Attachment F Blue Mountain Forested Plant associations.pdf

Plant Assocato Is Aqicuirure

Forest ScePN Blue and Ochoco Mountains

R6-ERWTP O3C.2

Chares Grer .Jonpso Jr

Rodnck CtausnUze ant Ass ai ns

Bue Co ont by harles Grier Johnson Jr

Rodrick Clausni zer

PHOTO CREDITS

Cover Late summer view of southern Blue Mountains from Strawber Mountain CO Johnson Jr

Title Page View from Monument Rock toward ironaide Mountain C.G Johnson Jr

Photos by F.C Hall

Pages 25 29 33 35 37 49 61 63 67 69 73 79 81 83 89 91 93 99 105 113 115 119 131 143 155

Photos by CG Johnson

Pages 2731 4547515355 57596571858797101 103107 109 lii 117 121 125127 133 135 137 139 141 145 151 153

PREFACE

The Blue and Ochoco Mountains were first sampled for ecological classification purposes by Fred Hall in the 1950s and

960s His energy and vision resulted in the first publication of plant community types for the Region The basic choices of where to put plot and how to characterize the vegetation of the Blue and Ochoco Mountains was determined by

Fred We have inherited his data added few new plots and designed new classification Wed like to express our appreciation for the assistance Fred has given in the fundamental data acquisition the hypotheses he has formed about the typea and the pioneering pathway he forged in providing the first ecolo9ic document for land managers on the

Malheur Ochoco Umatilla and Wallows-Whitman National Forests

In the past years the classification effortfor the Blue and Ochoco Mountains has been team effort Wa have produced

1990 classification review draft 1991 publication review dreft and finally this 1991 field guide In producing the review drafts and this final publication we have had excellent fscilitiation from Dr Len Volland Regional Ecologist

Chuck Ernst Bill Gast and our Area Forest Supervisors Bob Richmond Mark Boche Jim Lawrence and Jeff

Blackwood Two formal field reviews were held with many ideas for improvement of the classification and format of the field guide resulting The two review drafts were reproduced for field training end use by the employees of the Area with excellent help from the word processing and document reproduction units of the four National Forest Supervisors

Offices

The placing of the numbers and words onto the printed page has evolved into an electronic computerized world where the skills of the word processing specialist directly influence the appearance snd utility of the final document We have been fortunate to have some very dedicated and extramely helpful word processing people in the production of our field guide Our heartfelt gratitude to Vicki Medlin for her supervision and to Kathy Hottle and Paula McBroom for thairwisdom and professional attitude as well as those nimble fingersl

This classification and field guide is dedicated to our families and posthumously to Tern Cummings dedicated Forest

Service employee we lost before she could help us complete this project

Charlie and Rod

Plant Associations of the

Blue and Ochoco Mountains

Table of Contents

Page

Climate -------------------------------------3

ThePlantAssoclatlonConcept --- --- ----------------------------------4

Indicator Species--- --------------------------

DatsAnalysis --- ------ ------ ---

Wetland --- ----------------------------

Early Seral Vegetation Disclirnax Communities and Ecotones---------------- -- --

Use of the Field Guide __-__-__ -____

Considerations for Estimating Cover--- __--

Keys to Blue-Ochoco Mountain Vegetation --- ---------- -- 11

Kay to Subalpine Fir Series Vegetstion--------------- -------------------------------- ------- 12

Key to Grand Fir Series Vegatation------------ --------------------------------_ 14

Key to Lodgepole Pine Series Vegetation ----------------------------------- ----- 16

Kay to Douglas-fir Series Vegetation ---. _---------------_-_-__------ -----17

Kay to Ponderosa Pine Series Vegetation ------. -------------- --- ----- 16

Key to Western Juniper Series Vegetation ------- -------- ---- 20

KaytoShrublarrdVegetstion------------ --------------------------------------- ------- 21

KaytoGrasslandVegetstion --_ ------- -------------------- -- 23

SUBALPINE FIR SERIES

ABLA2ITRCA3-- -------------------- --------- --25

ABLA2/CLUN ------------------------- 27

ABLA2/LIBO2 --------------------------- 29

ASLA2/MEFE ------ 31

ABLA2NAME ---- __ _- 33

ABLA2NASC ----------------------------_-- -36

ABLA2/CAGE 37

ABLA2/ARCOpct ------------------------- 39

ABLA2/STOC pet ------- ---- ------- ----40

SUBALPINE FIR SERIES coot PICOABLA2NASC pot

--- 41 PICOABLA2NAME/CARU pot ------.__ ---------____ -- 42PlCOAaNAME pot

ABLA2/RHAL comm ---

ABLA2-PIAUPQpH

ABLA2-PIAL/JuDR comm--- ------------.-_ --------------- --43 ABLA2-PIAL/popu oomm---------

---------------------.--__-_- --43 HCOABLA2/CAGE oomm---------___ --- ---------_-____ ---------------- 43 PICOABLA2/STOC comm -_-_--_-___

