Name:
Juniperus scopulorum / Artemisia tridentata Woodland
Reference:
Western Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
This association occurs locally in Colorado, the portions of Wyoming surrounding the Bighorn Basin, and Montana's Greenhorn Range. Stands develop on foothills, plateaus, piedmont fans, rockslides and canyons. Elevations range from 1680 to 1830 m (5500-6000 feet) in Montana and 2200 to 2600 m (7545-8120 feet) in Colorado and Wyoming. Slopes are gentle to very steep (5-70%), may be oriented to any aspect, and are frequently rocky but include shaly substrates. Litter and duff are restricted to plant bases leaving much exposed soil, rock, bedrock and gravel. Bare ground also results from rill and sheet erosion and animal trailing. Soils are variable and include clay loams, sands and silt loams; some soils effervesce violently. Although this is not a riparian association, the best-developed examples occur in gullies and swales. The vegetation is characterized by a sparse to moderately dense, sometimes clumpy canopy of <i>Juniperus scopulorum</i> (constituting between 5 and 40% canopy cover) and a somewhat depauperate undergrowth as well, in which a sparse to moderate shrub layer dominated by <i>Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana</i> or <i>Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis</i> is sometimes matched by a well-developed herbaceous layer. Associated shrubs may include <i>Amelanchier utahensis, </i><i>Artemisia frigida, Juniperus communis, Mahonia repens, Opuntia polyacantha, Paxistima myrsinites, Prunus virginiana, Purshia tridentata, Ribes cereum</i>, and <i>Symphoricarpos rotundifolius</i>. The herbaceous layer is diverse in terms of species composition and provides sparse to moderate cover. Graminoids dominate the herbaceous layer, including <i>Pseudoroegneria spicata, Achnatherum hymenoides, Bouteloua gracilis, Hesperostipa comata, Koeleria macrantha, Carex rossii, Elymus elymoides</i>, and <i>Poa fendleriana</i>. Forbs provide little cover but may include <i>Eriogonum umbellatum, Cryptantha flavoculata</i>, and <i>Physaria rollinsii</i>.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.33796.CEGL000743
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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