Name:
Picea engelmannii / Equisetum arvense Forest
Reference:
Western Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
This spruce-dominated riparian forest association is widely distributed in the upper montane and subalpine zones of the central and northern Rocky Mountains. It occurs on gently sloping stream terraces, wet benches, flat, poorly drained sites, and sidehill seeps, from 1000 to 2880 m (3300-9440 feet) in elevation. It occurs on sites too cold or too wet for <i>Abies lasiocarpa</i> to be abundant. It can occur adjacent to the wet forest margins of lakes, fens or bogs, and is often associated with the margins of wet basins or subirrigated terraces and toeslopes. Soils are Mollisols, or Histosols, sandy loam to clay in texture, often with a mucky organic surface layer and usually over coarse alluvial or glacial material. The upper canopy is dominated by <i>Picea engelmannii</i> or <i>Picea engelmannii x glauca</i> hybrids, with 20-70% cover. Other conifers typically present are <i>Pinus contorta</i> and <i>Abies lasiocarpa</i>. Other tree species occasionally present, depending on geographic location, are <i>Picea pungens, Populus tremuloides, Populus angustifolia</i>, and <i>Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa</i>. Shrub cover is generally low (<5%), but has been reported as high as 50%. Typical species include <i>Alnus incana, Lonicera involucrata, Cornus sericea, Vaccinium scoparium, Ribes</i> spp., and <i>Salix</i> spp. Herbaceous species diversity is high and extremely variable between stands. However, herbaceous undergrowth is dominated by <i>Equisetum arvense</i>, which generally is the most abundant species, with average cover 30-40%, although it can have less than 10% cover. Other forbs and grasses present are mesic or hydric. Typical species include <i>Calamagrostis canadensis, Glyceria</i> spp., <i>Caltha leptosepala, Gymnocarpium dryopteris, Athyrium filix-femina, Osmorhiza berteroi (= Osmorhiza chilensis), Senecio triangularis, Cardamine cordifolia, Streptopus amplexifolius</i>, and <i>Maianthemum stellatum</i>, among many others. Disturbance from flooding is necessary to maintain this community.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.33578.CEGL005927
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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