---------------- -- -43

GRAND FIR SERIES

ABGR/GYDR-_ ----- ------_--___--__

ABGAIPOMU-ASCA3 ------- -------------_-_ -- ------ -------- 47

ASGR/TRCA3 ---- -------------- -- --ABGR

ABGR/TABR/L1902

--------- 53ABGR/ACGL-__ -- ------------

ABOR/CLUN----- ------- ----- -- 57ABGR/LIBO2--_ -- --- --

ABOR/VAME _-___-_

ABGRIVASC-L1802 ------_

ABGRIVASC _----_

-------- 65

ABGR/BRVU ---- --- ------- --------- ---- 67ABGRISPBE-

------ ------ 69ABOR/CARU ----__ _------_ 71

ABGR/CAGE------ -- -------- ---- --

ABGR/ARCO pot ------

--- 75 PC0ABGRNAMELIBO2 pot

---- 76 PICOABGRNAME/CARU pot ----- -- 76 PICOABGRNAME pot -----

-------- ---- 76 PICOABGR/CARU pot---- ---- ---- 77 PICOABGRNASC/CARU pot ------

----77 PICOABGRNAME/PTAQ 00mm ----- -----------_-_-_ ----- 77 PICOABGR/ARNE Comm -------------

PICOABGR/AL$I Comm-------_ --

ABGR-CHNONAME Comm ---- ---- -- ------ 78

LODGEPOLE PINE SERIES

PICO/CARU- -- ___ _---_ __ 79

DOUGLAS-FIR SERIES

PSMEIVAME--- ---

81PSME/PHMA

PSME/HODI ------__

85PSME/SYAL

PSMEISYOR----_

89PSME/CARLJ----_ --- ---------------------- 91PSMEICAGE-

PSME/CELE/CAGE pcI

PONDEROSA PINE SERIES

PIPO/CELEIPONE----- --------- -------------------------------- 99

PIPO/CELE/FEID-AGSP

PIPO/SYAL----------------- -------------------------- -------- 103

PPO/SYOR --------------------------- ------------------------------ --105

PPO/CARU ------------------------------------------------------ 107

PPO/CAGE --__-_-------------_------------------__ -- ------- ----109

PIPO/PUTR/CARO----- ---------------------------------------------------- --111

PPO/PUTR/CAGE---- ------------------------ ------------------ -----113

PIPO/PUTR/FEID-AGSP -- ----------- -------- 115

PIPO/ARTAV/FEID-AGSP--- --------- ---- ------------- 117

PIPO/AGSP------------------------- ---- ------ ------ -----121

PIPO/ARTRV/CAGE Comm ------------ ------- PIPOIPERA3 Comm ----------------- ------------------------------ -123 PPO/ARAR Comm---- ----------- ---- ------- PPO/RHGL Comm ---------------------------- --------- ---124

JUNIPER WOODLANDS

JUOCIPUTR/FEID-AGSP-------- --------------- -125

JUOC/FEID-AGSP----- ___- ----

JUOC/CELE/CAGE Comm --_ ---- ---- ---- -129

JUOC/CELE/FEID-AGSP comm ----- --- 129

JUOC/ARTRV/FEI0-AGSP comm ------ 129

JUOC/ARAR comm ----------- ------130

JUOC/ARRI comm -- ------------------ -- 130

SHRUBLANDS

CELE/FEID-AGSP-------------------- -------- -----------------

PUTFEID-AGSP------ -- ------- 135

ARTRV/CAGE------ ------- --------- ----------- 137

ARTRV/FEID-AGSP- -------- 139

ARAR/FEID-AGSP ---- ---- -- 141

ARARIPOSA3- ------ -143

ARRVPOSA3 ----- -- -145

ARTRV/ERCA pct-- 147

ARTRV/STOC comm ------ ---147

CAGE comm ----- -- 147

ALSI comm--- 148

CEVEcomm-- -- ------ ____ 148

SYALcomm-- -- ------- ----- SYOR comm- ---------------------- 149

CELE/CAGE comm ____-

GRASSLANDS

FEID-AGSP

AGSP-POSA3 ----1

AGSP-POSA3-DAUN pct---------------_ --- FE\/l subalpine comni --

FEIDsubalpine Comm -- ---- --------- ---158 CAHOsubalpine comm-- -- ----------------_- 158 STOCsubalpine comm --

-161

LiteratureCfted____ ------_____ ------___-__ Appendtces

Appendix Table of Types and Relationship to Area Classifications

Appendix Blue-Ochoco Species List

Appendix Coverage/Constancy Table

Appendix Forest Productivity Table

Appendix Forest Productivity Classes

Appendix Cross Reference List of Plant Associations

Appendix Range Condition Standards/Plant Association Cross-References

Appendix Ecoclass Codes Listing

NTRODUCflON

The Blue end Ochoco Mountains Plant Association Classification Field Guide is provided for use by resource managers on land administered by the Forest Service of the Meiheur Ochoco Umatilla end Wallows-Whitman National Forests

This is the second classification of the vegetation of the Blue and Ochoco Mountains It is combined revision of the

1973 Plant Community Type classification authored by Dr Frederick Hall as wall as new classification for kinds of vegetation not includad in the earlier work see Appendix This classification was developed with concept similar to that used in the development of the Wallows-Snake Plant Associations completed in 1987 by Johnson and Simon

The conceptual approach for these investigations is based on providing the field investigator with floristic indicator species which is diagnostic of particular environment That environment in turn has capability of providing defined plant community which has been described in the pages that follow

The descriptions focus on mid to late seral vegetation of the uplands but also included are descriptions of early seral vegetation commonly found in the Blue and Ochoco Mountains Earlier seral upland vegetation is being studied as series of investigations by ecologists working on the four National Forests Publications relative to earlier seral vegetation will provide emphasis on successional pathways response to management and successional stage identification The number of sampled plots in the subalpine of the Blue Ochoco end Wallows Mountains requires that more investigation be completed before describing subalpine plant associations this effort is being conducted on the Mslheur Umatilla and Wallows-Whitman Lastly the wetland vegetation has not been adequately studied to date This classification effort has deferred all sampled wetland plots for inclusion with the forthcoming investigation and publication of riparian classification for the Blue and Wallows Mountains

