Name:
Tsuga mertensiana - Abies amabilis - Callitropsis nootkatensis Woodland Group
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This forested group occurs throughout the mountains of the North Pacific, from the central Cascades of Oregon north to the upper slopes of mountain ranges along the Gulf Coast of Alaska, to the Cook Inlet. It is the predominant forest of subalpine elevations in the coastal mountains of British Columbia, Alaska, western Washington and western Oregon. It also occurs on mountain slopes on the outer coastal islands of British Columbia. It occurs at elevations ranging from 300 to 2300 m (1000-7500 feet). At the highest altitudes, the forest may begin to break up, forming "tree islands" that are surrounded by meadows or shrublands, where they form the "parkland" habitats before giving way to treeline. The lower and upper elevational limits decrease from south to north and from east to west. <i>Tsuga mertensiana</i> is one of the dominant tree species throughout, and <i>Abies amabilis</i> becomes an important associated species in the southern and central portion of the range, and drops out completely for the Alaska portion of this group's range. <i>Tsuga heterophylla</i> often occurs at lower elevations in this group but is much less abundant than <i>Tsuga mertensiana</i>. <i>Callitropsis nootkatensis</i> occurs in the more coastal-influenced sections, decreasing with increasing continental climate, while <i>Abies lasiocarpa</i> is found inland and becomes increasingly common near the transition to the Subalpine Fir-Engelmann Spruce Zone in the Cascades and British Columbia. On the leeward side of the Cascades, the group is usually a dense canopy composed of <i>Abies lasiocarpa</i> and <i>Tsuga mertensiana</i>, with some <i>Picea engelmannii</i> or <i>Abies amabilis</i>. In Alaska <i>Abies lasiocarpa</i> mixes with the canopy of <i>Tsuga mertensiana</i> in some locations. <i>Picea sitchensis</i> and <i>Thuja plicata</i> are occasionally present. Deciduous trees are rare. Common understory species include <i>Blechnum spicant, Elliottia pyroliflora, Empetrum nigrum, Geum calthifolium, Vaccinium ovalifolium, Gymnocarpium dryopteris, Harrimanella stelleriana, Luetkea pectinata, Menziesia ferruginea, Nephrophyllidium crista-galli, Phyllodoce aleutica</i> (or <i>Phyllodoce glanduliflora</i>), <i>Rubus pedatus, Streptopus lanceolatus, Tiarella trifoliata, Vaccinium membranaceum</i>, and <i>Vaccinium ovalifolium</i>.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40406-{65573BF3-D83A-4490-820D-8562DED3C459}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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