DOCSLIB.ORG

Projected Environmental Changes in the Pnw

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Projected Environmental Changes in the Pnw LEFT: Tucked up on the mountainside, this 11-tiered pagoda represents monasteries in the mountains of Japan. RIGHT: Maple leaves cover the roof of the machiai house in the tea garden. AURORA SANTIAGO is a nature and garden photographer whose work is strongly featured on the Seattle Japanese Garden website and blog. She won the People’s Choice Award during the 2017 “Autumn Reflections” juried photo exhibit at the Japanese Garden. She is also a retired RN. PROJECTED ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES IN THE PNW • Rise of between 2.7°F and 10.4°F in • However, warmer winters may fail to mean air temperature this century, with satisfy “chilling requirement” of some greatest warming occurring in summer. species (e.g. Douglas-fir)—leading to • Reduction in summer precipitation of delayed budburst and shoot growth. up to 14% by end of century. • Also, early budburst may expose plants • Increase in mean winter precipitation to potential frost damage. of up to 8% by end of century. • Early flowering may promote seed • Summer soil-water availability likely to production but also lower reproductive decline in much of region. capacity by altering synchrony between plants and their pollinators/dispersers. • This will lead to increased drought stress and reduced photosynthesis. • Elevated carbon dioxide in the air may enhance productivity and water-use • Less precipitation will fall as snow, efficiency in plants, offsetting somewhat leading to reduced snowpack accumu- the negative effects of warming. lation and duration, and subsequent impacts on dependent ecosystems. • Warming climate will likely increase disturbances from wildfires, new pests • Warming winter temperature may and diseases, and invasive species. lengthen growing season, promoting growth (given sufficient water). • This may cause forests to convert from carbon sinks to carbon sources. 14 v Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin OUR CHANGING CLIMATE, PART 3 Implications for Native Plant Communities and Conservation in the Pacific Northwest Alpine meadow on Mount Rainier. B Y N I A LL D UNNE (Photo by Samuel Kerr/Wikimedia Commons) Part 1 of this article (“Bulletin,” Fall 2015) discussed simple practices that gardeners can adopt in order to shrink their carbon footprint and help reduce the severity of climate change in our region. Part 2 (“Bulletin,” Fall 2016) offered tips on how to adapt the garden to the coming conditions, which include hotter, drier summers; warmer, wetter winters; and new pest and disease problems (see “Projected Environmental Changes in the PNW,” page 14). Part 3 explores the predicted effects of climate change on native plant communities in our region and the steps that land managers are taking to prepare. ASSESSING VULNERABILITY few years ago, I went on a day trip to chinquapin and Rocky Mountain juniper) may the Olympic Peninsula on behalf of become more competitive in areas presently the UW Botanic Gardens’ Rare Care dominated by less drought-tolerant tree species.” Program.A The assignment was to find and The report assesses the vulnerability of survey a small population of golden chinquapin regionally native tree species to climate change (Chrysolepis chrysophylla), a native tree in the based on a number of factors, including their beech family with leathery, evergreen leaves and current distribution, adaptive genetic varia- spiny, chestnut-like fruits. The tree is rela- tion, reproductive capacity, and threats from tively common in the coastal forests of Oregon insects and disease. In the Western Washington and California, but only occurs in several small, region, iconic forest species such as Douglas- scattered populations in Washington—the fir, western red cedar, bigleaf maple and western northernmost point of its current range. hemlock all scored relatively low—meaning that It took some scrambling across a steep, they are at least risk from climate change effects. forested ridge, but eventually my field partner The highest vulnerability scores went to Pacific and I found the trees—about eight of them. silver fir, subalpine fir, Engelmann spruce, noble They were somewhat isolated from each other fir and grand fir, which all happen to be cold- in a sea of western hemlock and Douglas-fir— adapted, high-elevation tree species. (The report and they didn’t look particularly healthy. (The recommended that these species become a special species is relatively intolerant of shade.) It was focus for conservation and monitoring