This is not the final classification of the Blue and Ochoco Mountains vegetation This field guide is designed to provide the professional land manager with enough basic information to adequately identity classified vegetation types and have summary information available for incorporation into findings for good land management decisions The next classifica tion of the area can be improved by periodic communication with the authors of this guide to enable them to make necessary corrections incorporate new sampled plot data and re-design the next classification as needed The authors sincerely hope this 1991 classification will improve our caring for the various natural resources inherent in the ecosys tems of the four National Forests

GEOGRAPHY

The Blue and Ochoco Mountains are part of the Blue Mountains physiographic division which includes the Ochoco

Mountains Strawberry-Aldrich Range Greenhorn Mountains Elkhorn Mountains Wallows Mountains and the tristate uplands Baldwin 1964 The Blue Mountains segment is northeast to southwest trending axis of old mountains that begin south of Pomeroy Washington and end 200 miles to the south near Burns Oregon 50-mile long east-west spur occurs west of Ukish Oregon and ends near Fossil Oregon The Ochoco Mountains are another east-west trending axis that occur north of Prinevilla Oregon and end 60 miles to the east at the South Fork John Day River canyon

The Blue Mountains physiographic province was divided into three segments for help in portraying the probable distribution of vegetation classified in this guide The segments are as follows

North The mountainous area North of 1-84 running between La Grande and Pendleton

Central The mountainous area South of 1-84 and North of Hy 26 running between Unity and

Prinevilie

South The mountainous area South of 26

Some of the higher summits of the Blue Mountains are as follows

Northern Blue Mountains Oregon Butte 6401 ft Mt Emily 6064 ft

Central Blue Mountains Vinegar Hill 8131 ft Elkhorn Peak 8931 ft

Southern Blue Mountains Strawberry Mountains 9038 ft Fields Peak 7363 ft

Ochoco Mountains Round Mountain 6753 ft Spanish Peak 6885ff

The lowest elevations occur in the northern Blue Mountains where major canyons incise the mountainous topographyThe Tucannon River the Umatilla River and Mill Creek all exit the national forest at approximately 2300 ft elevation Major rivers In the Blue-Ochoco Mountains are the John Day with its several branches draining much of the western half of the Blue Mountains the Grende Ronde and Powder Rivera snd tributaries draining much of the eastern half of the Blue Mountains the Umatille Wells Walls Touche Tucannon and Wensha rivers draining much of the northern portion of the Blue Mountains end the Malheur and its many tributaries draining the southern end of the Blues The Crooked River drains much of the Ochoco Mountain uplift

GEOLOGY

Columbia River bassits were formed in the Cenozoic Era 65 million years ago by extensive vulcaniam In the late

Cenozoic the Blue Mountains were uplifted with folding and faulting of the ranges Prior to the Cenozoic in the Paleozoic 250 million years ago marine sandstones shale charts and limestone were formed These oldest rocks of the

Blue-Ochocos are found near the head of the Crooked River

The Mesozoic Era 225-65 million years ago provided the serpentine of the Strawberry Range especially noticeable from lndisn Creek to Canyon Mountain In the Creteceous Period near the end of the Mesozoic intrusive rocks were formed with major ore deposition in the Elkhorns Greenhorns and Strawberry Ranges These granodiorites provided the gold and silver which brought the initial miners and started settlements in this area

The Cenozoic Era provided much of the visible landscape of the Blue and Ochoco Mountains In the Eocene 35-40 million years ago the Clarno and John Day formations were deposited by the Blue Mountain volcanoes The formations consisted of thick rhyolites breccias tufts and basaltic flows The southwestern portion of the Blue Mountains and most of the Ochoco Mountains are covered by deposits of the Clarno Formation In the mid Miocene thick layers of lava extruded from fissures in local volcanoes and flooded the landscape Lava pooled to depths of 50 feet or greater with multiple episodes resulting in layers of basalt more than 2000 feet thick Mckee 1972 These are known collectively as Columbia River basalts and cover most of the ares contained within the Blue Mountains today localized center of vulcanism produced the Strawberry Volcanics which covers the Strawberry Mountains to depths of 6500 feet eastward from Indian Creek

Pleistocene 2-3 million years ago was an epoch of erosion in this area Sumpter Valley is an example of depositionmade during the Pleistocene of alluvial send and gravel Wind deposited bess from the central Washington Basin occurs on portions of the northern Blue Mountains providing highly productive grasslands and shrublands

Alpine glaciation occurred in the Elkhorna Greenhorns and Strawberry Mountains during the Pleistocene About 12000 years ago Glacier Peak sent ash eastward which blanketed the Blue Mountains Then approximately 6000 years agoMt Mazama erupted sandy volcanic ash to again cover parts of the Blue and Ochoco Mountains Fryxell 1965 These ash deposits were then redeposited by wind and water to provide the growing medium for some of our most importantand productive plant communities

SOIL CHARACTERSTc5

Soils of the Blue and Ochoco Mountains are quite variable and may range from those on thin rocky low-productivity ridgetop sceblands to those in deep ash accumulations on very productive grand fir sites Soil differences result from variations in climate topography parent material vegetation and time The greatest influence to soils in this area has come from ash deposited primarily from Mt Mazama and Glacier Peek approximately 6600 and 12000 years ago respectively Fryxell 1965 Perhaps of equal impact especially in the northern dissected basalt plateau has been the deposition of bess from the central Washington channeled scablends region prior to and following glaciation during the Pleisfocene million years ego over time much of the material has been eroded away by wind and water USDA1985 Continued weathering of the basalts and other rock types has resulted in mixing of wind-borne ash and bess with rocky cobbuvium in many areas Consequently soils fall under one of the following broad categories

