Composition and Distribution of Douglas-Fir Forest Communities in the Pattee Canyon Area, Missoula, Mont
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University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1968 Composition and distribution of Douglas-fir forest communities in the Pattee Canyon area, Missoula, Mont John Herman Schuler The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Schuler, John Herman, "Composition and distribution of Douglas-fir forest communities in the Pattee Canyon area, Missoula, Mont" (1968). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 1877. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/1877 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE COMPOSITION AND DISTRIBUTION OF DOUGLAS-FIR FOREST CCKMJNITIES IN THE PATTEE CANICK AREA, MISSOUU, MONTANA By John Herman Schuler B. S. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, I965 Presented in partial fxilfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA 1968 Approved byj irman, Board of Examiners D^n, Graduate School January 3, 1969 Date UMI Number: EP36486 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMT UMI EP36486 Published by ProQuest LLC (2012). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to thank Dr. James Ro Habeck for his most helpful advice and assistance throughout all phases of this thesis. This study was supported by a N.S.F. Research Grant, GB5252. My appreciation to Dr. S. Preece and Dr. G.M, Blake for their reading and criticism of the manuscript. To my wife, Mary, I owe special thanks for her assistance in the field analysis and the typing of the manuscript. ii Table of Contents Page Xnt^rOCl'U.Ctd.On oooaee«ooooo0oo*««ooo«««0oeoosoc«o4o X Literature Reviem: 3 Description of Study Area 10 1. Location 10 2. Geology 12 3 o Glaciation ............................... 1^ Topography ............................... 13 5. Soil 17 6. Climate 19 7. Floristics 22 Methods and Procedures 2^ 1. Field 2^ 2. Laboratory 26 a. Soil 26 b. Vegetation 27 3 0 Ordination ..............oo............. 27 iii Page ReStlltiS and Dxscmssxoxi oooae0«ftaoooeooooooooooooda 39 lo Cursory Discussion o<>oooo»ooooi>o>><>ooi>»oo 29 20 Vegetatxon Patterns ooo«aoeoooooa«ooBoa«oo 33 3 0 Shrubs , o o o. o . <> » o. o. o. « o. o <> » o. o o a o ..«.. ^5 ^0 Dnderstory Species ....«.. o«. n • 50 5. Characterization of Climax Communities 58 6 e Great Soil Qroups coooooo*oeeoo*oooooooft 5^ Summary .oo.o. 61 XiXteratUre Cxted oooooaoooooofteooooeo«eo*opoaoooa« 63 Appendix o.« o.. o o o •«< o «<>. o o o • 6? iv List of Tables Table Page 1 Average Monthly Precipitation for the Years 193^-1966 68 2 Average Monthly Temperature for the Years 1931-1'9^6 68 3 St^d Data 69 4 List of Plants Found in the Pattee Canyon- Deer Creek Area 72 5 Soil Analyses for Pattee Canyon Forest Communities 78 6 Old-Aged Douglas-fir Communities ............ 82 V List of Figures Figure Page 1 Map of the Pattee Canyon-Deer Creek Area ..... 11 2 Abiotic Factors in the Ordination .......... 32 3 Tree Importance Values (I.V.) ............. 3^ 4 Sapling Importance Values (I.V.) 35 5 Behavior of Four Shrub Species ^7 6 Behavior of Three Shrub Species ............. 49 7 Behavior of Four Understory Species ........ 51 8 Behavior of Three Understory Species ........ 53 9 Behavior of Four Understory Species ........ 5^ 10 Behavior of Four Understory Species ........ 55 11 Behavior of Three Understory Species ........ 57 vi INTRODUCTION The fundamental objective of this phytosociological inves tigation is centered on the description and interpretation of the environmental/forest comiminity interrelationships in the Douglas- fir zone in Pattee Canyon located southeast of Missoula in western Montana, Although the communities foming the Douglas-fir zone have been extensively logged, there is little information avail able on the basic ecology of this forest type in the area. This investigation has provided information on these forest communities and has correlated this inforraation with environmental factors that are seemingly important in determining forest distribution patterns in Pattee Canyon» The elevational range of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca [MirbJ Franco) in western Montana ranges from 2,000 to 9>000 feet; more specifically, the Douglas-fir zone in Pattee Canyon lies principally between 4,000 and 5»000 feet„ Within this elevational zone, the three trees