efforts.) hard to imagine how this tiny population could This tracks with general predictions about the persist over time. However, it’s possible we may influence of climate change on forests—namely be hearing more from the species in the future. that forest communities are expected to lose According to a 2012 USDA Forest Service report cold-adapted trees near their low-elevation and entitled “Climate Change and Forest Trees in the low-latitude range limits, while warm-adapted Pacific Northwest,” “tree species that are highly trees are expected to increase in abundance near drought-tolerant (e.g. Pacific madrone, golden their high-elevation and high-latitude limits. Fall 2018 v 15 SPECIAL CONCERN FOR ALPINES terrain on the snowy edge of the high alpine zone. The concern for cold-adapted trees is echoed “As temperatures warm and precipitation at high in a more recent Forest Service publication, elevations shifts from snow to rain, these climate “Climate Change Effects on Vegetation in the conditions will cease to exist. The endemics have Pacific Northwest” (2014), which reviews and essentially topped out; they are already occupy- synthesizes the current scientific literature and ing the highest and coldest available terrain, and ecosystem modelling projections on the topic. there is no colder climate space available for their The authors found that of the five major biomes distributions to shift into as climate warms.” in the Pacific Northwest (subalpine forests and For a plan of action, the researchers recom- alpine meadows; maritime, coniferous forests; mend that potential refuge sites (some of which dry coniferous forests; juniper savannas and are mapped in their paper) be protected from woodlands; interior shrub-steppe), subalpine non-climate related impacts, such as hiking by forest and alpine meadows are at most risk. All humans and foraging by non-native mountain the simulation models reviewed agreed that goats. (Good news on the latter score: Olympic suitable climate available for most key subalpine National Park officials began airlifting mountain species will be moderately reduced to nonexis- goats back to their native range in the North tent by the end of this century. Suitable habitat Cascades this summer.) may only be available at high elevations in the far So-called “interventionist” approaches, northern Cascade Mountains. such as assisted migration (moving the plants While many members of these high-elevation to more favorable habitat), may also be helpful. communities will likely be able to persist farther However, Wershow and DeChaine say that these north of our region (either because they grow there approaches are controversial due to their poten- already, or they may be able to migrate), some tial unintended effects on other native species endemic alpine species—that is native alpines and are unlikely to be used in the Park because it restricted to our region—may be in big trouble. is managed as wilderness. At the UW Botanic Gardens’ 2018 OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES Washington Botanical Symposium in March, Though the different ecosystem models seem to Eric DeChaine, professor of biology at Western be in relative agreement about the vulnerability Washington University, presented his lab’s of alpine and subalpine communities, there’s a research on five perennial herbs endemic lot of uncertainty about the other major biomes to the Olympic Mountains: piper’s harebell in our region. This stems from a lack of certitude (Campanula piperi), Flett’s violet (Viola flettii), about exactly what future growing conditions Olympic Mountain groundsel (Senecio will look like (particularly precipitation levels), neowebsteri), Olympic Mountain synthyris and also how plants will respond to the changes. (Synthyris pinnatifida var. lanuginosa), and Flett’s For instance, some model results predict little or no fleabane (Erigeron flettii). DeChaine and his change for maritime coniferous forests, while others graduate student Samuel Wershow have esti- predict reductions for this forest type—particularly mated that 85 to 99 percent of suitable habitat in the southern part of the Pacific Northwest. will be lost for each of the species by 2080—and Models use simplified versions of natural that small refugia (areas in which populations systems and are best utilized as signposts rather may persist as warming diminishes their habitats than definitive forecasts. Other data, such as elsewhere) may only remain on the highest peaks results from observational and experimental of the eastern Olympics. studies, should be factored in, too. One 2010 In a related paper published this spring in study of forest herb communities in the Siskiyou the “American Journal of Botany,” Wershow and Mountains of southern Oregon was consis- DeChaine write that all five species are habitat tent with warming predictions: It found that, specialists occupying a narrow range of environ- over a 60-year period (1949 to 2009), in which mental conditions—generally the cold, rocky mean temperatures increased 3.5 °F, there were 16 v Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin multiple changes in lower
