Classification of the Vegetation Alliances and Associations of the Northern Sierra Nevada Foothills, California Volume 2 of 2 – Vegetation Descriptions By Anne Klein Josie Crawford Julie Evens Vegetation Program California Native Plant Society Todd Keeler-Wolf Diana Hickson Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program Biogeographic Data Branch California Department of Fish and Game For the Resources Management and Policy Division California Department of Fish and Game Contract Number: P0485520 December 2007 This report consists of two volumes. Volume 1 contains the project introduction, methods, and results, as well as literature cited, and appendices. This volume (Volume 2) includes descriptions of the vegetation alliances and associations defined for this project. This classification report covers vegetation associations and alliances attributed to the northern Sierra Nevada Foothills, California. This classification has been developed in consultation with many individuals and agencies and incorporates information from a variety of publications and other classifications. Comments and suggestions regarding the contents of this subset should be directed to: Anne Klein Julie Evens Vegetation Ecologist Senior Vegetation Ecologist California Dept. of Fish and Game California Native Plant Society Sacramento, CA Sacramento, CA <[email protected]> <[email protected]> Todd Keeler-Wolf Senior Vegetation Ecologist California Dept. of Fish and Game Sacramento, CA <[email protected]> Copyright © 2007 California Native Plant Society, 2707 K Street, Suite 1 Sacramento, CA 95816, U.S.A. All Rights Reserved. Citation: The following citation should be used in any published materials that reference this report: Klein, A., J. Crawford, J. Evens, T. Keeler-Wolf, and D. Hickson. 2007. Classification of the vegetation alliances and associations of the northern Sierra Nevada Foothills, California. Report prepared for California Department of Fish and Game. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento, CA. Restrictions on Use: Permission to use, copy and distribute these data is hereby granted under the following conditions: 1. The above copyright notice must appear in all documents and reports; 2. Any use must be for informational purposes only and in no instance for commercial purposes; 3. Some data may be altered in format for analytical purposes, however the data should still be referenced using the citation above. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved by the California Native Plant Society (CNPS). Except as expressly provided above, nothing contained herein shall be construed as conferring any license or right under any CNPS copyright. Information Warranty Disclaimer: All data are provided as is without warranty as to the currentness, completeness, or accuracy of any specific data. The absence of data in any particular geographic area does not necessarily mean that species or ecological communities of concern are not present. CNPS hereby disclaims all warranties and conditions with regard to these data, including but not limited to all implied warranties and conditions of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. In no event shall CNPS be liable for any special, indirect, incidental, consequential damages, or for damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with the use of these data. Because the data supporting this is continually being updated, it is advisable to check for data and classification revisions at least once a year after receipt. i TABLE OF CONTENTS TREE DESCRIPTIONS................................................................................................................................. 1 Acer macrophyllum Woodland/Forest Alliance................................................................................. 2 Acer macrophyllum Association (Provisional) ........................................................................................ 2 Acer macrophyllum - Pseudotsuga menziesii / Dryopteris arguta Association (Provisional)............................................................................................................................................ 5 Aesculus californica Woodland/Forest Alliance ............................................................................... 7 Aesculus californica / Toxicodendron diversilobum / Moss Association ................................................ 7 Aesculus californica Riparian Association (Provisional)....................................................................... 10 Alnus rhombifolia Woodland/Forest Alliance.................................................................................. 13 Alnus rhombifolia - Quercus chrysolepis Association .......................................................................... 13 Alnus rhombifolia - Salix laevigata Association.................................................................................... 16 Alnus rhombifolia - Salix laevigata - Platanus racemosa Association.................................................. 18 Alnus rhombifolia / Carex Association.................................................................................................. 20 Alnus rhombifolia / Darmera peltata Association ................................................................................. 22 Alnus rhombifolia / Salix exigua Association........................................................................................ 24 Arbutus menziesii Woodland/Forest Alliance ................................................................................. 26 Arbutus menziesii Alliance (no Associations defined).......................................................................... 26 Calocedrus decurrens Woodland/Forest Alliance .......................................................................... 28 Calocedrus decurrens - Alnus rhombifolia Association........................................................................ 28 Cupressus macnabiana Woodland/Forest Alliance........................................................................ 32 Cupressus macnabiana / Arctostaphylos viscida Association (Provisional) ........................................ 32 Fraxinus latifolia Woodland/Forest Alliance.................................................................................... 35 Fraxinus latifolia - Alnus rhombifolia Association ................................................................................. 35 Juglans hindsii Woodland/Forest Semi-Natural Stands ................................................................ 38 Juglans hindsii Woodland Semi-Natural Stands (no Associations defined)......................................... 38 Pinus ponderosa Woodland/Forest Alliance................................................................................... 40 Pinus ponderosa Stream Terrace Association (Provisional)................................................................ 40 Pinus ponderosa / Arctostaphylos viscida Association (Provisional) ................................................... 43 Pinus sabiniana Woodland/Forest Alliance..................................................................................... 45 Pinus sabiniana / Adenostoma fasciculatum Association .................................................................... 45 Pinus sabiniana / Arctostaphylos viscida Association (Provisional)..................................................... 48 Pinus sabiniana / Ceanothus cuneatus Association ............................................................................ 50 Pinus sabiniana / Ceanothus cuneatus / Plantago erecta Serpentine Association (Provisional).......................................................................................................................................... 52 Pinus sabiniana / Rhamnus tomentella Association (Provisional) ....................................................... 55 Platanus racemosa Woodland/Forest Alliance ............................................................................... 57 Platanus racemosa Alliance (no Associations defined) ....................................................................... 57 Populus fremontii Woodland/Forest Alliance.................................................................................. 61 Populus fremontii - Salix laevigata Association.................................................................................... 61 Populus fremontii / Vitis californica Association ................................................................................... 64 Pseudotsuga menziesii Woodland/Forest Alliance ........................................................................ 66 Pseudotsuga menziesii Association ..................................................................................................... 66 Pseudotsuga menziesii - Quercus chrysolepis Association................................................................. 70 Quercus chrysolepis Woodland/Forest Alliance ............................................................................ 72 Quercus chrysolepis Association ......................................................................................................... 72 Quercus chrysolepis / Arctostaphylos viscida Association................................................................... 75 Quercus chrysolepis - Pinus ponderosa Association ........................................................................... 77 Quercus chrysolepis - Quercus kelloggii Association .........................................................................