fimctioning as serai species are ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl.), western larch (Larix occidentalis Nutt,)» and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl, var. latifolia Engelo)« Because of a long history of fire and extensive logging in Missoula area, most of this area is presently vegetated by serai forest communities composed of numerous combi nations of Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine and western larch. Old-aged climax communities are a rare occurrence due to past and recent disturbance« 2 In this investigation a wide variety of forest communities occupying a wide range of habitats were sought out and subjected to detailed quantitative sampling. Site characteristics such as elevation, exposure, degree of slope, disturbances^-fire and cutting, minor topographic features and soil features were measured and noted for each stand. Interpretation of community and site data employs the multidimensional ordination method described by Bray and Curtis (1957) and Beals (1960). REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE A number of papers have been written on the forest vegetation zones of the Rocky Mountains. Daubenmire (19^3) outlined and de scribed in detail six major zones: (1) Alpine tundra zone, (2) Englemann spruce-subalpine fir zone, (3) Douglas-fir zone, (4) Ponderosa pine zone, (5) Juniper-piJion zone, and (6) Oak- motmtain mahogany zone. In a later paper (19^) he divided the Northern Intennountain Region into ten vegetation zones. The level plains and plateaus, covered with grassland and desert for mations and surrounding the bases of mountains, are contiguous with the lower timberline of the Rocky Mountain coniferous forests. This forest cover is composed of five zones, even though the entire series on any slope is a rare occxirrence. Although generally poor ly represented in the northern Rockies, the first coniferous forest zone above the grasslands is the Juniper-pinon zone. With increasing elevation and moisture in the Rockies, Pinus ponderosa. or one of its varieties, becomes the characteristic tree in the next coniferous zone. More specifically, only within the region of the northern Rockies and west of the Continental Divide, does Pinus ponderosa dominate with no other coniferous trees pres ent. The Tinderstory varies from numerous deciduous shrubs, the most conspicuous being Physocarpus mlvaceus (Greene) Kuntze, to a variety of prairie grasses. Toward this zone's lower limit a savanna-like distribution of trees develops with an understory 3 dcaninated by perennial grasses. Positioned above the Ponderosa pine zone, the Douglas-fir zone has Pseudotsuga menziesii var, glauca as the climax dominant al though Grand fir (Abies grandis Lindl.) may occur alcmg with the Douglas-fir in the northern Rockies, Important serai tree species in this zone occtirring after fire are the following! ponderosa pine, occxirring in the lower area of this zonej western larch, lodgepole pine, and aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx,), with the latter three occurring at higher elevations or more mesic sites. Pinus monticola Dougl., is a rare serai species in this zone. Daubenmire (1952) subdivided the Pseudotsuga zone in eastern Washington and northern Idaho into three associations distinguished by combinations of the dominant tree Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glau ca with three understory \inions consisting of characteristic shrubs and herbs. The three undergrowth unions, Physocarpus malvaceus. Symphoricarpos albus and Calamagrostis rubescens, are incorporated into the following three associations of the Pseudotsuga zone: (1) Pseudotsuga menziesii/Physocarpus malvaceus association, (2) Pseudotsuga menziesii/Symphoricarpos albus association, and (3) Pseudotsuga menziesii/Calamagrostis rubescens association. A detailed description of these three Douglas-fir associations, to gether with their companion understory unions, is given below. 1. Pseudotsuga/Physocarpus association t This association, described by Daubenmire in considerable 5 detail has two rmderstory unions always present, the Physocarpus union dominating the \indergrowth and the Symphoricarpos union# It is probable that the Physocarpus name was used in this association because Physocarpus shrubs are superior in physiognomy—greater stature, coverage, height, and dominance—than the Symphoricarpos