Figure 7. -- Key to Climax Series, Habitat Types, and Phases
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Figure 7. -- Key to climax series, habitat types, and phases. READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST! 1. Use this key for stands wi th a mature tree canopy phase description that fits the stand is the correct that are not severely disturbed by grazing, logging, one. ) forest fire, etc. (If the stand is severely disturbed or in an early successional stage, the habitat type 6. Use the definitions diagramed below for canopy cover can best be determined by extrapolating from the near age terms in the key. I f you have difficulty decid est mature Stand occupying a simi lar site.) ing between types, refer to constancy and coverage data (appendix c-1) and the habi tat type descriptions. 2. Accurate ly identi fy and record canopy coverages for all indicator species (appendix F). 7. In stands where undergrowth is obviously depauperate (unusually sparse) because of dense shading or duff 3. Check plot data in the field to accumulations, adjust the above definitions to the verify that the plot is representa next lower coverage class (e.g., well represented >1%, tive of the stand as a whole. If common >0%). not, take another plot. 8. Remember, the key is NOT the classification! Validate 4. Identify the correct potential the determination made using the key by checking the climax tree species in the SERIES written description. key. (Generally, a tree species is considered reproducing suc cessfully if 10 or more individ uals per acre occupy or will occupy the si te.) 5. Wi thin the appropriate series, key to HABITAT TYPE by following the key literally. Determine PHASE by matching the stand con di tions with the phase descrip tions for the type. (The first KEY TO CLIMAX SERIES (DO NOT PROCEED UNTIL YOU HAVE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS!) 1. Habitats on steep slopes (300)composed primarily of unstable fine rock; undergrowth sparse, poorly developed and quite variable. SCREE (p. 121) 1. Habitats on sites with some soil development and stability; undergrowth rather well developed and somewhat uniform ... 2. Tsuga heterophylla present and reproducing successfully TSUGA HETEROPHYLLA SERIES (item G) 2. Tsuga heterophylla not the indicated climax .. 3 3. Thuja plicata present and reproducing successfully .... THUJA PLICATA SERIES (item F) 3. Thuja plicata not the indicated climax .......... 4 4. Abies grandis present and reproducing more successfully than Abies TiiSl:OCarpa. ABIES GRANDIS SERIES (item E) 4. Abies grandis not the indicated climax ........... 5 5. Abies lasiocarpa, Tsuga mertensiana, or Larix lyallii present and reproducing successfully, or Pinus al bicaul is the dominant tree ABIES LASIOCARPA SERIES (item I) 5. Not as above .........-. -.- ...... 6 6. Picea present and reproducing successfully. PICEA SERIES (item D) 6. Picea not the indicated climax ........ 7 7. Pinus flexilis a successfully reproducing dominant; often sharing that status with Pseudotsuga . .. ..... PINUS FLEXILIS SERIES (item A) 7. Pinus flexilis absent or clearly seral. 8 8. Pseudotsuga menziesii present and reproducing successfully. PSEUDOTSUGA MENZIESII SERIES (item C) 8. Pseudotsuga menziesii not the indicated climax ...... 