Name:
Pinus ponderosa - Pseudotsuga menziesii / Purshia tridentata Woodland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This dry woodland association is documented from stands growing on hills and mountains on the eastern slope of the Cascade Range in Washington and on high plateaus in the northern Colorado Plateau of Utah. Stands occur on warm, well-drained sites on upper slopes, shoulders and ridgetops with poor soils, and often with much bedrock exposure. A few stands occur on well-drained outwash deposits in valley bottoms. Sites are moderately steep (7-16° slopes), occasionally greater than 50%. Elevations range between 610 and 1465 m (2000-4800 feet) in Washington but are close to 2745 m (9000 feet) in Utah. Soils are shallow, stony, rapidly drained sandy loams and loamy sands derived from colluvium, alluvium or granitic till. Total vegetation cover ranges from 10 to 60%, but in general stands are relatively sparsely vegetated. The canopy is open (less than 40% cover) and consists of a mix of <i>Pinus ponderosa</i> and <i>Pseudotsuga menziesii</i>, occasionally with scattered <i>Pinus contorta</i>. The sparse subcanopy may also contain <i>Pinus edulis</i> and <i>Juniperus scopulorum</i>. Shrubs form a discontinuous, patchy layer dominated by <i>Purshia tridentata</i>. Associated shrubs include <i>Artemisia nova, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Mahonia repens, Amelanchier</i> spp., <i>Ceanothus velutinus, Spiraea betulifolia</i>, and <i>Symphoricarpos oreophilus</i>. The herbaceous layer is typically sparse, rarely with more than 10% total cover. Documented species include <i>Achillea millefolium, Balsamorhiza sagittata, Carex geyeri, Elymus elymoides, Lomatium triternatum, Apocynum androsaemifolium, Packera multilobata, Phlox austromontana</i>, and <i>Poa fendleriana</i>.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:29123-{FBC5893F-5EFB-47E5-B753-39C149F8374F}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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