Name:
A.104
Reference:
EcoArt 2002
Description:
This coniferous forest alliance occurs in a very restricted range in the Klamath/Siskiyou mountain region of northern California and southern Oregon, but shows wide ecological amplitude within that range. Winters are cool and wet; summers are warm and dry. Coastal stands are usually associated with penetration of ocean fog events, and are particularly well-developed on moist toeslopes and valley bottoms of coastal river drainages. Disjunct inland stands occur at up to 2000 m elevation in the southern Cascades and inner Klamath Mountains where stands occur in moist microhabitats, often in association with streams or springs. Soils are often moist, coarse-textured, ultra-mafic soils with perched water tables derived from alluvium or colluvium. These mixed conifer forests are characterized by ~Chamaecyparis lawsoniana$ codominant in the tree canopy. ~Pseudotsuga menziesii$ is codominant or common in most stands. Additional codominants include ~Tsuga heterophylla$ in northern stands and ~Picea sitchensis$ in coastal stands. Other conifers present may include ~Abies concolor, Abies magnifica, Taxus brevifolia, Picea breweriana$, and ~Chamaecyparis nootkatensis$. Northern stands often have a broad-leaved tree subcanopy of ~Acer macrophyllum, Chrysolepis chrysophylla (= Castanopsis chrysophylla), Lithocarpus densiflorus$, or ~Alnus rubra$, and a tall-shrub stratum of ~Acer circinatum, Rhododendron macrophyllum, Vaccinium parvifolium$, or ~Gaultheria shallon$. Shorter shrubs may include ~Leucothoe davisiae, Mahonia nervosa, Paxistima myrsinites, Chimaphila umbellata, Rubus ursinus, Vaccinium membranaceum$, or ~Rosa gymnocarpa$. Herbaceous layers commonly have shade-tolerant species such as ~Polystichum munitum, Clintonia uniflora, Goodyera oblongifolia, Linnaea borealis$, and ~Oxalis oregana$. The tree canopies of southern interior stands may include ~Lithocarpus densiflorus, Arbutus menziesii, Calocedrus decurrens$, and ~Umbellularia californica$. Ericaceous and other shrubs such as ~Quercus sadleriana, Quercus vacciniifolia$, and ~Morella californica (= Myrica californica)$ dominate the shrub layer. Important herbs may include ~Xerophyllum tenax$, in addition to the species above. Diagnostic of this forest alliance is ~Chamaecyparis lawsoniana$ codominant in the tree canopy.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.810.A104
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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