Name:
Abies lasiocarpa - Picea engelmannii / Alnus incana Swamp Forest
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This spruce-fir riparian forest occurs in the southern Rocky Mountains in Colorado. It occurs on heavily forested reaches of first- and second-order streams above 2440 m (8000 feet) in elevation where <i>Abies lasiocarpa - Picea engelmannii</i> forests also occur on adjacent hillslopes. It is found on stream benches and banks in narrow, V-shaped valleys most commonly within 4.6-6.1 m (15-20 feet) of the channel edge and rarely more than 0.6 m (2 feet) above the streambank. Stream channels vary in their morphology; they can be narrow to wide and steep to flat and sinuous. Soils are shallow, dark-colored layers of loamy sands, silty loams, and sandy clay loams over cobbly alluvium with high organic matter content in the top 50.8 cm (20 inches) and mottles at 101.6 cm (40 inches). Stands have an evergreen needle-leaved tree canopy dominated by <i>Abies lasiocarpa</i> and <i>Picea engelmannii</i>. Occasional canopy associates can include <i>Picea pungens, Pinus contorta</i>, or <i>Populus tremuloides</i>. Tall <i>Alnus incana</i> and <i>Salix drummondiana</i> grow in a thick band along the edge of the stream. At lower elevations, <i>Alnus incana</i> is more abundant than <i>Salix drummondiana</i>. At mid elevations, the two shrubs can be codominant. At higher elevations, <i>Salix drummondiana</i> becomes dominant and <i>Alnus incana</i> drops out, forming ~<i>Abies lasiocarpa - Picea engelmannii / Salix drummondiana</i> Swamp Forest (CEGL000327)$$. In stands where <i>Alnus incana</i> and <i>Salix drummondiana</i> codominate the shrub layer, the stand should be classified as CEGL000327. Additional tall shrubs that can occur in this association include <i>Cornus sericea, Salix geyeriana, Salix monticola, Lonicera involucrata</i>, and <i>Acer glabrum</i>. The herbaceous layer is usually rich in forb species, with total herb cover ranging from 20-70%. Species often include <i>Corydalis caseana ssp. brandegeei, Heracleum maximum, Oxypolis fendleri, Mertensia ciliata, Mertensia franciscana, Maianthemum racemosum ssp. amplexicaule, Streptopus amplexifolius, Pyrola asarifolia, Cardamine cordifolia, Hydrophyllum fendleri</i>, among many others. Graminoids commonly include <i>Calamagrostis canadensis, Carex aquatilis, Glyceria striata, Elymus glaucus, Carex disperma</i>, and <i>Bromus ciliatus</i>. Bryophyte cover is often moderate.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:29205-{AC1DEDCD-CADF-45A8-8B68-697CE6BD5592}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
52
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