APPENDIX D DESCRIPTION OF VEGETATION MACROGROUPS MACROGROUP DESCRIPTIONS APPENDIX D DESCRIPTION OF VEGETATION MACROGROUPS Introduction Marine Ecoregion This appendix provides descriptions of the subset of Californian-Vancouverian Foothill macrogroups that comprise the majority of the BLM’s proposed vegetation treatments, as referenced in Table and Valley Forest and Woodland 4-9 of this PEIS. Table D-1 provides a list of all the These forests occur along the Pacific Coast lowlands vegetation macrogroups occurring on BLM- from southern California to southern British Columbia. administered lands in the western U.S., as well as their They occur inland from the coast, in the dry interior associated classes, subclasses, formations, and lowland valleys, some on the east side of the Cascades, divisions. and are drought-tolerant. These forests are not part of the Temperate Coastal Rainforest. Dominant species The macrogroup is a middle-level classification in the within this macrogroup are Pseudotsuga menziesii, hierarchy of the revised United States National 1 Pinus ponderosa, Quercus garryana, Quercus kelloggii Vegetation Classification . The middle-level (California black oak), Lithocarpus densiflorus classifications are based on plant physiognomy, (tanoak), Umbellularia californica (California laurel), biogeography, and floristics. The macrogroup level and Arbutus menziesii. classification is based on “combinations of moderate sets of diagnostic plant species and diagnostic growth forms that reflect biogeographic differences.” Vancouverian Lowland and Montane Rainforest The ecological context of the macrogroup level is sub- This macrogroup consists of tall forests 164 to 328 feet continental to regional differences in mesoclimate, (50 to 100 meters) dominated by evergreen needle- geology, substrates, hydrology, and disturbance leaved trees of the Pacific Northwest coast, limited to regimes. An example of a scientific name for a the coast, in lowland valleys, and lower mountain macrogroup is the Pseudotsuga menziesii-Quercus slopes (below subalpine snow pack) of the Coastal and garryana-Pinus ponderosa-Arbutus menziesii Cascade Ranges. Forests include those influenced by (Douglas-fir-Oregon white oak-ponderosa pine-Pacific salt spray exposure, the interior forests of the madrone) macrogroup. The colloquial name for this windward and leeward Coast and Cascade Ranges, and macrogroup is Northern Vancouverian Montane and cool temperate lower montane forests where winter Foothill Forest. snowpack typically lasts for 2 to 6 months, sometimes referred to as the “rain-on-snow” zone because of the In order to match the geographical breakdown in the common occurrence of major winter rainfall on an 2007 PEIS, the macrogroup descriptions in this section established snowpack. Climate is wet, mild maritime. are presented by ecoregion. Descriptions for macrogroups found in more than one ecoregion are repeated, where applicable. Descriptions come directly from the U.S. National Vegetation Classification web site. 1 Available at: http://usnvc.org/. BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides D-1 January 2016 Final Programmatic EIS BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides Final Table D-1 MACROGROUP DESCRIPITONS Programmatic EIS Vegetation Classification System for Western States Formation Class Formation Subclass Formation Division Macrogroup California Forest and Woodland Californian-Vancouverian Foothill and Valley Forest and Woodland Southwestern North American Comanchian Forest and Warm Temperate Forest Woodland Warm Temperate Forest Madrean Warm Lowland Evergreen Woodland Madrean Warm Montane Forest and Woodland Southwestern North American Southern Plains Scrub Woodland Warm Temperate Scrub and and Shrubland Woodland Southern Vancouverian Montane and Foothill Forest Forest and Vancouverian Lowland and D-2 Temperate Forest Woodland Montane Rainforest Northern Rocky Mountain Lower Montane and Foothill Western North American Cool Forest Temperate Forest Rocky Mountain Subalpine and High Montane Conifer Forest Cool Temperate Forest Sierra Madre High Montane Forest Southern Rocky Mountain Lower Montane Forest Vancouverian Subalpine Forest Intermountain Singleleaf Pinyon-Western Juniper Western North American Cool Woodland Temperate Woodland and Scrub Rocky Mountain Two-Needle Pinyon-Juniper Woodland January 2016 January BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides Final Table D-1 (Cont.) Programmatic EIS Vegetation Classification System for Western States Formation Class Formation Subclass Formation Division Macrogroup Rocky Mountain and Great Basin Flooded and Swamp Western North American Forest Flooded and Swamp Forest Vancouverian Flooded and Swamp Forest Temperate Flooded and Swamp Temperate Forest (Cont.) Forest Warm Mediterranean