CLASSIFICATION OF NATIVE VEGETATION OF OREGON – 2019 James S. Kagan, Rachel L. Brunner, and John A. Christy: Oregon Biodiversity Information Center This classification is an update of the 2004 classification of native vegetation of Oregon by Kagan, Christy, Murray and Titus. As before, this classification lists the native plant associations known to occur in Oregon, and includes both successional and climax vegetation types that were part of the presettlement landscape of Oregon and can still be found in the state. It serves as an index to the diversity, distribution and relative rarity of the state's native plant associations, and as a guide to their literature. Published and unpublished reports supported by quantitative data were the primary sources for the classification. In order to accurately identify or describe a plant association, we recommend reading the written descriptions or keys presented in the references cited for each association. This update incorporates recent classification efforts and scholarship, removes a handful of associations that are no longer present in Oregon, and reconciles the 2004 classification with the United States National Vegetation Classification (USNVC) version 2.02 (2018). The USNVC is a hierarchical plant community classification designed to standardize vegetation classification in the United States (Jennings et al. 2009). It employs a nested system of six physiognomic ranks and two floristically-defined ranks. Only associations, the finest level of that classification are described here. This list includes some newly described or provisional associations not included in the USNVC, which do not have standard USNVC codes. Plant associations are listed by scientific name, followed by common name. Listings include the global and state rank of each association, a unique code linking to the National Vegetation Classification (USNVC), the Omernik based ecoregions in Oregon in which it occurs, and its distribution in other western states and provinces. Also included is a list of primary references in which the association was described. Sampling methods and concepts of species and associations differ greatly among researchers. Publications from other states or provinces in the Pacific Northwest are included for associations known to occur in, but not described from Oregon. Scientific Name is the association name using scientific species names. Convention requires that species in different canopy layers are separated by a slash ("/"), while species in the same canopy layer are separated by a hyphen ("-"). Named taxa are not always dominant in the association. If the species in the name are not the dominant species, they signify indicator species or climax dominants. Parentheses are used to indicate species which can be important, but are not always present. Taxonomic nomenclature follows the PLANTS database (USDA NRCS 2019) for associations recognized in the USNVC and Oregon Flora (Jaster et al. 2017, version 1.7) otherwise, except where superseded by a differentially recognized taxon in the core habitat or current reference for an association (e.g. for hybridizing Abies species also present in adjacent states). Common Name is the association name using common or vernacular names. Names of the associations are constructed following the same conventions used for scientific names. ELCODE is the element code, a unique ten-byte alphanumeric code used to identify each plant association. An "element" is a plant, animal or plant association -- elements of natural diversity -- that is tracked according to standard protocols used by NatureServe, as well as all natural heritage programs and conservation data centers in North America. G/S Rank is a code identifying the conservation status of the plant association. It is composed of a global rank ("G") followed by a state rank ("S"). 1 = critically imperiled because of extreme rarity, with 5 or fewer occurrences or very few remaining acres. 2 = Imperiled because of rarity, with 6-20 occurrences or few remaining acres. 3 = either very rare and local throughout its range or found locally in a restricted range; uncommon, with 21-100 occurrences. 4 = apparently secure, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery; many occurrences. 