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Pinus ponderosa / Festuca spp. - Muhlenbergia spp. Southern Rocky Mountain Open Woodland Group | NatureServe Biotics 2019
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Name: Pinus ponderosa / Festuca spp. - Muhlenbergia spp. Southern Rocky Mountain Open Woodland Group Reference: NatureServe Biotics 2019 Description: This group is found predominantly in the Colorado Plateau region, west into scattered locations in the Great Basin, and north along the eastern front of the southern Rocky Mountains into southeastern Wyoming. These savannas occur at the lower treeline/ecotone between grassland or shrubland and more mesic coniferous forests typically in warm, dry, exposed sites. Elevations range from less than 1900 m in central and northern Wyoming to 2800 m in the New Mexico mountains to well over 2700 m on the higher plateaus of the Southwest. It is found on rolling plains, plateaus, or dry slopes usually on more southerly aspects. This group is best described as a savanna that has widely spaced (&lt;25% tree canopy cover) (&gt;150 years old) <i>Pinus ponderosa</i> (primarily <i>var. scopulorum</i> and <i>var. brachyptera</i>) as the predominant conifer. It is maintained by a fire regime of frequent, low-intensity surface fires. A healthy occurrence often consists of open and parklike stands dominated by <i>Pinus ponderosa</i>. Understory vegetation in the true savanna occurrences is predominantly fire-resistant grasses and forbs that resprout following surface fires; shrubs, understory trees and downed logs are uncommon. Important species include <i>Festuca arizonica, Muhlenbergia straminea, Pseudoroegneria spicata, Andropogon gerardii, Schizachyrium scoparium, Festuca idahoensis, Piptatheropsis micrantha</i>, and <i>Bouteloua gracilis</i>. A century of anthropogenic disturbance and fire suppression has resulted in a higher density of <i>Pinus ponderosa</i> trees, altering the fire regime and species composition.  Accession Code: urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40023-{B7D7681B-2FD6-4F4D-AA4A-39983DEAC84C} Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 0
	Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization) Perspective from: 17-Mar-2010 to: ongoing
	status: accepted Community's Parent: Abies concolor - Pseudotsuga menziesii - Picea pungens Forest Macrogroup This Community's Level: Group This Community's Children: Show/Hide   Pinus ponderosa / Grass Understory Southern Rocky Mountain Open Woodland Alliance		Names:   UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.836546 NatureServe Explorer   Code: G229   Scientific: Pinus ponderosa / Festuca spp. - Muhlenbergia spp. Southern Rocky Mountain Open Woodland Group