9 9. Pure Pinus contort a stands, with 1 itt Ie evidence as to potential climax.-:-.-.-.-.- .................... PINUS CONTORTA SERIES (item H) 9. Pinus contort a absent; Pinus ponderosa the indicated cl imax . PINUS PONDEROSA SERIES (item B) A. Key to Pinus flexilis Habitat Types 1. Festuca idahoensis well represented or F. scabrella common. PINUS FLEXILIS/FESTUCA IDAHOENSIS h.t. (p. 25) --- a. Festuca scabrella common.-. -.-.-.-.-... FESTUCA SCABRELLA phase b. F. scabrella scarce ........... FESTUCA IDAHOENSIS phase 1. F. idahoens is poorly represented and.!:.. scabrella scarce. 2 2. Agropyron spicatum well represented . PINUS. FLEXILIS/ AGROPYRON SPICATUM h. t. (p. 24) 2. 12. spicatum poorly represented; Juniperus communis (or ;!. horizontalis) well represented . -.-.-. -.-. .PINUS FLEXILIS/JUNIPERUS COMMUNIS h.t. (p. 26) PUBLISHED AS PART OF "FOREST HABITAT TYPES OF r-DNTANA" - INT 1977 B. Key to Pinus ponderosa !labi tat Types ]. Prunus virginiana well represented; only in southeastern Montana PINUS PONDEROSA/PRUNUS YIRGINIANA h.t. (p. 34) a. Shepherdia canadensis well represented SHEPHERDIA CANADENSIS phase b. Shepherdia poorly represented PRlfNUS YIRGINIANA phase ]. f.. virginiana poorly represented ..... 2. Symphoricarpos al bus we 11 represented PINUS PONDEROSA/SYMPHORICARPOS ALBUS h. t. (p. 33) a. Berberis repens common BERBERIS REPENS phase b. Berberis scarce . " .. SYMPHORICARPOS ALBUS phase 2. ~. albus poorly represented . 3. ·Purshia tridentata well represented . .. .. ......... PINUS PONDEROSA/PURSHIA TRIDENTATA h. t. (p. 32) a. Festuca idahoensis well represented or F. scabrella common FESTUCA IDAHOENSIS phase b. I. idahoensis poorly represented and F. -scabrella scarce AGROPYRON SPICATU~l phase 3. Purshia poorly represented ............ -:- .-.-.-. -.-. 4. Festuca idahoensis well represented or F. scabrella common PINUS PONDEROSA/FESTUCA IDAHOENSIS h.t.(p. 31) a. Festuca scabrella common .. -:- .-.-.-. -.- .. FESTUCA SCABRELLA phase b. F. scabrella scarce ............. FESTUCA IDAHOENSIS phase 4. I. idahoensis poorly represented and £.. scabrella scarce . 5. !-gropyron spicatum well represented . PINUS PONDEROSA/AGROPYRON SPICATUM h.t. (p. 30) 5. ~. spicatum poorly represented; Andropogon spp. well represented PINUS PONDEROSA/ ANDROPOGON h. t. (p. 30) C. Key to Pseudotsuga menziesi i Habi tat Types 1. Yaccinium caespi tosum present .... PSEUDOTSUGA MENZIESII/YACCINIUM CAESPITOSUM h.t.(p. 39) 1 . .'::.. caespi tosum absent . 2 2. Physocarpus malvaceus or lIolodiscus discolor well represented PSEUOOTSUGA MENZIESII/PHYSOCARPUS MALYACEUS h. t. (p. 41) a. Calamagrostis rubescens and/or Carex geyeri are the dominant undergrowth . CALAMAGROSTIS RUBESCENS phase b. Physocarpus and/or Holodiscus dominate the undergrowth. PHYSOCARPUS MALVACEUS phase 2. Physocarpus and Holodiscus poorly represented 3. Linnaea borealis common ............ PSEUOOTSUGA MENZIESII/LINNAEA BOREALIS h. t. (p. 44) --- a.symphoricarpos albus well represented SYMPHORICARPOS ALBUS phase b. Yaccinium globulare well represented YACCINIUM GLOBULARE phase c. Not as above . CALA}1AGROSTIS RUBESCENS phase 3. Linnaea scarce . 4. Yaccinium globulare or XerophYllum ~ well represented PSEUOOTSUGA MENZIESII/VACCINIUM GLOBULARE h.t.