5 = demonstrably secure, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery; ineradicable under present conditions. These standardized NatureServe ranks are used by all natural heritage programs and conservation data centers in Canada and the US. Ecoregions identifies the Oregon ecoregion in which the plant association is known to occur. Oregon's eight primary ecoregions, identified by a two-letter code; BM = Blue Mountains, BR = Northern Basin and Range, CB = Columbia Basin, CR = Coast Range, EC = East slope of Cascade Range, KM = Klamath Mountains, WV = Willamette Valley, WC = West slope and crest of Cascade Range. W S & P lists other western states and Canadian provinces where the association is known or likely to occur, represented by the standard postal state and province abbreviation. The states and provinces included are Alberta, Arizona, British Columbia, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington and Wyoming (AL, AZ, BC, CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, WA, WY), with a + indicating a wider distribution. Wetland Type lists the two letter code that corresponds to the type of wetland. AW = alkaline wetland, AB= aquatic bed, FE = fen, FW = forested wetland and riparian forest, FM = freshwater tidal marshes, HR = herbaceous riparian, SM = salt marshes and brackish marsh, SF = serpentine fen, SS = shrub swamp and riparian, SD = snowbed depression, SP = spring, VP = vernal pool, WM = wet meadow, WP = wet prairie. This field is blank for upland communities. References cites published and unpublished sources, almost all of which contain some type of summarized plot data that describe the vegetation quantitatively. Some references may not contain quantitative data, but are based on plot data that are not summarized in the report. Full citations are listed at the end of the document. References T. Jaster, Meyers, S. C., and Sundberg, S., eds. 2017. Oregon Vascular Plant Checklist. Version 1.7. Corvallis, OR. www.oregonflora.org/checklist.php. Accessed 2019-06-14. M. D. Jennings, Faber-Langendoen, D., Loucks, O., Peet, R, and Roberts, D. 2009. Standards for associations and alliances of the US National Vegetation Classification. Ecological Monographs. 79(2), 173-199. 10.1890/07-1804.1. United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2019. The PLANTS Database National Plant Data Team. Greensboro, NC. www.plants.usda.gov. Accessed 2019-06-14. United States National Vegetation Classification. 2018. United States National Vegetation Classification Database, V2.02. Federal Geographic Data Committee, Vegetation Subcommittee, Washington DC. www.usnvc.org. Accessed 2018-03-08. To cite this document: James S. Kagan, Rachel L. Brunner, and John A. Christy. 2019. Classification of the Native Vegetation of Oregon. Oregon Biodiversity Information Center, Portland, OR, USA. 109 pp. Wetland Scientific Name Common Name ELCODE G/S Rank Ecoregions W S & P References Type Abies amabilis ‐ (Pseudotsuga menziesii) / Achlys triphylla ‐ Pacific silver fir ‐ (Douglas‐fir) / sweet after death ‐ CEGL005512 G4S4 WC WA Dyrness et al. 1974a: 48; Brockway et al. 1983: 61; Hemstrom et al. 1982: 41; Tiarella trifoliata var. unifoliata forest coolwort foamflower Hemstrom et al. 1987: 124; Henderson et al. 1992: 100; Klinka et al. 1996: 153 Abies amabilis ‐ (Pseudotsuga menziesii) / Vaccinium Pacific silver fir ‐ (Douglas‐fir) / thin‐leaved CEGL005514 G4S4 WC CA?, WA Atzet et al. 1996 membranaceum / Achlys triphylla forest blueberry / vanillaleaf Abies amabilis ‐ (Pseudotsuga menziesii, Abies procera) / Pacific silver fir / thin‐leaved blueberry / beargrass CEGL000239 G4S4 WC BC, WA Dyrness et al. 1974a: 38; Brockway et al. 1983: 66; Hemstrom et al. 1982: 61; Vaccinium membranaceum / Xerophyllum tenax Hemstrom et al. 1987: 108; Henderson et al. 1992: 130; Marsh et al. 1987: 62 Abies amabilis ‐ (Pseudotsuga menziesii, Tsuga heterophylla) / Pacific silver fir (western hemlock, Douglas‐fir) / CEGL005548 G4S4 WC WA Hemstrom et al. 1982: 47, 57; Hemstrom et al. 1987: 146 Rhododendron macrophyllum western rhododendron Abies amabilis ‐ (Tsuga heterophylla) / Vaccinium Pacific silver fir ‐ (western hemlock) / thin‐leaved CEGL005516 G4S4 WC CA?, WA Brockway et al. 1983: 65; Hemstrom et al. 1982: 59; Hemstrom et al. 1987: 112 membranaceum / Orthilia secunda forest blueberry / queencup beadlily Abies amabilis ‐ Abies concolor / Mahonia nervosa var. nervosa Pacific silver fir ‐ white fir / dwarf Oregongrape CEGL000216 G4S3 KM, WC Atzet and McCrimmon 1990: 230 Abies amabilis ‐ Abies concolor / Maianthemum stellatum Pacific silver fir ‐ white fir / starry false Solomon's CEGL000215 G3S3 WC Hemstrom et al. 1987: 98 seal Abies amabilis ‐ Pseudotsuga menziesii / Achyls triphylla forest Pacific silver fir ‐ Dougas‐fir / vanillaleaf CEGL005511 G4S4 WC WA Dyrness et al. 1974a: 21, 29, 44; Franklin et al. 1979; Henderson et al. 1992: 84; Atzet et al. 1996; Klinka et al. 1996: 153; Hemstrom et al. 1982: 43; Hemstrom et al. 1987: 158; Atzet and McCrimmon 1990: 76 Abies amabilis ‐ Pseudotsuga menziesii / Rhododendron Pacific silver fir ‐ Dougas‐fir / western rhodendron / CEGL005513 G4S4 WC WA Meidinger et al. 2005; Henderson et al. 1989; Henderson et al. 1986; Hemstrom et macrophyllum