Residual derived in place from predominately bedrock or colluvial rook materials

Aah-Loass derived from deposited end accumulated ash and/or bees over older burled soil material

Mixed derived from colluvium ash end/or loose mixed well in surface layers over older buried soil material

Johnson and Simon 1987

Of the vsried geologic material evailable for soil formation basalt end andesite are the most common in the Blue and

Ochoco Mountains Residual soils formed from these materials differ from the volcanic ash and loessial soils in several reapeofe finer textured in the upper profile increased structure higher coarse fragments lower water-holding capacity and higher bulk densities Other materials provide locally important substrates that impart characteristic attributes to soils as the occurrence of rhyolitic rock and subsequent low soil nutrient status

Productivity of forested end non-forested plant communities is closely related to ash and Incas content in soils Unique characteristics of sah soils include high water holding capacity high water infiltration rates low compactability high detachability and disproportionately high amounts of nutrients in upper surface layers Under undisturbed conditions these soils support good vegetation cover which protects the ash from erosion USDA 1985

Loess may also provide important qualities to many soils Loessisl deposits are normally high in base saturation can hold large amount of nutrients have high content of weathered minerals and are thus high in nutrient reserve and generally have excellent physical properties Johnson and Simon 1987

Soil cherecteristics related to parent materiel interact with other environmental factors to define the distributional limits of plant communities end their individual plant species

CLIMATE

The relief of the Blue end Ochoco Mountains creates several localized climatic effects The diversity of landscapes between mountain ranges rolling topography and deep dissected canyons influences local climatic patterns But the major influence to the regional climate is provided by the Cascade Mountains lying nearly 200 miles to the west This mountain range forms barrier against potential modifying effects of warm moist fronts emanating out of the Pacific

Ocean As result the overall climate of the Blue and Ochoco Mountains is labelled Temperate Continental cool summer phase çrrewertha 1968 Mean temperature is less than 72 degrees in the warmest month end 50 degrees for more than three months Light precipitation low relative humidity rapid evaporation abundant sunshine and wide temperature end precipitation fluctuations are characteristics of this climate break in the Cascedien barrier is provided by the Columbia River gorge This topographic feature end the associated

Columbia River provide an opportunity for marine climatic conditions to reach the northern Blue Mountains end strongly influence the vegetation This climate is labeled Temperate Oceanic lrewartha 1968 end differe significantly from the

Temperate Continental climate in providing greeter cloudiness increased precipitation and higher relative humidities with less fluctuation in winter temperatures The oceanic influence provides the environment for vegetation more conrmon to the western Cascades to occupy portions of the northern and northwestern Blue Mountains Examples of this vegetation are grand fir/sword fern-ginger grand fir/oakfern and grand fir/false bugbane

The high percentage of cloud days attributed to the Temperate Oceanic climate versus the high percentage of clear winter days and nights of Temperate Continental climates has dramatically influenced the kind of vegetation found in the northern Blue Mountains as contrasted to that found commonly in the southern Blue end Ochoco Mountains

Daubenmire 1956 determined that the oceanic climate promoted the grasslands and rhizometous shrublands charac teristically found in the foothills slopes and ridgetope of the Blue Mountains adjacent to the Palouse The continental climate on the other hand promotes sagebrush and juniper so commonly found in the Great Basin to the south of the

Blue and Ochoco Mountains

The majority of annual precipitation falls as snow during winter Late summer end early autumn provide the area with convectional storms resulting from masses of cool air crossing the Cascades and passing over the Blue and Ochoco

Mountains at high elevations The hot dry surface air violently mixes with this cool moist upper air mass to provide lightening storms These events have provided cyclic annual abundance of natural fires The fires historically burned extensively and provided the renovating and rejuvenating force behind the development end composition of Blue

Mountain and Ochoco Mountain vegetation The haze of late summer and the particuletee in the sir from Blue Mountain fires combined to give hue to the ridges as seen from afar Thus early settlers named the Blue Mountains

THE PLANT ASSOCIATION CONCEPT

The Blue-Ochoco Mountain classrfication has been developed using the plant association concept for characterizing vegetation based on successional relationships and probable climax species The following definitions and examples may provide assistance to the field guide user to better understand the categorizations given to the vegetation

Plant CommunitIes

The plant community is general term for an assemblage of plants living together arid interacting among themselves in specific location P6 Ecology Glossary Committee 1989 It is not taxonomic unit has no successional status and may not be recognized by all investigators Analagous to plant cornmunities are common names where no bounds have been set or rules defined by which particular common name is used Many plant communities have been sampled which differ in compositional and/or environmental parameters

The purpose of this classification is to segment the moisture-temperature gradient through recognition of indicative plant species in such way as to provide easier recognition of similar environments across the landscape In the analysis of plot data certain plant communities were undersampled or did not provide adequate representation in the geographic area encompassed by the classification These communities have been given minimal description and entered in the text and key to recognize the fact that they exist More information Is needed in order to change their status of community or incidental vegetation

Plant Communtty Types

The plant community type or p.c.t is an aggregation of plant communities with similar structure and floristic composi tion P6 Ecology Glossary Committee 1969

In the Blue-Ochoco Mountains the magnitude of lodgepole pine communities has provided empetus for the description of plant community types based on their regular and repeated occurrence Other vegetation AGSP-POSA3-DAIJN for example was sampled enough to demonstrate pattern but did not meet the standard necessary for plant association status For this classification minimum of four plots was generally used as that sample size where enough information was available to determine plant association status Ideally ten plots or more are used to portray plant association