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Tree Species Distribution Maps for Central Oregon
    APPENDIX 7: TREE SPECIES DISTRIBUTION MAPS FOR CENTRAL OREGON A7-150 Appendix 7: Tree Species Distribution Maps Table A7-5. List of distribution maps for tree species of central Oregon. The species distribution maps are prefaced by four maps (pages A7-151 through A7-154) showing all locations surveyed in each of the four major data sources Map Page Forest Inventory and Analysis plot locations A7-151 Ecology core Dataset plot locations A7-152 Current Vegetation Survey plot locations A7-153 Burke Museum Herbarium and Oregon Flora Project sample locations A7-154 Scientific name Common name Symbol Abies amabilis Pacific silver fir ABAM A7-155 Abies grandis - Abies concolor Grand fir - white fir complex ABGR-ABCO A7-156 Abies lasiocarpa Subalpine fir ABLA A7-157 Abies procera - A. x shastensis Noble fir - Shasta red fir complex ABPR-ABSH A7-158 [magnifica x procera] Acer glabrum var. douglasii Douglas maple ACGLD4 A7-159 Alnus rubra Red alder ALRU2 A7-160 Calocedrus decurrens Incense-cedar CADE27 A7-161 Chrysolepis chrysophylla Golden chinquapin CHCH7 A7-162 Frangula purshiana Cascara FRPU7 A7-163 Juniperus occidentalis Western juniper JUOC A7-164 Larix occidentalis Western larch LAOC A7-165 Picea engelmannii Engelmann spruce PIEN A7-166 Pinus albicaulis Whitebark pine PIAL A7-167 Pinus contorta var. murrayana Sierra lodgepole pine PICOM A7-168 Pinus lambertiana Sugar pine PILA A7-169 Pinus monticola Western white pine PIMO3 A7-170 Pinus ponderosa Ponderosa pine PIPO A7-171 Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa Black cottonwood POBAT A7-172
    [Show full text]
  • Plant List As of 3/19/2008 Tanya Harvey T23S.R2E.S25, 36 *Non-Native
    compiled by Bearbones Mountain Plant List as of 3/19/2008 Tanya Harvey T23S.R2E.S25, 36 *Non-native FERNS & ALLIES Taxaceae Quercus garryana Oregon white oak Dennstaediaceae Taxus brevifolia Pacific yew Pteridium aquilinum Garryaceae bracken fern TREES & SHRUBS: DICOTS Garrya fremontii Fremont’s silk tassel Dryopteridaceae Aceraceae Cystopteris fragilis Acer circinatum Grossulariaceae fragile fern vine maple Ribes roezlii var. cruentum shiny-leaved gooseberry, Sierra Polystichum imbricans Acer glabrum var. douglasii imbricate sword fern Douglas maple Ribes sanguineum red-flowering currant Polystichum munitum Acer macrophyllum sword fern big-leaf maple Hydrangeaceae Polypodiaceae Berberidaceae Philadelphus lewisii western mock orange Polypodium hesperium Berberis aquifolium western polypody shining Oregon grape Rhamnaceae Pteridiaceae Berberis nervosa Ceanothus prostratus Mahala mat Aspidotis densa Cascade Oregon grape indians’ dream Betulaceae Ceanothus velutinus snowbrush Cheilanthes gracillima Corylus cornuta var. californica lace fern hazelnut or filbert Rhamnus purshiana cascara Cryptogramma acrostichoides Caprifoliaceae parsley fern Lonicera ciliosa Rosaceae Pellaea brachyptera orange honeysuckle Amelanchier alnifolia western serviceberry Sierra cliffbrake Sambucus mexicana Selaginellaceae blue elderberry Holodiscus discolor oceanspray Selaginella scopulorum Symphoricarpos mollis Rocky Mountain selaginella creeping snowberry Oemleria cerasiformis indian plum Selaginella wallacei Celastraceae Prunus emarginata Wallace’s selaginella
    [Show full text]
  • Ray Imaging of a Dichasium Cupule of Castanopsis from Eocene Baltic Amber
    RESEARCH ARTICLE Synchrotron X- ray imaging of a dichasium cupule of Castanopsis from Eocene Baltic amber Eva-Maria Sadowski1,4 , Jörg U. Hammel2 , and Thomas Denk3 Manuscript received 30 May 2018; revision accepted 6 September PREMISE OF THE STUDY: The Eocene Baltic amber deposit represents the largest 2018. accumulation of fossil resin worldwide, and hundreds of thousands of entrapped 1 Department of Geobiology, University of Göttingen, arthropods have been recovered. Although Baltic amber preserves delicate plant Goldschmidtstraße 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany structures in high fidelity, angiosperms of the “Baltic amber forest” remain poorly studied. 