Name:
Populus tremuloides / Calamagrostis canadensis Riparian Forest
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
These lush, deciduous, riparian forests occur in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, Idaho, Colorado, and possibly Wyoming. Elevations range from 850 to 3170 m (2800-10,400 feet). Sites are riparian, occurring along stream terraces or floodplains, or upland on wet flats, benches, and gentle toeslopes where groundwater emerges as seeps. Substrates are often coarse-loamy soils over coarse alluvium. Stands have a moderately dense to dense tree canopy that is dominated by <i>Populus tremuloides</i>. Other trees present with low cover (<10%) may include <i>Pinus contorta</i>, or <i>Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa</i>. The shrub layer is sparse to moderate (cover ranging from 0 to 30% cover) and composed of any of a variety of shrubs, such as <i>Alnus incana, Rosa</i> spp., <i>Amelanchier alnifolia, Cornus sericea</i>, and several <i>Salix</i> spp., including <i>Salix geyeriana, Salix bebbiana</i>, and <i>Salix monticola</i>. Shorter shrub species present include <i>Symphoricarpos albus, Ribes lacustre</i>, and <i>Rosa acicularis</i>. The herbaceous layer is moderately dense to dense depending on shrub cover. It is dominated by the wet-site perennial graminoid <i>Calamagrostis canadensis</i>. Other frequently occurring species include <i>Bromus ciliatus, Carex siccata, Equisetum arvense, Geranium richardsonii, Heracleum</i> spp., <i>Ligusticum porteri, Maianthemum stellatum, Mertensia ciliata, Senecio triangularis</i>, and <i>Viola</i> spp. These are usually in low abundance but occasionally can have as much as 30% cover individually. The introduced species <i>Poa pratensis, Poa palustris</i>, and <i>Taraxacum officinale</i> may be present. The abundant and near uniform cover of the <i>Calamagrostis canadensis</i>-dominated herbaceous layer in the understory separates this type from other <i>Populus tremuloides</i> forests.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:29483-{C3ED8015-D0DE-46A8-85A0-68A3028F3428}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
5
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