Successional Terminology

Clrmaxt plants are those that are self perpetuating in their environment in the absence of perturbating degenerating or disturbing influences Stability with the environment is crucial to the succession of plant communities that ameliorate site and permit the establishment and maintenance of the cIimax community

In vegetation sampling ecologists seek those standa which appear to demonstrate stability in order to understand the plant composition and environments which can be characterized in plant association classification i.e classification of potential natural vegetation

However the landscape in the Blue-Ochoco Mountains has undergone and continues to undergo modifications that prevent the formation of long-term stable communities Some natural events fire windstorms browsing animals flooding as well as human-induced activities timber harvest operations livestock grazing tend to forestall or disrupt the natural development of vegetation leading to communities with more stable composition and structure

Succession may be arrested i.e maintained by fire at particular stage accelerated i.e mortality of seral tree species from insects diseases windthrow and retarded i.e continued ungulate grazing pressure which degrades the grass land from perennial to annual vegetation dominance

The identifiable stages of vegetation preceding climax communities are termed seraI stages In the development of this classification plots representing various seral stages were used to define plant community types as well as the plant associations

Generally very early and early seral stages were grouped into plant community types mid and late aeral stages were grouped to define plant associations since they depict the least change over time and therefore have more stable composition and structure overtime

Plant Associations

If stand of vegetation is able to develop and persist in its environment and if the competitive forces are without major disturbing influences then following relatively long period of time those plants capable of reproducing in competition will constitute the climax community The unit of classification baaed on the probable or projected climax community type is defined as the plant asaociation R6 Ecology Glossary Committee 1989 As combination of similar or compensating environmental factors are repeated across the landscape predictable plant community will occupy thoae sites given time and the lack of disturbance This will be climax community comprising the basis for the plant asaociation classification

Plant associations and plant community types are abstract classification terms Plant communities on the other hand are concrete entities on the landscape just as stand of trees graases or shrubland vegetation is recognizable and tangible to the field inveetigetor

Series

This field guide aggregates the taxonomically related plant associations into series The name of the series is that of the climax species dominating the principal layer An example would be the grand fir series in which all AEGR plant associations are arrayed as well as the seral plant community types and community fragments related to grand fir climax vegetation

Zonei Relationships

Individual species occur in predictable pattern or juxtaposition with unit of ares based on the micro environment

Plant associations likewise will tend to occupy predictable positions in landscape based on habitat features favorable to support the climax community The principal tree species which constitute the climax dominants predictably occupy environmental zones within climatic gradient where temperature and moisture vary with change in elevation Figure below depicts the tree species of the Elue and Ochoco Mountains as they would orient from cool moist to warm dry environmental conditions on hypothetical mountain slope Here whitabark pine culminates the summit at the limits of tree growth and western juniper defines the lower limits of tree growth at the edge of the cold desert steppe Where the distributional limits of the tree species include climax conditions the bar graph is cross hatched

Fg Tree Specee of the Bue and Ochoco Mountains

Envkonment OrentaUon fliteb r-bnenm sprees

Western White Pine owe Timberline unset Timfle.r

Ledeepal Pine

Western Lerh

Daselostir

Panderose Pine

Jtoriper series Penderese Pine series 0005lns-lir Series Grand fir series subalpine fir series

Climax Seral

INDICATOR SPECIES

The habitat needs of plant species is manifested by certain kinds of environment Some species require stable conditions others thrive on reoccurring instability Some species have adapted to particular locale due to long-term climatic conditions of the area others have colonized and thrived due to changes in the microclimate of particular site

Synecological inveatigation is rooted in knowledge of the local flora Conetant improvement of this knowledge ia essential to underatanding plant-environment relationships and developing and teating hypotheaee concerning species occurrence and development

Having developed hypotheees of pleat-environment relationships the ecologist seeks to identify groupings of plants indicative of similar environments It is this exercise which leads to the definition of plant community types and plant associations This process includes review of similar ecological work from adjacent geographic areas in order to ascertain the degree of similarity or dissimilarity which has been afforded to particular vegetation type The commonal ity between investigators is the use of plants to indicate kind of plant community that is defined by specific set of environmental parameters The plants selected to define the plant community type or plant association are those deemed to be the most diagnostic of particular environment These are called indicator plants While they do not necessarily indicate the sum of all environmental conditions they are considered the best candidates of the associated flora Within classified type to indicate the occurrence and distribution of that vegetation unit

Selection of indicative plant species is based on repeated observations many of Which are recorded by plot establish ment and data gathering work Environmental factors are used to determine the ability of diagnostic plant to represent type Examples are waterholding capacity slope position microrelief and elevation Additionally the relative productivity and growth performance of certain species have often been used to help indicate the type assignment which the indicator plant has suggested The utility to land management is also given consideration in the selection of certain indicator plants e.g Pacific yew in ABGR/CLUN communities where environments and productivities may not be significantly different Once data are derived and the information is arrayed the common plant groupings are arranged in repetitive fashion until similar community types are created The response of plants to disturbance is factor in the placement of certain plots to given classification unit based on the degree of ground disturbance the composition of plant species and the apparent age or time elapsing from the last significant disturbance

The indicator species selected are those sought by field investigators to help determine proper assignment to given plant association or plant community type separate field guide to the Principal Indicator Species of National Forests in Northeastern Oregon sad Southeastern Washington aids the investigator working on the Malheur Umatilla and Wallows-Whitman National Forests Msjor Indicator Shrubs and Herbs on National Forests of Eastern Oregon will be especially helpful to field investigators working on the Ochoco National Forest

