Name:
Picea engelmannii / Calamagrostis canadensis Forest
Reference:
Western Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
This wet spruce forest association occurs on cool, moist sites at low to high elevations in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, Wyoming, southeastern Idaho and Colorado. The elevation of this community ranges from 1891 to 2326 m (6200-7625 feet) in the northern Rocky Mountains and 2750 to 3050 m (9020-10,006 feet) in the southern Rocky Mountains. It is generally restricted to flat to gently sloping sites with poor drainage, such as fen and lake margins, toeslopes, and low stream and river terraces. This community usually is saturated for a good portion of the year, and stands have a high water table year round. The ground surface in these stands is characterized by a large amount of microtopography stemming from wind-thrown trees. The overstory is dominated by <i>Picea engelmannii</i> or <i>Picea engelmannii x glauca</i> hybrids. <i>Abies lasiocarpa</i> may also be present, but with only trace cover; sites occupied by this community are generally too wet for <i>Abies lasiocarpa</i>. Not infrequently <i>Pinus contorta</i> is a long-persisting seral component. Shrub canopy coverage is low, although the diversity of shrub species present is fairly high. Shrub species present are often limited to hummocks and include <i>Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda (= Potentilla fruticosa), Lonicera involucrata, Vaccinium scoparium</i>, and <i>Ribes lacustre</i>. <i>Calamagrostis canadensis</i> and <i>Calamagrostis stricta</i> are diagnostic species when well-represented; usually under these shaded forest conditions <i>Calamagrostis canadensis</i> dominates the ground layer, often forming what appears to be a pure grass sward. Additional herbs can include <i>Carex aquatilis, Carex disperma, Carex utriculata</i>, and <i>Calamagrostis rubescens</i>, plus <i>Symphyotrichum spathulatum (= Aster occidentalis), Caltha leptosepala, Cardamine cordifolia, Conioselinum scopulorum, Chamerion angustifolium (= Epilobium angustifolium), Epilobium hornemannii, Equisetum arvense, Erigeron peregrinus, Fragaria virginiana, Galium boreale, Geranium richardsonii, Luzula parviflora, Mertensia ciliata, Pyrola asarifolia, Rhodiola rhodantha, Senecio triangularis, Streptopus amplexifolius</i>, and <i>Viola macloskeyi</i>. Moss cover is typically high.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.33600.CEGL002678
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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