Login | Datasets | Logout
Jump to... Home PLOT search PLANT search COMMUNITY search Simple search Manage datasets Tutorial About FAQ ------- Site map VegBranch Data dictionary ERD

stdcommconcept4411844118

View Community Concepts - Detail

Tsuga heterophylla - Abies amabilis - (Callitropsis nootkatensis) / Vaccinium alaskaense Forest | NatureServe Biotics 2019
click to update datacart
Name: Tsuga heterophylla - Abies amabilis - (Callitropsis nootkatensis) / Vaccinium alaskaense Forest Reference: NatureServe Biotics 2019 Description: This widely distributed montane coniferous community, which when very old can develop complex vertical structure, is found from the windward and leeward Vancouver Island Ranges to the mainland western slopes of the Coast Mountains from the Fraser River valley northward into southeastern Alaska. It probably also is found in the northwestern Cascade Range and possibly the Olympic Mountains of Washington. The slope position is variable, from upper to lower. The moderately to imperfectly drained soils are developed on colluvial and morainal materials, as well as on organic veneers over these materials and over bedrock. <i>Tsuga heterophylla</i> and <i>Abies amabilis</i> dominate the canopy, with lesser amounts of <i>Callitropsis nootkatensis, Thuja plicata</i>, and <i>Tsuga mertensiana</i>. The well-developed shrub layer tends to be dominated by <i>Vaccinium alaskaense</i> and regenerating <i>Tsuga heterophylla</i> and <i>Abies amabilis</i>. Other shrub species present include <i>Vaccinium parvifolium, Vaccinium ovalifolium</i>, and <i>Menziesia ferruginea</i>. The moderately developed herb layer often features <i>Rubus pedatus, Blechnum spicant</i>, and <i>Cornus canadensis</i>. <i>Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Hylocomium splendens</i>, and <i>Rhytidiopsis robusta</i> dominate the moss layer. These sites are distinguished by their intermediate soil moisture and medium to poor nutrient status, as suggested by the absence or low coverage of fresh-to-moist and rich-site indicator species such as <i>Rubus spectabilis, Oplopanax horridus, Polystichum munitum, Tiarella trifoliata</i>, and <i>Athyrium filix-femina</i>. Heavy snow compacts both the moss layer and upper soil layers and is a distinctive feature of this association. Sites are close to the gradation into the higher subalpine Mountain Hemlock zone forest as signified by the transition from leading <i>Tsuga heterophylla</i> into leading <i>Tsuga mertensiana</i>, as well as the increasing prominence of <i>Elliottia pyroliflora</i>. It is distinguished from the similar <i>Tsuga heterophylla - Abies amabilis / Vaccinium ovalifolium / Rubus pedatus</i> Forest (not in USNVC) by the prominence of <i>Callitropsis nootkatensis</i> or <i>Tsuga mertensiana</i> or &gt;1% cover of <i>Coptis aspleniifolia</i>.  Accession Code: urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:31752-{B1258377-96B6-46F3-A3E9-FA388E5135A2} Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 0
	Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization) Perspective from: 19-Aug-2008 to: ongoing
	status: accepted Community's Parent: Abies amabilis - Tsuga heterophylla / Vaccinium membranaceum Cold Forest Alliance This Community's Level: Association This Community's Children: [none]		Names:   UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.788005 NatureServe Explorer   Code: CEGL002850   Translated: Western Hemlock - Pacific Silver Fir - (Alaska-cedar) / Alaska Blueberry Forest   Scientific: Tsuga heterophylla - Abies amabilis - (Callitropsis nootkatensis) / Vaccinium alaskaense Forest (convergence) and Synonyms: (similar) Tsuga heterophylla - Abies amabilis - (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis) / Vaccinium alaskaense Forest