Name:
Pinus contorta Rocky Mountain Forest Alliance
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This alliance is found in the upper montane and subalpine zones of southern Rocky Mountains, north to the Canadian Rocky Mountains and west into the Cascade Range. Forests included in this alliance are characterized by a closed to open tree canopy that is dominated (>90% cover) by the conifer <i>Pinus contorta</i>. Stands may be even-aged or multi-aged depending on geographic location, edaphic characteristics, and how the stands were established following wildfire. Shrub and herbaceous layers may be present or absent depending on tree canopy. Other tree species such as <i>Abies lasiocarpa, Picea engelmannii, Pinus albicaulis, Pinus flexilis, Populus tremuloides, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Tsuga heterophylla</i>, or <i>Tsuga mertensiana</i> may be present to abundant as seedlings and saplings, or as trees, but with low abundance. On warmer sites, <i>Abies grandis, Thuja plicata</i>, and <i>Tsuga heterophylla</i> may be also present. Associated shrub and herbaceous species vary across the range of this alliance. Common subalpine and montane shrub species include <i>Arctostaphylos nevadensis, Arctostaphylos patula, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Ceanothus velutinus, Linnaea borealis, Mahonia repens, Purshia tridentata, Ribes</i> spp., <i>Spiraea betulifolia, Spiraea douglasii, Shepherdia canadensis, Symphoricarpos albus, Vaccinium cespitosum, Vaccinium membranaceum</i>, and <i>Vaccinium scoparium</i>. Herbaceous cover is very sparse. The cover of the herbaceous stratum can be dominated by either graminoids or perennial forbs and tends to vary inversely with shrub cover. Important graminoids include <i>Achnatherum occidentale, Carex pensylvanica, Carex geyeri, Carex rossii, Calamagrostis rubescens, Danthonia californica</i>, and <i>Elymus glaucus</i>. Important forbs are <i>Arnica cordifolia, Chimaphila umbellata, Orthilia secunda, Osmorhiza berteroi, Pedicularis racemosa, Thalictrum</i> spp., and <i>Xerophyllum tenax</i>. Elevations range from just over 900 m in the eastern Cascades to well over 3100 m in the Rocky Mountains. This alliance occurs in a broad array of habitats.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:38653-{126EF3E6-3B3F-4679-9B1F-E9F32F6E44BD}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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