DATA ANALYSES

Data analyses were accomplished with computer programs developed or adapted by Region ecologists Volland and

Connally 1978 and Wheeler 1987 Following an initial data preparation phase series of subjective group orderings were created with consideration given to previous classification efforts in northeastern Oregon and adjacent national forest lands Hall 1973 and Johnson and Simon 1987

Additionally ordination and classification programs DECORANA and TWINSPAN Hill 1979 Were used to develop concepts of classification group membership species ecological amplitudes and temperature and moisture gradients encountered within series Displays of these gradients along with productivity indices were inspected to adjust previously developed units plant associations and plant community types Plot memberships were derived and stand association tables with summary statistics produced

Subsequently groups were subjected to multivariate procedure called stepwise discriminant analysis BMDO7M Program During this phase of analyses site variables and floristic attributes were statistically screened for the most chsracteristic to use in the classification Then group membership hypotheses were tested and memberships adjusted These final revisions were incorporated into association tables end statistical summaries which are represented in the individual plant association descriptions and the appendices

WETLAND VEGETATtON

This classification of the Blue and Ochoco Mountain Plant Associations is an upland-oriented treatment of that vegetation principally representative of later seral stages in the forests grasslands and shrublands The field investigator will be unable to classify meadows and riparian communitiss using the keys of this field guide The 1973 Blue Mountain classification Hall 1973 included five classified meadows and riparian communities These were not addressed in this publication because of sample size and/or lack of data Until the wetlands are classified in AIEA field investigators on the Maiheur Umatilla and Wellowe-Whitman National Forests may refer to the classification of riparian vegetation conducted by Bud Kovalchik on the Ochoco Deschutes Winema and Fremont National Forests Kovalchik 1987 The listing of wetland types and assigned ECOCLASS codes from the 1973 classification is as follows

Dry Meadow MD Moist Meadow MM Wet Meadow MV Quaking Aspen Meadow Ha-Mi Ponderosa Pine-Blue Wildrye CP-M1-11

EARLY SERAL VEGETATtON DISCIJMAX COMMUMTIES AND ECOTONES

The landscape of the Blue Mountain and Ochoco Mountain national forests is in constant state of change and modification from the natural Therefore plant communities will be encountered which will not readily key using this classification Some early seral plant community types have been presented The treatment is far from complete Successional studies are in progress to interpret the perturbated lands and provide early seral stages of the principal plant associations of the Area disturbance key for early seral very early saral and disclimactic vegetation would not contain the variation found in the plant communities of the area

The area of transition between the vegetation of two or more plant associations is termed an ecotone Up to 40% of the time field plot tends to occur in an ecotone The investigator is urged to either move to an adjacent area to determine the plant association or to treat the ecotonal location as complex by determining the plant associations represented and either labelling one as primary the other secondary or giving percentage split i.e 60/40 50/50 70/30 for the site

USE OF THE FIELD GUIDE

Nomenclature The plant associations and plant community types have bean grouped into aeriea based on the projected climax apecies which dominates the principal layer For example in the grand fir series all included plant communities are those in which grand fir is projected aa the climax tree species

Plant associations are named using the climax dominant species followed by slash and the listing of the subordinate species of subordinate life form layer or layers ABGRITABR/CLuN dash is used to separate names of the same life form ABGR/VASC-LIB02 specias name or code in parentheses denotes the climax dominant of aeral plant community type i.e PICO ABGR/VAME

All scientific names follow Hitchcock and Cronquist Flora of the Pacific North west 1973 Species codes follow Garrison et al PNW-46 Northwest Plant

Names and Symbols for Ecosystem Inventory and Analysis 1976

Photos The reference pole in moat pictures is one meter tall and segmented into decime ters to help visualize size of the vegetation

Sample Size The number of plots used to describe the plant associations and plant commu nity types is provided as follows n8

Table of Principal Species This table contains only the primary species of plant association or plant community type Mean coverage is provided for the ocular estimates of canopy cover in percent Averages were calculated by dividing the total foliar cover of species when it occurred by the number of plots containing that species Con stancy refers to the percentage of frequency of occurrence by species in the total number of plots used for describing the plant association or plant commu nity type The range is the spread of coverage values from the lowest value found to the highest

Environment Table Displayed here are distribution location of the vegetation units in the study area site variables and soil attributes The range of values sampled are followed by the mean value in parentheses The location information North Central South provides the probable distribution of the various classified types in the Blue and

Ochoco Mountains as follows

North La Grands RD North of -84 Walla Walls RD Pomeroy RD Central La Grands RD South of 1-84 North Fork John Day RD Hepp nar RD Long Creek PD and Unity RD North of Hwy 26 South Bear Valley AD Burns RD Prairie City RD Ochoco HF and

Unity RD South of Hwy 26

Stand and Overstory Attributes Herbage production above-ground air dry biomass of forbs grasses and sedges total stand basal area tree canopy coverage overstory and underato ry and average stand growth basal area are presented Use stand GBA esti mates with caution as they reflect mixed-species stand conditions The range minimum-maximum is followed by the mean value in parenthesis Overstory characteristics by species are displayed in the lower table No plots number of plots sampled Basal area SQ FT/ACRE Age YRS BH Site index FT AT 100 YRS GBA GROWTH BASAL AREA SQ FT/ACRE Productivity Index SI

GBA .004 Value to the left of the slash is the mean to the right is the 95% confidence interval mean/Cl 95%

Utilization Response listing of key plants within the type and their response to grazing or browsing pressure decreaser

IP palatable increaser

IU unpalatable increaser

INV invader

Vegetative Composition brief description of the principal species comprising the type

