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Larix lyallii Woodland Alliance | NatureServe Biotics 2019
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Name: Larix lyallii Woodland Alliance
Reference: NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description: Vegetation within this alliance is found scattered through high-altitude habitats of the northern Rocky Mountains from central Idaho through northwestern Montana to the vicinity of Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. A second, smaller distribution occurs on the eastern slope of the northern Cascades, from near Wenatchee, Washington, north into the mountains of southern British Columbia. <i>Larix lyallii</i> often occurs in pure stands, sometimes with variable amounts of <i>Abies lasiocarpa</i> also present to codominant. Other conifers that may be present include <i>Pinus albicaulis</i> or <i>Picea engelmannii</i>. These latter species are often at their upper elevational limits when found in stands of this alliance. In the Cascade Range, this alliance may grade into forests of <i>Tsuga mertensiana</i>. Understories are diverse in form, due to a variety of habitats within the range of this alliance. Common shrubs throughout the range of <i>Larix lyallii</i>-dominated woodlands include <i>Phyllodoce empetriformis, Vaccinium deliciosum</i>, and <i>Vaccinium scoparium</i>. <i>Arnica latifolia</i> and <i>Luzula glabrata var. hitchcockii</i> are common, widespread herbaceous associates. Adjacent vegetation is often alpine tundra or permanent snowfields at the upper elevation margin and coniferous forest (usually <i>Tsuga mertensiana</i>-dominated in the Cascades, <i>Abies lasiocarpa</i>-dominated in the northern Rockies) at the lower margin. At similar elevations, stands of <i>Pinus albicaulis</i> may occur on adjacent south-facing slopes or ridges with lower snow accumulations and seasonal soil drought. Stands usually occur above the upper limits of other trees on north-facing cirques or slopes where snowfields lie until June or July. Elevation ranges from 2000-2800 m, and frost may occur any time of the year. The climate is very snowy and moist with yearly snow accumulations of over 3 m in the northern Cascades and 2-3 m in the Rockies. Abrasion by wind-driven snow is characteristic and leads to stunted or flagged trees in most stands. Soils are poorly developed and almost exclusively of fractured granitic or quartzite rocks which have not been previously colonized by other vascular plants. The majority of sites where stands of this alliance occur are in areas which experienced heavy alpine glaciation less than 12,000 years ago. 
Accession Code: urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:38085-{0D5F9CD9-8AB4-423A-A3F2-52316A12A962}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 0
      Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization)
Perspective from: 08-Jan-2014 to: ongoing
      Names:   UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.899006 NatureServe ExplorerNatureServe Explorer logo
  Code: A0631
  Translated: Subalpine Larch Woodland Alliance
  Common: Subalpine Larch Woodland
  Scientific: Larix lyallii Woodland Alliance