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Picea pungens / Carex siccata Forest | Western Ecology Working Group of...
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Name: Picea pungens / Carex siccata Forest Reference: Western Ecology Working Group of... Description: This blue spruce forest association occurs from Arizona and New Mexico north to Wyoming. This description is based on information from Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, and additional global information will be added as it becomes available. This high-elevation association occurs on the North Rim from 2347 to 2683 m (7700-8802 feet) elevation in mesic environments. It occurs in canyons, cold-air drainage channels, and on adjacent sideslopes. Slopes are low to moderate (up to 30°) and are usually west- or south-facing. Soils are primarily silt loams. Stands have a high cover of litter, some bare soil, and occasionally significant moss cover. There is minor evidence of fire in several stands; however, the mesic nature of this association and its typical positioning along cold-air drainages have precluded any significant influence from fire. <i>Picea pungens, Pinus ponderosa</i>, and occasionally low cover of <i>Populus tremuloides</i> dominate the canopy of this mesic, mixed-conifer community. <i>Picea pungens, Populus tremuloides</i>, and <i>Abies concolor</i> are common components of the subcanopy. Shrub layers are typically sparse. <i>Juniperus communis</i> is the most frequent and abundant short shrub, while <i>Rosa woodsii</i> occurs occasionally as a dwarf-shrub with extremely low cover. <i>Carex siccata</i> clearly dominates the herbaceous layer. <i>Poa fendleriana</i> and <i>Bromus ciliatus</i> are also common graminoids, typically at low cover. Forb cover is very sparse in this vegetation type. <i>Antennaria parvifolia, Achillea millefolium</i>, and <i>Fragaria virginiana</i> are common components of the understory. Seedlings of <i>Populus tremuloides</i> are ubiquitous and seedlings of <i>Abies concolor</i> and <i>Picea pungens</i> are also very common. This association essentially hosts the highest species richness of all high-elevation, forested community types in Grand Canyon National Park, with 32 species per 400-square-meter plot. This may be a result of the vicinity of this vegetation type, which occurs in cold-air drainages, to the adjacent meadow communities (which are often particularly species-rich).  Accession Code: VB.CC.33894.CEGL000387 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.2.689037 NatureServe Explorer   Translated: Blue Spruce / Dry-spike Sedge Forest   Scientific: Picea pungens / Carex siccata Forest   Code: CEGL000387