Typel Comparison brief comparison between types especially those similar in composition

Successional Relationships description of those species which precede the climax dominants reaction to disturbances and the relationship of tire and grazing as key events in succes sion

Management Considerations brief review of response of the vegetation to key modifications by silvicultural treatment ranga and wildlife use and role of fire

Relationship to Other Studies listing of authors and studies with similar described vegetation

CONSIDERATIONS FOR ESTIMATING COVER

Surface area of percent canopy coverage is displayed in the following table It is intended to guide the field investigator in ocularly estimating abundances of indicator plant species for use in the following vegetation keys

PLOT SIZE

Canopy 375m 1/10 acre

Coverage

1.94m 1.09w 6.6 ft 3.72 ft

6.36 ft 3.58 ft 2.01w 1.13m

4.33m 2.44w 14.76 ft 8.33 ft

1420 ft ft 4.5m 2.54m

10 612m 345w 20.87 ft 11.78 ft

20.07 ft 11.32 ft 6.37w 3.59w

Radius of 375m 10.93w 35.85 ft

Radius of 1/10 acre 11.32m 37.24 ft is the dimension of one aide of square cqual to the coverage is the radius of circular ares equal to the coverage

Keys to Blue-Ochoco Mountain Vegetation

The Keys which follow assist in the determination of which series plant association plant community type or communitybest fits particular site

Covar Percentages

The keys use percentage cover braaks which require the user to determine the canopy coverage of particular species in the field The tie-breaking rule is that the cslV be made to the key indicator species which is the more sensitive to the environment Should the investigator deter mine that the kmited amount of particular indicator species represents microsite rather than the stand being sampled the call should go to the less restrictive classified type instead of to the vegetation represented on the microsite

Three percentages are used as braaks in the keys Trees and shrubs which tend to be individual ly clumped i.e.- bitterbrush are separated using t0% ass break lRhizomatous and stolonifer ous shrubs grasses sedges and larger forbs are generally separated using 5% break The smaller indicative plants i.e queenscup beadlily twinflower false bugbane require more restrictive cover break of 1% due to their greater sensitivity to the environment The smaller indicator plants having narrow ecologic amplitude provide enough representation in 1% of the plot area to reflect their contribution to the community The larger indicator plants with wider ecologic amplitude would be incidentally in the plot eta lower coverage break Therefore 5% and 10% are used with the larger statured vegetation

There are limitations to the use of the Keys and certain rules must be followed

Limitations

The Keys are based on 800 sampled plots located across the extent of the axes of the Blue and Ochoco Mountains excluding the Wallows Mountains This large geographic area contains high variation in plant communities and environments Not all the environmen tal Variation was sampled therefore the classification may not describe the vegetation occurring on some sites

The natural stands have been and continue to be highly modified Sites exhibiting severe disturbances from logging grazing fire agriculture pursuits and construction activities may not be readily determined from these Keys

Depauperate forest understories may not contain indicator plant species in sufficient abundance to properly assign using this Key Depauperate stands are usually mature with sparse ground vegetation The lack of ground vegetation may result from heavy lifter accumulation dense tree stocking or as result of the environment

Rules for Use

Select sites supporting vegetation demonstrating maturity and stability In situations where site disturbance has been severe resulting in vegetation representing early seral stages an adjacent ares determined to represent similar site should be selected for examination and determination of plant association

Determine the proper series Key by following the dichotomous Key to Blue-Ochoco

Mountains Vegetation Then go to the indicated Series Key and follow it step by step until the kind of vegetation is encountered Then turn to the page number provided and review the type description to verity the accuracy of the identification

In stands where the undergrowth vegetation is depauperate due to dense tree overstories or thick duff accumulation inhibiting plant growth adjustment of the coverage percent ages downward may be necessary to properly key to the correct plant association or plant community type The other alternative is to move to en adjacent stand where light and surface conditions have permifted better expression of the understory vegetation

KEY TO BLUE-OCHOCO MOUNTMNS VEGETATtON

Trees present with coverage equal to or exceeding 10% lb Trees absent or present with coverages less than 10% 11

2a Whitebark pine PIAL present and reproducing with total coverage equal to or exceeding 10% See subalpine fir series key pg 12

2b Whitebark pine absent or present with coverage less than 10%

3a Subalpine fir ABLA2 present and reproducing with total coverage equal to or exceeding 10% See subalpine fir series key pg 12

3b Subalpine fir absent or present with coverage less than 10%

4a Grand fir ABGR present and reproducing with total coverage equal to or exceeding 10% See grand fir series key pg 14

4b Grand fir absent or present with coverage less than 10%

Sa Lodgepole pine PICO present with coverage equal to or exceeding

5%

6a Lodgepole pine reproducing in the absence of true fir

ABLA2 ABGR species See lodgepole pine series key pg 16

Sb Lodgepole pine present with reproducing true fir species

7a Subalpine fir present and reproducing

See subalpine fir series key pg 12

7b Grand fir present and reproducing

See grand fir series key pg 14

Sb Lodgepole pine absent or present with coverage less than 5%

85 Douglas-fir PSME present and reproducing with total coverage equal to or exceeding 10% See Douglas-fir series key pg 17

8b Douglas-fir absent or present with coverage less than 10%

9a Ponderosa pine PIPO present and reproducing with total coverage equal to or exceeding 10% See ponderosa pine series key pg 18

Sb Ponderosa pine absent or present with coverage less than 10% tO lOs Western juniper JUOC present and reproducing with total coverage equal to or exceeding 10% See western juniper series key pg 20 lOb Western juniper absent or present with coverage less than 10% 11

