Name:
A.567
Reference:
EcoArt 2002
Description:
This riparian woodland alliance is found at middle elevations (from 1900-2900 m) of the central and southern Rocky Mountains and the Colorado Plateau region. Stands typically occur in narrow, or V-shaped, valleys and canyons subject to cold-air drainage and limited sunlight. They occupy streambanks, terraces, narrow floodplains or benches, and subirrigated toeslopes; stream gradients are often steep. These sites can be subject to spring flooding, and usually water tables are within 1 m of the soil surface even late in the growing season. The soils are somewhat variable often with signs of mottling. This alliance is characterized by the dominance of ~Picea pungens$ in the tree canopy. Other conifers are usually present in these stands, depending upon geographic location, site moisture, and stand history. Common associates include ~Pseudotsuga menziesii, Abies lasiocarpa, Abies concolor, Picea engelmannii, Pinus ponderosa$, and ~Pinus contorta$. ~Populus angustifolia$ is the most commonly present deciduous tree species, although ~Populus tremuloides$ may persist as a seral species on well-drained sites of this alliance. There is often an abundant tall-shrub layer; common species include ~Alnus incana, Betula occidentalis, Cornus sericea, Rosa woodsii$, and several species of ~Salix$. Other shrubs that may be present include ~Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda (= Pentaphylloides floribunda), Lonicera involucrata$, and ~Acer glabrum$. Because of favorable soil moisture, the herbaceous layer is usually a luxuriant mixture of forbs and graminoids, including ~Equisetum arvense, Calamagrostis canadensis, Carex siccata (= Carex foenea), Heracleum sphondylium, Rudbeckia laciniata, Mertensia ciliata, Fragaria virginiana, Conioselinum scopulorum$, and ~Maianthemum stellatum$. The herbaceous layer can have very high cover in some stands. Diagnostic of this woodland alliance is the dominance of ~Picea pungens$ with an open to moderately closed canopy, occurring on sites that have surface water for brief periods during the growing season.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.2211.A567
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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