The Alaska Vegetation Classification - Alaska Geobotany Center ...

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The ClassificationSystemCoastal forests are dominated by closed and open evergreen forests, primarily Sitkaspruce-western hemlock. Closed and open deciduous forests are rare and limitedprimarily to stands of black cottonwood or red alder on flood plains, streamsides, andrecently disturbed sites. Woodland lodgepole pine communities grade into bog types(locally called muskegs) on poorly drained sites. On coastal deltas, extensive areasof halophytic and freshwater sedge and grass wet meadows dominated by Carexlyngbyaeiare common.Boreal forest or taiga forms an extensive vegetation zone between the coastal forestand the northern and western limits of forest growth. It is dominated by closed, open,and woodland evergreen forests of black and white spruce, but has extensive areasof open and closed deciduous forests of paper birch, aspen, and balsam poplar.Within this vegetation zone are extensive mosaics of shrub and herbaceous types,including extensive areas of subarctic lowland sedge and sedge-moss bog meadowsas well as willow, sweetgale, and graminoid bogs. There are also extensive areas ofclosed and open shrubs of alder and willows in successional communities after fireand alluvial deposition.Lowland tundra occurs primarily on the coastal plain in northern Alaska and in lowlyingdeltas and other coastal areas in western Alaska. The dominant vegetation isa wet sedge meadow of Eriophorum angustifoliurn and Carex aquatilis interspersedwith many lakes. Eriophorum vaginatum tussock tundra occurs on the dryer sites.Upland tundra in Alaska includes three major vegetation zones as mapped by mostvegetation maps of Alaska; moist tundra, dry or alpine tundra, and shrub or highbrush tundra. Over much of arctic and western Alaska, this type is dominated byEriophorum vaginatum tundra with areas of Dryas dwarf shrub tundra on exposedridges and dry rocky sites. In mountainous areas above treeline, Dryas andericaceous shrub tundra are the mst widespread plant communities. In manyareas in western Alaska and in mst areas near treeline in the Alaska and BrooksRanges, the zone includes extensive areas of shrubland, primarily low shrub dwarfbirch. On the Aleutian Islands. the most widespread community is Empetrum heath,but extensive areas of dry and mesic graminoid herbaceous vegetation of Elymusarenarius, Calamagrostis nutkaensis, and Deschampsia beringensis also occur.The Alaska vegetation classification system is presented on the following pages.Table 1 presents the classification to level 111 and can be used as a quick referenceto the broad vegetation types in Alaska. This is followed by a key to the first threelevels of the classification. Following the key is a detailed presentation of all fivelevels of the system in tabular form (table 2). Finally, detailed descriptions of levels I,11, 111, and IV are given on pages 55 to 212.10
Table 1-Alaska vegetation classification to level illLevel I Level II Level 111I. Forest A. Needleleaf (conifer)forestB. Broadleaf forestC. Mixed forest(1) Closed needleleaf (conifer) forest(2) Open needleleaf (conifer) forest(3) Needleleaf (conifer) woodland(1) Closed broadleaf forest(2) Open broadleaf forest(3) Broadleaf woodland(1) Closed mixed forest(2) Open mixed forest(3) Mixed woodlandII. ScrubA. Dwarf tree scrubB. Tall scrubC. Low scrubD. Dwarf scrub(1) Closed dwarf tree scrub(2) Open dwarf tree scrub(3) Dwarf tree scrub woodland(1) Closed tali scrub(2) Open tall scrub(1) Closed low scrub(2) Open low scrub(1) Dryas dwarf scrub(2) Ericaceous dwarf scrub(3) Willow dwarf scrub111. Herbaceous A. Graminoid herbaceousB. Forb herbaceousC. Bryoid herbaceousD. Aquatic (nonemergent)herbaceous(1) Dry graminoid herbaceous(2) Mesic graminoid herbaceous(3) Wet graminoid herbaceous(emergent)(1) Dry forb herbaceous(2) Mesic forb herbaceous(3) Wet forb herbaceous (emergent)(1) Mosses(2) Lichens(1) Freshwater aquatic herbaceous(2) Brackish water aquatic herbaceous(3) Marine aquatic herbaceous11
Page 1 and 2: ~~ ~rForest ServicePacific Northwes
Page 3 and 4: AbstractViereck, L.A.; Dyrness, C.T
Page 5 and 6: IntroductionThe first draft of this
Page 7 and 8: General Descriptionof theClassifica
Page 9 and 10: Northwest’. Tenltoryf-Figure I-Ma
Page 11 and 12: Arctic AlaskaInterior AlaskaAn exte
Page 13: Figure 2-Vegetation type map of Ala
Page 17 and 18: II. Scrub8a. Vegetation with at lea
Page 19: mn15
Page 25: FQ221
Page 29: n aa25
Page 39: mP35
Page 48: .I44
Page 59 and 60: Descriptions ofLevel I, II, 111,and
Page 61 and 62: Communities-Picea sifchensis/Oplopa
Page 63 and 64: LA. 1.d. Closed Western Hemlock-Sit
Page 65 and 66:
Figure 6-Closed needleleaf forest o
Page 67 and 68:
Distrlbutlon and site characteristi
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Communities-Picea glaucahathermosse
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LA. 1.1. Closed Black Spruce-White
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A lower well-developed shrub layer
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A layer of herbs and ferns provides
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Figure lS0pen needleleaf forest ofw
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Figure 1 64pen needleleaf forest of
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1.A.2.h. Open Black Spruce-Tamarack
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A.3.b. Siika Spruce WoodlandDescrlp
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and others 1988). Picea glaucdAlnus
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A well-developed tall shrub layer,
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Figure 24-Closed broadleaf forest o
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Occasionally, small stands of balsa
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Mature birch can survive low-intens
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Distribution and Site characteristl
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Distributlon and site characteristi
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Figure 314pen broadleaf forest ofba
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I.B.3.b. Balsam Poplar WoodlandDesc
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stands reach 120 years of age. A ta
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1.c.7.d. Closed Quaking Aspen-Spruc
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Figure 35-Closed mixed forest 01 ba
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I.C.2.b. Open Quaking Aspen-Spruce
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Distribution and site characteristi
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Closely related types-Closed subalp
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ll.A.3.a. Black Spruce Dwarf Tree W
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Figure 38-Closed tall willow shrub