2 Institute of Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, We describe a pistillate partial inflorescence of Castanopsis (Fagaceae), expanding the Max-Planck-Str. 1, 21502 Geesthacht, Germany knowledge of Fagaceae diversity from Baltic amber. 3 Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, 10405 Stockholm, Sweden METHODS: The amber specimen was investigated using light microscopy and 4 Author for correspondence (e-mail: eva-maria.sadowski@ synchrotron- radiation- based X- ray micro- computed tomography (SRμCT). geo.uni-goettingen.de) KEY RESULTS: The partial inflorescence is a cymule, consisting of an involucre of scales Citation: Sadowski, E.-M., J. U. Hammel, and T. Denk. 2018. Synchrotron X- ray imaging of a dichasium cupule of Castanopsis that surround all four pistillate flowers, indicating a dichasium cupule. Subtending bracts from Eocene Baltic amber. American Journal of Botany 105(12): are basally covered with peltate trichomes. Flowers possess an urecolate perianth of 2025–2036. six nearly free lobes, 12 staminodia hidden by the perianth, and a tri-locular ovary that doi:10.1002/ajb2.1202 is convex- triangular in cross section.
    [Show full text]
  • Developing Species-Habitat Relationships: 2016 Project Report
    Field Keys to Groups and Alliances in the National Vegetation Classification: Northern Basin & Range / Columbia Plateau Ecoregions NatureServe Conservation Science Division P r i n c i p a l Investigator Patrick J. C o m e r , Chief Ecologist [email protected] 703.797.4802 November 2017 Photos (clockwise from top left; all used under Creative Commons license CC BY 2.0.): Big sage shrubland, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Nevada. USDA Photo by Susan Elliot. http://flic.kr/p/ax64DY Jeffrey pine woodland, photo by David Prasad. https://www.flickr.com/photos/33671002@N00 Northwest Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie, Dakota Prairie National Grasslands, North Dakota. Western juniper woodland, BLM Black Hills Recreation Area, Oregon. Acknowledgements This work was completed with funding provided by the Bureau of Land Management through the BLM’s Fish, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Resource Management Program under Cooperative Agreement L13AC00286 between NatureServe and the BLM. Suggested citation: Schulz, K., G. Kittel, M. Reid and P. Comer. 2017. Field Keys to Divisions, Macrogroups, Groups and Alliances in the National Vegetation Classification: Northern Basin & Range / Columbia Plateau Ecoregions. Report prepared for the Bureau of Land Management by NatureServe, Arlington VA. 14p + 58p of Keys + Appendices. See appendix document: Descriptions_NVC_Groups_Alliances_ NorthernBasinRange_Nov_2017.pdf 2 | P a g e Contents Introduction and Background ......................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Martes Pennanti) Use of a Managed Forest in Coastal Northwest California1
    Fisher (Martes pennanti) Use of a Managed Forest in Coastal Northwest California1 Joel Thompson,2 Lowell Diller,2 Richard Golightly,3 and Richard Klug4 A sooted track plate survey was conducted for two seasons during winter, spring and summer of 1994 and 1995 to investigate fisher distribution across a managed landscape in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties, California. Forty survey segments were established throughout the region with each segment consisting of six sooted track plates (stations) at one-km intervals. Habitat characteristics were measured at 238 track-plate stations and in the stands where they were placed. Habitat attributes associated with fisher detection sites were compared to non-detection sites at both the station and stand level. Vegetation type was the only variable to be selected by the logistic procedure to predict fisher occurrence at the stand level. Fishers were detected more often in stands dominated by Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) or a mixture of Douglas-fir and coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) than in stands dominated only by redwood. We found no relationship between fisher detections and stand age, canopy cover, or topographic position. A forward stepwise logistic procedure indicated that presence of fishers at the station level was best predicted by increasing elevation, greater volume of logs, less basal area of conifer 52 to 90 cm, more moderate slopes and greater distance to the coast. During 1996 to 1997 a telemetry project was conducted to specifically look at vegetation and structural characteristics of fisher den and rest sites. Twenty-four individuals (10 male, 14 female) were captured during the study.