(p. 43) a. Arctostaphylos uva-ursi and Pinus pcnderosa common ARCTOSTAPHYLOS UYA-URSI phase b. Xerophyllum common ............... XEROPHYLLUM TEN AX phase c. Not as above . YACCINIUM GLOBULARE phase 4. Yaccinium globulare and Xerophyllum tenax poorly represented 5. Symphoricarpos albus well represented ............ PSEUOOTSUGA MENZIESII/SYMPHORICARPOS ALBUS h.t.(p. 45) a. Bunchgrasses well represented in old-growth stands AGROPYRON SPICATUM phase b. Calamagrostis rubescens well represented CALAMA(;ROSTIS RUBESCENS phase c. Not as above . SYMPHORICARPOS ALBUS phase 5. ~. albus poorly represented ............. 6. Calamagrostis rubescens well represented ..... PSEUOOTSUGA MENZIESII/CALAMAGROSTIS RUBESCENS h.t. (p. 47) a. Bunchgrasses well represented in old-growth stands AGROPYRON SPICATUM phase b. Arctostaphylos uva-ursi common; sites capable of supporting Pinus ponderosa and not too dry for Pinus contorta (or Larix occidentalis) ARCTOSTAPHYLOS UYA-URSI phase c. Pinus ponderosa common PINUS PONDEROSA phase d. Not as above . CALAMAGROSTIS RUBESCENS phase 6. C. rubescens poorly represented 7. Carex geyeri we 11 represented . PSEUDOTSUGA MENZIESII/CAREX GEYERI h.t.(p. 51) 7. f. geyeri poorly represented . 8 8. Arctostaphylos uva-ursi welJ represented and Pinus ponderosa present . PSEUOOTSUGA MENZIESII/ARCTOSTAPHYLOS UYA-URSI h. t. (p. 52) 8. Arctostaphylos poorly represented or stands above elevational limi ts of Pinus ponderosa . 9. Juniperus communis (or {. horizontal is) dominates the undergrowth PSEUOOTSUGA MENZIESII/JUNIPERUS COMMUNIS h.t. (p. 53) 9. :!.. communis not the dominant undergrowth plant 10 10. Spiraea betulifolia well represented .... PSEUOOTSUGA MENZIESII/SPIRAEA BETULIFOLIA h.t. (p. 52) 10. ~. betulifolia poorly represented ..... 11 11. Arnica cordifolia or Antennaria racemosa the dominant undergrowth PSEUDOTSUGA MENZIESII/ARNICA CORDIFOLIA h.t. (p. 54) 11. ~difolia and ~. ~ not the dominant undergrowth 12 12. Festuca scabre lla common . PSEUOOTSUGA MENZIESII/FESTUCA SCABRELLA h. t. (p. 38) 12. £.. scabrella scarce .................... 13 13. Symphoricarpos oreophilus well represented and Festuca idahoensis scarce . PSEUOOTSUGA MENZIESII/SYMPHORICARPOS OREOPHILUS h.t.(p. 55) 13. Not as aoove .....................• 14 14. Festuca idahoensis common; Pinus ponderosa scarce .• PSEUOOTSUGA MENZIESII/FESTUCA IDAHOENSIS h. t. (p. 38) 14. ~O~llY scarce; Agropyron spicatum well represented; Pinus ponderosa usually common . PSEUDOTSUGA MENZIESII/AGROPYRON SPICATUM h.t.(p. 37) D. Key to Picea Babi tat Types 1. Equiseturn spp. abundant ... PICEA/EQUISETU~1 ARVENSE h. t. (p. 58) Equiseturn spp. not abundant . 2 2. Clintonia uniflora, Comus canadensis, or Aralia nudicaulis present (si tes in northwestern Montana). PICEA/CLINTONIA UNIFLORA h. t. (p. 59) a. Vaccinium caespi tosum present . VACCINIU~1 CAESPITOSUM phase b. Y... caespi tosurn absent . CLINTONIA UNI FLORA phase 2. Not as above . 3 3. Physocarpus malvaceus well represented PICEA/PHYSOCARPUS ~1ALVACEUS h.t. (p. 61) 3. Physocarpus poorly represented . 4 4. Two of these moist-site forbs present: Galiurn triflorum, Streptopus amplexifolius, Actaea rubra -.-- ---- PICEA/GALIUM TRIFLORUM h. t.