Name:
Abies amabilis - Tsuga heterophylla / Vaccinium membranaceum Cold Forest Alliance
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
These are tall evergreen forests dominated by a mix of <i>Abies amabilis</i> and <i>Tsuga heterophylla</i> often with <i>Pseudotsuga menziesii</i>, but the latter may be absent. In this typically mixed conifer forest, <i>Tsuga heterophylla</i> is usually codominant with <i>Abies amabilis</i> in the overstory; however, <i>Tsuga mertensiana</i> may also be present in the canopy. <i>Abies amabilis</i> is the most shade-tolerant conifer and is dominant in all age classes. <i>Callitropsis nootkatensis</i> may be frequent in the upper elevations and is occasionally codominant. <i>Thuja plicata</i> is also an occasional codominant. Associated shrubs are primarily ericaceous. <i>Vaccinium membranaceum, Vaccinium ovalifolium</i>, and <i>Rhododendron albiflorum</i> are common along with <i>Menziesia ferruginea</i>. The herbaceous layer is generally dominated by shade-tolerant species with northern affinities (i.e., cold-tolerant), including <i>Clintonia uniflora, Cornus canadensis, Linnaea borealis, Orthilia secunda, Rubus lasiococcus, Valeriana sitchensis, Xerophyllum tenax</i>, and many others. These forests occupy a broad elevational band in the Cascades, extending from approximately 1000 to 1500 m. In the Olympic Mountains and northward through British Columbia, elevations range from approximately 1000 to 1200 m. The climate is cool and wet with annual precipitation totals generally exceeding 200 cm and deep (1-3 m) snow accumulations. A consistent winter snowpack of moderate duration along with less frequent winter rain-on-snow events and more frequent snow-on-snow events are driving factors in the occurrence of these forests. Stands typically occupy moderate to steep middle and upper mountain slopes and are often contiguous with the lower-elevation forests.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:38674-{7765BBFA-CAA4-4E78-994F-B9900CDCCD43}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
|