    [Show full text]
  • Vegetation Descriptions NORTH COAST and MONTANE ECOLOGICAL PROVINCE
    Vegetation Descriptions NORTH COAST AND MONTANE ECOLOGICAL PROVINCE CALVEG ZONE 1 December 11, 2008 Note: There are three Sections in this zone: Northern California Coast (“Coast”), Northern California Coast Ranges (“Ranges”) and Klamath Mountains (“Mountains”), each with several to many subsections CONIFER FOREST / WOODLAND DF PACIFIC DOUGLAS-FIR ALLIANCE Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is the dominant overstory conifer over a large area in the Mountains, Coast, and Ranges Sections. This alliance has been mapped at various densities in most subsections of this zone at elevations usually below 5600 feet (1708 m). Sugar Pine (Pinus lambertiana) is a common conifer associate in some areas. Tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus var. densiflorus) is the most common hardwood associate on mesic sites towards the west. Along western edges of the Mountains Section, a scattered overstory of Douglas-fir often exists over a continuous Tanoak understory with occasional Madrones (Arbutus menziesii). When Douglas-fir develops a closed-crown overstory, Tanoak may occur in its shrub form (Lithocarpus densiflorus var. echinoides). Canyon Live Oak (Quercus chrysolepis) becomes an important hardwood associate on steeper or drier slopes and those underlain by shallow soils. Black Oak (Q. kelloggii) may often associate with this conifer but usually is not abundant. In addition, any of the following tree species may be sparsely present in Douglas-fir stands: Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Ponderosa Pine (Ps ponderosa), Incense Cedar (Calocedrus decurrens), White Fir (Abies concolor), Oregon White Oak (Q garryana), Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum), California Bay (Umbellifera californica), and Tree Chinquapin (Chrysolepis chrysophylla). The shrub understory may also be quite diverse, including Huckleberry Oak (Q.
    [Show full text]
  • Native Tree Mitigation List for Type II Tree Removal (Not for Sensitive Lands Mitigation)
    Department of Planning and Building Services 380 A Avenue Post Office Box 369 Lake Oswego, OR 97034 503-635-0290 www.lakeoswego.city/trees Native Tree Mitigation List for Type II Tree Removal (Not for Sensitive Lands Mitigation) LOC 55: Appendix 55.02-1 Native Mitigation Tree List. LESS THAN 50 FT (15 M) HIGH NEEDLE- OR SCALE-LEAVED (CONIFERS) Baker Cypress, Modoc Cypress [Cupressus bakeri] Western Juniper [Juniperus occidentalis] Rocky Mountain Juniper [Juniperus scopulorum] Whitebark Pine [Pinus albicaulis] Knobcone Pine [Pinus attenuata] Shore Pine [Pinus contorta var. contorta] Limber Pine [Pinus flexilis] Pacific or Western Yew [Taxus brevifolia] Columbia River Willow [Salix fluviatilis] Pacific Willow [Salix lasiandra] Scouler’s Willow [Salix scouleriana] Sitka Willow [Salix sitchensis] BROAD-LEAVED (DECIDUOUS) Pacific Dogwood [Cornus nuttallii] [Note: Acceptable disease (anthracnose)-resistant cultivar substitutes: Starlight® dogwood (Cornus kousa x nuttallii ‘Starlight’) and Venus® dogwood (Cornus kousa x nuttallii ‘Venus’).] Douglas Hawthorn [Crataegus douglasii] Oregon Crabapple, Pacific Crabapple [Malus fusca] Bitter Cherry [Prunus emarginata] Cascara, Chittam, Cascara Buckthorn [Rhamnus purshiana] 50-75 FT (15-23 M) HIGH NEEDLE- OR SCALE-LEAVED (CONIFERS) Subalpine Fir, Rocky Mountain Fir [Abies lasiocarpa] Brewer Spruce [Picea breweriana] Port Orford Cedar, Lawson Falsecypress [Chamaecyparis lawsoniana] [Note: acceptable disease (Phytophthora lateralis)-resistant cultivar if no height requirement of greater than 30 ft.: Silver
    [Show full text]
  • South Central Oregon and Northeast California (SO) Variant Overview
    United States Department of South Central Oregon and Agriculture Northeast California (SO) Forest Service Forest Management Variant Overview Service Center Forest Vegetation Simulator Fort Collins, CO 2008 Revised: June 2021 Ponderosa pine stand in Northern California (Amy Jo Krommes, FS-R6) ii South Central Oregon and Northeast California (SO) Variant Overview Forest Vegetation Simulator Authors and Contributors: The FVS staff has maintained model documentation for this variant in the form of a variant overview since its release in 1984. The original author was Gary Dixon. In 2008, the previous document was replaced with this updated variant overview. Gary Dixon, Christopher Dixon, Robert Havis, Chad Keyser, Stephanie Rebain, Erin Smith-Mateja, and Don Vandendriesche were involved with this update. Stephanie Rebain cross-checked information contained in this variant overview with the FVS source code. FVS Staff. 