Name:
Picea engelmannii Cascadian Swamp Woodland Alliance
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
These riparian/wetland woodland alliance are dominated by conifers, with tree canopy cover ranging from 30-70%. <i>Picea engelmannii</i> is always present in the canopy and usually is dominant. <i>Pinus contorta</i> is often present and can be codominant, while <i>Abies lasiocarpa</i> is only occasional and is not abundant. A low-shrub layer is often present, dominated by <i>Vaccinium uliginosum, Vaccinium cespitosum</i>, and <i>Spiraea douglasii</i>, with <i>Ledum glandulosum, Linnaea borealis, Lonicera caerulea, Salix boothii, Salix eastwoodiae, Salix geyeriana, Salix lemmonii</i>, or <i>Vaccinium membranaceum</i> occasionally present. The herbaceous layer is dominated by perennial sedges or forbs. The most common or abundant graminoids include <i>Calamagrostis canadensis, Carex aquatilis, Carex jonesii, Carex scopulorum var. prionophylla, Carex scopulorum, Deschampsia cespitosa</i>, and <i>Eleocharis quinqueflora</i>. Important forbs include <i>Clintonia uniflora, Dodecatheon</i> spp., <i>Equisetum arvense, Pedicularis groenlandica, Saxifraga oregana, Streptopus amplexifolius</i>, and <i>Trifolium longipes</i>. Mosses are abundant and in some stands form peaty mats; <i>Sphagnum</i> spp. are the most important.<br /><br />This riparian woodland alliance is found throughout the Oregon Cascades and in the North Cascades and Selkirk Mountains of Washington and may occur in British Columbia. These montane woodlands are found on riparian and wetland landforms. Elevations range from 1280 to 2200 m. Sites include the relatively dry edges of mountain meadows, stream terraces, lake basins, or wetter sites on the margins of bogs, marshes, toeslopes, floodplains or headwaters basins. Stands can also be found as narrow stringers along the banks of steep subalpine streams. Valleys where the alliance occurs can be broad U- or trough-shaped or narrow and V-shaped. Most sites are flat or gently sloped, with alluvial soils. These woodlands experience seasonal high water tables and sometimes seasonal flooding, and in some cases, the water table may be high year-round. In the Cascades, parent materials include granitic alluvium, or air-laid pumice, pumice alluvium or pumice lacustrine deposits. They can be deep or have an impermeable or compacted mineral soil below. Soils often have a layer or lens of organic material (but less than 40 cm thick, so not considered a peat soil) with layers of cobbles and gravels.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:38981-{5693CA42-182F-4D04-A011-2338F4B8362D}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
|
