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Pinus flexilis / Festuca campestris Woodland | Western Ecology Working Group of...
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Name: Pinus flexilis / Festuca campestris Woodland Reference: Western Ecology Working Group of... Description: This is a somewhat circumscribed community found in the northern Rocky Mountains from central Montana to southwestern Alberta on dry and often wind-swept slopes. Typically stands are small patches, but some on the Rocky Mountain Front foothills and western extremity of the northwestern Great Plains are extensive. The documented elevation range is from 1400 m (4600 feet) in the Rocky Mountain Front foothills to 1830 m (6000 feet) within the Lewis Range; reconnaissance within this range has placed stands at considerably higher elevations (these sites often occur on west- to southwest-facing slopes impacted by prevailing winds). Though not restricted to calcareous substrates, it frequently occurs on such owing to extensive exposures of Madison limestone within the type's distribution. Substrates are always excessively drained and gravelly with textures ranging from silts to sandy loams. Ground cover is dominated by litter, but moderate amounts of rock (15%) and soil (10%) are found. Tree canopy structure ranges from very open (15-20% cover) to approaching 60% cover. Though <i>Pinus flexilis</i> is usually dominant, <i>Pseudotsuga menziesii</i> is invariably present and not infrequently shares canopy dominance with <i>Pinus flexilis</i>. <i>Pinus ponderosa</i> and <i>Pinus contorta</i> occur in a small fraction of the stands and usually as minor components. With the exception of locally high coverages of <i>Juniperus horizontalis</i>, shrubs are generally a minor component, with those of highest constancy being <i>Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Shepherdia canadensis, Juniperus communis, Artemisia frigida</i>, and <i>Amelanchier alnifolia</i>. The herbaceous layer is bunchgrass dominated, with <i>Festuca campestris</i> and <i>Festuca idahoensis</i> about equally abundant in stands with well-regulated grazing and <i>Pseudoroegneria spicata</i> and <i>Koeleria macrantha</i> having considerable cover in particular circumstances. Forbs comprise a minor component, with <i>Allium cernuum, Galium boreale, Achillea millefolium, Lithospermum ruderale</i>, and <i>Balsamorhiza sagittata</i> exhibiting the highest constancy; the last three species sporadically occur with greater than 10% cover. In the case of <i>Achillea millefolium</i>, over-grazing is frequently the cause.  Accession Code: VB.CC.33231.CEGL000806 Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 0
	Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization) Perspective from: 17-Nov-2014 to: 01-May-2019
	status: accepted This Community's Level: association This Community's Children: [none]		Names:   UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686574 NatureServe Explorer   Translated: Limber Pine / Rough Fescue Woodland   Scientific: Pinus flexilis / Festuca campestris Woodland   Code: CEGL000806