2008 (revised June 28, 2021). South Central Oregon and Northeast California (SO) Variant Overview – Forest Vegetation Simulator. Internal Rep. Fort Collins, CO: U. S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Management Service Center. 100p. iii Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction................................................................................................................................ 1 2.0 Geographic Range ....................................................................................................................... 2 3.0 Control Variables .......................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Nr 222 Native Tree, Shrub, & Herbaceous Plant
    NR 222 NATIVE TREE, SHRUB, & HERBACEOUS PLANT IDENTIFICATION BY RONALD L. ALVES FALL 2014 NR 222 by Ronald L. Alves Note to Students NOTE TO STUDENTS: THIS DOCUMENT IS INCOMPLETE WITH OMISSIONS, ERRORS, AND OTHER ITEMS OF INCOMPETANCY. AS YOU MAKE USE OF IT NOTE THESE TRANSGRESSIONS SO THAT THEY MAY BE CORRECTED AND YOU WILL RECEIVE A CLEAN COPY BY THE END OF TIME OR THE SEMESTER, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST!! THANKING YOU FOR ANY ASSISTANCE THAT YOU MAY GIVE, RON ALVES. Introduction This manual was initially created by Harold Whaley an MJC Agriculture and Natural Resources instruction from 1964 – 1992. The manual was designed as a resource for a native tree and shrub identification course, Natural Resources 222 that was one of the required courses for all forestry and natural resource majors at the college. The course and the supporting manual were aimed almost exclusively for forestry and related majors. In addition to NR 222 being taught by professor Whaley, it has also been taught by Homer Bowen (MJC 19xx -), Marlies Boyd (MJC 199X – present), Richard Nimphius (MJC 1980 – 2006) and currently Ron Alves (MJC 1974 – 2004). Each instructor put their own particular emphasis and style on the course but it was always oriented toward forestry students until 2006. The lack of forestry majors as a result of the Agriculture Department not having a full time forestry instructor to recruit students and articulate with industry has resulted in a transformation of the NR 222 course. The clientele not only includes forestry major, but also landscape designers, environmental horticulture majors, nursery people, environmental science majors, and people interested in transforming their home and business landscapes to a more natural venue.
    [Show full text]
  • Chrysolepis Chrysophylla (Douglas Ex Hook.) Hjelmq
    Chrysolepis chrysophylla (Douglas ex Hook.) Hjelmq. var. chrysophylla synonym: Castanopsis chrysophylla (Douglas ex Hook.) A. DC. golden chinquapin Fagaceae - oak family status: State Sensitive, BLM sensitive, USFS sensitive rank: G5T5 / S2 General Description: Large evergreen shrub or small tree 3-30 m tall with thick, heavily furrowed bark. Leaf petioles scarcely 1 cm long; blades lanceolate to elliptic, generally 3-15 cm long, entire, thick, tough, and leathery. Upper leaf surface dark green and hairless or sparsely covered with minute branlike scales and soft, woolly hairs; lower surface yellowish green to golden, densely covered with minute branlike scales and matted, soft, woolly hairs. Leaf bases acute and tips gradually to abruptly acuminate. Floral Characteristics: Plants monoecious. Male flowers in groups of 3 on elongate, spreading or erect catkins. Female flowers in groups of 1-3 at base of male catkins or in short female catkins. Illustration by Jeanne R. Janish, ©1964 University of Washington Press Fruits: 4-valved, spiny bur 1.5-2 cm broad, containing usually 1 (sometimes 2-3) hard-shelled nuts; nuts 10 (15) mm long. The phenology of chinquapin varies widely over its range. Identif ication Tips: The only species in its genus in the Pacific Northwest. C. chrys ophylla is distinguished by its spreading or erect male catkins, smooth (unlobed) leaf margins, golden yellow lower leaf surface, and spiny burlike fruits enclosing 1-3 nuts. It is closely related to oak (Quercus ), but oak has drooping male catkins, lobate to pinnatifid leaves (in the Pacific Northwest), and produces acorns with a single nut and cuplike involucre.