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hummocky substrate and usually are
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Primary references-Batten and other
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Figure 41-Open tall willow shrub of
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ll.B.2.c. Open Tall Shrub Birch Shr
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Page 129 and 130:
Figure 44-Closed low willow shrub o
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Communities-Betula nana-Salixplanif
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Page 135 and 136:
Successlonal status-Many of these c
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Primary referencecHanson 1951; Pega
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generally also have an abundance of
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Successional status-Communities on
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Communitles-Salix glauca/Arcfosfaph
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Primary references-Hogan and Tande
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Page 149 and 150:
Closely related types-Sagebrush-gra
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Figure 52-Oryas dwarf shrub tundraw
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ugosum (Hettinger and Janz 1974). D
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Oxyfropis nigrescens, Hierochlog al
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Closely related types-Vaccinium dwa
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ll.D.2.d. Mountain-Heath Dwarf Shru
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1984). Cassiope mertensiana-C. stel
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Figure SB--Dry graminoid herbaceous
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' , , .MA. 1.b. Dry FescueFigure 54
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Figure 60-Midgrass-shrub stand of t
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(Crow 1977b, Ritchie and others 198
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Successional status-In southwestern
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Primary references-Batten and other
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Primary reference-Hjeljord 1971.Com
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Closely related types-Sedge-birch t
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Figure 64-We1 sedge meadow tundraof
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Page 185 and 186:
Closely related types-Wet sedge mea
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Figure €.&Subarcticlowland sedge
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Closely related types-Halophytic gr
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Koppen 1977; del Moral and Watson 1
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Closely related types-These communi
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The sites themselves are covered wi
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Figure 70-A mesic forb herbaceous c
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Closely related types-These communi
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Closely related types-Herb wet mead
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Closely related types-Halophytic he
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III.C.1.6. Dly BryophyteFigure ? L
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lll.C.2.b. Foliose and Fruticose Li
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lll.D.I.b. Common MarestailFigure 7
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Photographs-Figure 79, this publica
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Communlties-Su~ularia aquafica-Call
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Figure 80(len)-A marine aquatic eel
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ReferencesWhile preparing the Alask
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Anderson, J.H. 1972. Phytocenology
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Brock, Steven; Burke, Ingrid. 1980.
Page 223 and 224:
Crow, John Huber. 1968. Plant ecolo
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Fries, Janet A. 1977. The vascular
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Holowaychuk, N.; Smeck, Neil E. 197
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Kessler, Wlnlfred B. 1979. Bird pop
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Martin, Jon R.; Brady, Ward W.; Dow
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Neiland, Bonita J. 1971b. Survey of
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Raclne, Charles H.; Anderson, J.H.
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Selkregg, Lidla L. 1975a. Alaska re
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Stevens, M.E. 1965. Relation of veg
Page 241 and 242:
Van Cleve, K.; Viereck, L.A. 1981.
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Walker, D.A.; Lederer, N.P. 1983. V
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Wiggins, Ira L. 1951. The distribut
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Table %Listof scientific and common
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Table &--List of scientific and com
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Table 3-Lis.t of scientific and com
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Table >Listof scientific and common
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Table %Listof scientific and common
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~~~ ~Table %Listof Scientific and c
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Assoclatlon, plant-A stand or group
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Bryold-(1) A moss, liverwort, or ho
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Ctyaquepts-Gray or olive soils with
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Edaphic-(adj.) Pertaining to the so
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Foliage cover-See cover.Foot slope-
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Herbaceous4n the Alaska vegetation
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Marsh-(1) A periodically wet or con
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Old-growth stand-Not synonymous wit
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Pioneer-Plant capable of invading b
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Sere-A sequence of plant communitie
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Submerged aquatic plant-Plant adapt
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~ y p + kind ~ of vegetation; for e
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Viereck, L.A.; Dymess, C.T.; Batten
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