Name:
Picea engelmannii / Salix drummondiana Swamp Woodland
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This association is uncommon in the montane and lower subalpine zones on the east side of Glacier National Park, Montana, restricted to the edges of lakes and creeks. Stands are located in bottomland floodplains along lakes, ponds, streams, and creeks. These sites occur at low to moderate elevations up to 1525 m (5000 feet) on flat terrain. Soils are variable, ranging from poorly drained, very dark silty clay loam to rapidly drained, very gravelly sand. This variability is due to the location of stands, which occur on sandy creek beds and semipermanently flooded lowlands. Soil is derived from glacio-fluvial deposits and can contain red, green, and tan argillite. Ground cover is variable as well. Litter covers 30-60% of the ground surface, but water may be as high as 20% cover in some areas, while rock and sand may be 50% cover in other areas. This is a subhygric to hydric evergreen woodland that is dominated by <i>Picea engelmannii</i> or <i>Picea engelmannii x glauca</i> hybrids in the overstory and <i>Salix drummondiana</i> in the understory. Tree cover is generally sparse, ranging from 5-20%. Mature <i>Picea engelmannii</i>, measuring 15-20 m, may occur scattered within the dense shrub cover, or medium-sized <i>Picea engelmannii</i>, measuring 5-10 m, may occur with higher cover as more of a woodland. <i>Abies lasiocarpa</i> trees and <i>Picea engelmannii</i> seedlings can also be common. Shrub cover is very high at 60-80%, dominated almost exclusively by <i>Salix drummondiana</i> with heights of 1-2 m. A few other shrubs are present with low cover. Herbaceous cover ranges from 10-30% and is dominated by <i>Calamagrostis canadensis, Elymus glaucus</i>, and <i>Geum macrophyllum</i>. Other high-constancy forbs include <i>Epilobium ciliatum</i> and <i>Galium triflorum</i>. <i>Cicuta douglasii, Carex utriculata, Petasites frigidus var. sagittatus</i>, and <i>Equisetum hyemale</i> may be present with conspicuous cover. Stand age was measured at 45 years in one plot and 95 years in another.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:34498-{2FDE2FA6-ECCB-49A5-B54B-CCD69F52E44E}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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