    [Show full text]
  • Plant List High Rock
    *Non-native High Rock Plant List as of 2/7/2013 compiled by Tanya Harvey T5S.R7E.S1,12 westerncascades.com FERNS & ALLIES Sapindaceae Fabaceae Dennstaediaceae Acer circinatum Lupinus arbustus (Lupinus laxiflorus) Pteridium aquilinum Acer glabrum var. douglasii Lupinus latifolius Pteridaceae HERBACEOUS DICOTS Cheilanthes gracillima Apiaceae Montiaceae Claytonia lanceolata Cryptogramma acrostichoides Lomatium martindalei (Cryptogramma crispa) Montia parvifolia Asteraceae Selaginellaceae Achillea millefolium Onagraceae Selaginella wallacei Chamerion angustifolium Anaphalis margaritacea TREES & SHRUBS: CONIFERS (Epilobium angustifolium) Antennaria racemosa Cupressaceae Orobanchaceae Antennaria rosea Castilleja hispida Juniperus communis (Antennaria microphylla) Castilleja miniata Pinaceae Arnica latifolia Pedicularis bracteosa var. flavida Abies amabilis Eriophyllum lanatum Abies lasiocarpa Eucephalus ledophyllus Papaveraceae Abies procera (Aster ledophyllus ) Dicentra formosa Pinus contorta var. latifolia Hieracium albiflorum Plantaginaceae Pinus monticola Hieracium scouleri Collinsia parviflora Pseudotsuga menziesii Microseris nutans Nothochelone nemorosa Tsuga heterophylla Senecio integerrimus Penstemon cardwellii Tsuga mertensiana Solidago simplex var. nana Penstemon euglaucus (Solidago spathulata var. nana) TREES & SHRUBS: DICOTS Penstemon rupicola Boraginaceae Berberidaceae Penstemon serrulatus Phacelia mutabilis Berberis nervosa Polemoniaceae (Mahonia nervosa) Brassicaceae Microsteris gracilis Celastraceae Erysimum capitatum var. capitatum
    [Show full text]
  • Forest Service Research Natural Areas
    28. Fern Canyon 28. Fern Canyon (Meier 1979) Location This established RNA is on the San Dimas Experimental Forest, within the Angeles National Forest. It is approximately 6 miles (10 km) N. of the city of Claremont. It occupies portions of seven sects. in T1N, R8W SBBM (34°12'N., 117°43'W.), USGS Mt. Baldy quad (fig. 58). Ecological subsection – San Gabriel Mountains (M261Bd). Target Elements Chamise Chaparral (Adenostoma fasciculatum) and Canyon Live Oak (Quercus chrysolepis) Distinctive Features Well-Monitored Site: The RNA is located within an experimental forest. There is a good record of the impact and extent of fires in the area dating back to 1914 (six major fires have occurred). This record extends to the relative Figure 58—Fern Canyon RNA volume of pre- and post-fire stream flow in the three subdrainages within the RNA. Stream flow has changed appreciably among the three drainages since a major fire in 1938. Low-Elevation Ponderosa Pine: Brown’s Flat, a shallow 80-acre (32-ha) bowl created by an ancient land slump, contains the lowest elevation stand of Pinus ponderosa in S. California (about 3900 ft, 1189 m). This relictual stand of 81 individuals is well-isolated from other ponderosa pine stands in the San Gabriel Mountains and strongly affected by air pollution. There is almost no recent reproduction. Chaparral: This extensive vegetation formation occurs as chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum) and Ceanothus-dominated types. It was extensively burned in 1975 and, thus, is vigorous (fig. 59). Oak Woodlands: The area covered by this vegetation is extensive and varied.
    [Show full text]