyeri, in combination with Calamagrostis rubescens. Total graminoid cover can be up to 50%. Forbs are typically inconspicuous. No other information is available on the species composition of this alliance. Contiguous vegetation is often Pinus ponderosa or Pseudotsuga menziesii forests or woodlands.  Accession Code: VB.CC.19845.PINUSPONDEROSAP Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 0
	Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization) Perspective from: 26-Nov-1997 to: 01-May-2019
	status: accepted This Community's Level: Alliance This Community's Children: [none]		Names:   Scientific: Pinus ponderosa - Pseudotsuga menziesii Forest Alliance   Translated: Ponderosa Pine - Douglas-fir Forest Alliance   UID: HIGHER_CLASS_UNIT.2.126628 NatureServe Explorer   Code: A.134