and Desert Riparian, Flooded and Swamp Southwestern North American Forest Warm Temperate Flooded and Western North American Warm Swamp Forest Temperate Ruderal Flooded and Swamp Forest Forest and Woodland (cont.) North American Subalpine and Lowland and Montane Boreal Subarctic Woodland North American Boreal Forest Forest Western North American Boreal D Conifer and Hardwood Forest - 3 North American Boreal Flooded Boreal Forest Forest Boreal Flooded and Swamp North American Boreal Flooded North American Boreal Swamp Forest and Swamp Forest Forest Western Boreal Flooded and Swamp Scrub and Forest MACROGROUP DESCRIPITONS California Chaparral Mediterranean Scrub California Scrub California Coastal Scrub Shrubland and Mediterranean Scrub and Grassland Grassland California Annual and Perennial Mediterranean Grassland and California Grassland and Grassland Forb Meadow Meadow California Ruderal Grassland and Meadow January 2016 January BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides Final Table D-1 (Cont.) MACROGROUP DESCRIPITONS Programmatic EIS Vegetation Classification System for Western States Formation Class Formation Subclass Formation Division Macrogroup Northern Rocky Mountain- Vancouverian Montane and Foothill Grassland and Shrubland Northern Vancouverian Lowland and Montane Grassland and Shrubland Western North American Rocky Mountain-Vancouverian Grassland and Shrubland Subalpine and High Montane Mesic Grass and Forb Meadow Temperate Grassland, Meadow Southern Rocky Mountain and Shrubland Montane Grassland and Shrubland Southern Vancouverian Lowland Grassland and Shrubland Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie D-4 Shrubland and Temperate and Boreal Great Plains Grassland and and Shrubland Grassland (Cont.) Shrubland and Grassland Shrubland Great Plains Shortgrass Prairie and Shrubland Western North American Cool Interior Chaparral Interior Sclerophyllous Warm Interior Chaparral Chaparral Shrubland North American Boreal Boreal Grassland, Meadow and North American Boreal Grassland, Meadow and Shrubland Shrubland and Grassland Shrubland Cool Pacific Coastal Beach, Temperate and Boreal Scrub and Pacific North American Coast Dune and Bluff Vegetation Herb Coastal Vegetation Scrub and Herb Vegetation Warm Pacific Coastal Beach, Dune and Bluff Vegetation North American Boreal Bog and Fen Temperate and Boreal Bog and North American Bog and Fen North Pacific Bog and Fen Fen Rocky Mountain Subalpine and Montane Fen January 2016 January BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides Final Table D-1 (Cont.) Programmatic EIS Vegetation Classification System for Western States Formation Class Formation Subclass Formation Division Macrogroup Western North American Boreal Wet Meadow and Marsh Western North American Lowland Freshwater Wet Meadow, Marsh and Shrubland Western North American Western North American Temperate and Boreal Freshwater Wet Meadow and Montane Wet Meadow and Low Freshwater Wet Meadow and Marsh Shrubland Marsh Western North American Ruderal Wet Meadow and Temperate and Boreal Shrubland and Marsh Shrubland and Grassland Grassland (Cont.) Western North American Vernal (Cont.) Pool Southwestern North American Warm Desert Freshwater Warm Desert Freshwater Marsh Shrubland, Meadow and Marsh Temperate and Boreal Pacific North American Pacific Coastal D - Coastal Salt Marsh Salt Marsh 5 Cool Semi-Desert Alkaline- Salt Marsh Saline Wetland North American Western Warm Semi-Desert and Interior Brackish Marsh Mediterranean Alkaline-Saline Wetland Apacherian-Chihuahuan Semi- Desert Grassland and Steppe MACROGROUP DESCRIPITONS Chihuahuan Desert Scrub Mojave-Sonoran Semi-Desert Warm Semi-Desert Scrub and Warm Semi-Desert Scrub and North American Warm Desert Scrub Semi-Desert Grassland Grassland Scrub and Grassland North American Warm Desert Alkaline-Saline Semi-Desert Scrub North American Warm Desert Xero-Riparian January 2016 January BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides Final Table D-1 (Cont.) MACROGROUP DESCRIPITONS Programmatic EIS Vegetation Classification System for Western States Formation Class Formation Subclass Formation Division Macrogroup Great Basin and Intermountain Dry Shrubland and Grassland Great Basin and Intermountain Dwarf Sage Shrubland and Steppe Western North American Cool Semi-Desert Cool Semi-Desert Scrub and Cool Semi-Desert Scrub and Great Basin and Intermountain Semi-Desert Scrub and (Cont.) Grassland Grassland Tall Sagebrush Shrubland and Grassland Steppe Great Basin and Intermountain Xero-Riparian Scrub Great Basin Saltbrush Scrub Rocky Mountain Alpine Scrub, Forb Meadow and Grassland Western North American Alpine Temperate and Boreal Alpine Alpine Scrub, Forb Meadow and Sierra Madre Alpine Scrub, Scrub, Forb Meadow and Vegetation Grassland Forb Meadow and Grassland D-6 Polar