Fen Conservation and Vegetation Assessment in the National Forests of the Sierra Nevada and Adjacent Mountains, California by Kendra Sikes1, David Cooper2, Sue Weis3, Todd Keeler-Wolf4, Michael Barbour5, Diane Ikeda3, Deborah Stout1, and Julie Evens1 revised, public version 2, 2013 (version 1, 2010) 1 California Native Plant Society Vegetation Program, 2707 K Street, Suite 1, Sacramento, CA 95816 2 Colorado State University, Department of Forest, Rangeland and Watershed Stewardship, Fort Collins, CO 80523 3 United States Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, Pacific Southwest Region, 1323 Club Drive, Vallejo, CA 94592 4 California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Biogeographic Data Branch, 1807 13th Street, Suite 202, Sacramento, CA 95811 5 University of California Davis, Plant Sciences Department, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors wish to thank the following individuals, listed alphabetically, who reviewed portions of our document and/or provided information that is included. We apologize to anyone we may have left off of this list. Richard Andrus Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY James Belsher-Howe District Botanist, Mt. Hough Ranger District, Plumas National Forest, USFS Cheryl Beyer formerly Forest Botanist, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, USFS Catie Bishop Feather River Ranger District, Plumas National Forest, USFS Jim Bishop Feather River Ranger District, Plumas National Forest, USFS Roxanne Bittman Senior Botanist, California Natural Diversity Database, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Kirsten Bovee Assistant Botanist, Lassen National Forest, USFS Matt Brown Botanist, South Zone, Eldorado National Forest, USFS Jennifer Buck-Diaz Vegetation Ecologist, CNPS Vegetation Program Chris Christofferson Acting District Botanist, Feather River Ranger District, Plumas National Forest, USFS Joanna Clines Forest Botanist, Sierra National Forest, USFS Michelle Coppoletta Assistant District Botanist, Mt. Hough Ranger District, Plumas National Forest, USFS Lynee Crawford Assistant District Botanist, Beckwourth Ranger District, Plumas National Forest, USFS Susan J. Durham formerly Botanist, North Zone, Eldorado National Forest, USFS Scott Eliason District Botanist, Mountain Top Ranger District, San Bernadino National Forest, USFS Susan Erwin Trinity Botanist, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, USFS Michael Friend District Botanist, Beckwourth Ranger District, Plumas National Forest, USFS Joseph Furnish Regional Aquatic Ecologist, Pacific Southwest Region, USFS Forest Jay Gauna Assistant Botanist, Modoc National Forest, USFS Shana E. Gross Acting Ecologist, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, USFS Jennie Haas District Botanist, Groveland Ranger District, Stanislaus National Forest, USFS Linnea Hanson District Resource Officer, Feather River Ranger District, Plumas National Forest, USFS Betsy Harbert formerly Vegetation Crew Leader, CNPS Vegetation Program Nick Jensen formerly Rare Plant Botanist, CNPS Rare Plant Program Don Lepley Assistant Botanist, Lassen National Forest, USFS Fletcher Linton Forest Botanist, Sequoia National Forest, USFS Tina Mark Fish, Wildlife, and Rare Plants Program Manager, Tahoe National Forest, USFS Susan Marsico Tahoe National Forest, USFS Kyle Merriam Sierra Cascade Province Ecologist, Pacific Southwest Region, USFS Kathleen G. Nelson Forest Botanist, Inyo National Forest, USFS Julie Nelson Forest Botanist, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, USFS Stuart Osbrack Botanist, formerly with Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit; currently with Wild Rivers Ranger District, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Region 6, USFS Judy L. Perkins Forest Botanist, Modoc National Forest, USFS Eric Peterson formerly with California Native Plant Society Vegetation Program Danielle Roach formerly Vegetation Crew Leader, CNPS Vegetation Program, currently with California Department of Fish and Wildlife Allison L. Sanger Forest Botanist, Lassen National Forest, USFS Tamara Sasaki Senior Environmental Scientist, Sierrra District, California Department of Parks James Shevock Research Associate, California Academy of Sciences Lloyd Simpson Forest Botanist, Los Padres National Forest, USFS Aaron Sims Rare Plant Botanist, CNPS Rare Plant Program David Toren California Academy of Sciences Jamie Tuitele-Lewis Assistant Forest Botanist, Sierra National Forest, USFS i Susan Urie East Zone Botanist, Tahoe National Forest, USFS Kathy Van Zuuk District Ecologist, Yuba River Ranger District, Tahoe National Forest, USFS Dave Weixelman Range Ecologist, Pacific Southwest Region, USFS Margaret Willits East Zone Botanist, Stanislaus National Forest, USFS Carl Wishner Consulting Botanist ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. 1 BACKGROUND ...................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 2 OBJECTIVES .......................................................................................................................... 3 PHYSICAL SETTING .............................................................................................................. 5 Climate ................................................................................................................................ 5 Hydrology and Landforms ................................................................................................... 6 Water Chemistry and Soils ................................................................................................ 10 BIOLOGICAL SETTING ........................................................................................................ 12 Summary of Previous Knowledge of Fen Vegetation ........................................................ 13 BIOGEOGRAPHY OF FENS ................................................................................................ 14 Origins of the California fen flora ....................................................................................... 14 Comparison with other regions .......................................................................................... 17 Variation within California .................................................................................................. 17 HISTORY OF NATIONAL FOREST FEN SURVEYS ........................................................... 18 VEGETATION DATA AND CLASSIFICATION ..................................................................... 21 Methods ............................................................................................................................. 21 Classification ..................................................................................................................... 24 New Classification Types since A Manual of California Vegetation .................................. 32 Environmental Factors and Vegetation Correlations ......................................................... 35 Sensitive Vegetation Types ............................................................................................... 38 FENS AS HOTSPOTS OF BIODIVERSITY: RARE SPECIES ............................................ 47 Rare Shrubs ...................................................................................................................... 47 Rare Carnivorous Plants ................................................................................................... 48 Rare Graminoids ............................................................................................................... 49 Rare Perennial Forbs ........................................................................................................ 52 Rare Ferns ........................................................................................................................ 54 Rare Mosses ..................................................................................................................... 55 Rare Animals ..................................................................................................................... 57 THREATS ............................................................................................................................. 60 MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................................... 63 Existing Management Direction ......................................................................................... 63 RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................... 64 Inventory ............................................................................................................................ 64 Classification ..................................................................................................................... 69 Research ........................................................................................................................... 69 Monitoring .......................................................................................................................... 69 Education .......................................................................................................................... 70 Conclusions 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