11 Shrubs present with coverage equal to or exceeding 5%

See shrubland series key pg 21

11 Shrubs absent or present with coverage less than 5% See grassland series key pg 23

KEY TO SUBALPINE FIR ABLA2 SERIES VEGETATION

Subalpine fir must be present end reproducing successfully totsl coverage must equsi or exceed 1k lodgepole pine co-dominated or dominated stands may be assigned to plsnt associations in this series where subalpine fir is present and reproducing Whitebsrk pine stands are assigned to plant communities in this series

Fools huckleberry MEFE present with coverage equal to or exceeding 10% ABLAMEFE pg 31 lb Fools huckleberry absent or with coverage less than 10%

2a White rhododendron RHAL present with coverage equal to or exceeding 5% ABLA2JRHAL communities pg 42

2b White rhododendron absent or with coverage less than 5%

3a False bugbane TRCA3 present and well distributed throughout the stand with coverage equal to or exceeding 1% ABLA2jTRCA3 pg 25

3b False bugbane absent or with coverage less than 1%

4a Queens cup beadlily CLUN present and well distributed throughout the stand with coverage equal to or exceeding 1%

ABLA2/CLUN pg 27

4b Queens cup beadlily absent or with coverage less than 1%

5a Twinflower LIBO2 present and well distributed throughout the stand with coverage equal to or exceeding 1% ABLA2/LIBO2 pg 29

Sb Twinf lower absent or with coverage less than 1%

65 Big huckleberry NAME present with coverage equal to or exceeding 5%

7a Lodgepole pine PICO dominant or co-dominant with subalpine fir

Se Pinegrasa CARU coverage equal to or exceeding 1%

PICOABLA2IVAME/CARU pct pg 42

Sb Pinegrasa absent or coverage less than 1%

PICOASLA2NAME pcI pg 42

7b Lodgepole pine absent or subordinate subalpine fir dominant ABLA2JVAME pg 33

Sb Big huckleberry absent or with coverage less than 5%

9a Heartiest srnica ARCO present with coverage equal to or exceeding 10%

ABLA2JARCO pct pg 39

9b Heartiest arnica absent or with coverage less than 10% ba Alpine fleeceflower POPH present with coverage equal to or exceeding 5% ABLA2-PIALJPOPH communities pg 42 lob Alpine fleecef lower absent or with coverage lass than 5% 11 ha Drummonds rush JUDR present with coverage equal to or exceeding 5% ABLA2-PIAL/JUDR communities pg 43 lb Drummonda rush absent or with coverage less than 5% 12

12a Grouse huckleberry VASC present with coverage equal to or exceeding 5% 13

13a Lodgepole pine dominant or co-dominant with subalpine fir

PICOABL42NASC pct pg 41

13b Lodgepole pine absent or subordinate subalpine fir dominant ABLA2JVASC pg 35

12b Grouse huckleberry absent or with coverage less than 5% 14

14a Elk sedge CAGE present with coverage equal to or exceeding 5% 15 iSa Lodgepole pine PICO dominant or co-dominant with subalpine fir

PICOABI.A2/CAGE communities pg 43 lsb Lodgepole pine absent or subordinate subalpine fir dominant ABLA2JCAGE pg 37

14b Elk sedge absent or with coverage less than 5% 16

6a Skunk-leaved polemonium POPU present with coverage equal to or exceeding 5%

ABLA2-PlAl.JPOPU communities pg 43

16b Skunk-leaved polemonium POPU absent or with coverage less than 5% western needlegrass

STOC present with coverage equal to or exceeding 5% 17

17a Lodgopole pine dominant or co-dominant with subalpine fir PICOABLA2/STOC communities pg 43

17b Lodgepole pine absent or subordinate subalpine fir dominant

ABLA2JSTOC pct pg 40

KEY TO GRAND HR ABGR SERtES VEGETATtON

Grand fir must be present and successfully reproducing total coverage must equal or exceed 10% lodgepole pineco-dominated or dominated stands may be assigned to plant associations in the series where grand fir is present and reproducing

Oakfern QYDR present with coverage equal to or exceeding 5%

ABGR/GyDR pg 45 lb Oaern absent or with coverage less than 5%

2a Ginger ASCA3 or sword fern POMU present and well distributed throughout the stand with coverage equal to or exceeding 1%

AEGR/POMU-ASCA3

pg 47

2b Gmger or sword fern absent or with coverage less than 1%

3a Falee bugbane TRCA3 present and well distributed throughout the stand with coverage equal to or exceeding 1% ABGRIrRCA3 pg 49

3b False bugbane absent or with coverage less than 1%

4a Sitka alder ALSI present and dominant as tall shrub beneath lodgepole pine overstory

PICOABQR/ALSI communities pg 78

4b Sitka alder absent or subordinate in the shrub layer

Se Pacific yew TABR present and well distributed throughout the stand with coverage equal to or exceeding 1%

6a Queens cup beadlily CLUN present with coverage equal to or exceeding 5%

ABGRJTABEVCLUN

pg 51

6b Queens cup beadlily absent or with coverage less than 5%

ABGR1TABRILIBO2

pg Sa

Sb Pacific yew absent or with coverage less than 1%

7a Rocky Mtn maple ACGL present with coverage equal to or exceeding 5%

ABGR/ACGL

pg 55

7b Rocky Mtn maple absent or with coverage lose than 5%

8a Queens cup beadlily CLUN present and well distributed throughout the stand with coverage equal to or exceeding 1%

ABGCLUN

pg 57

8b Queens cup beadlily absent or with coverage lees than 1%

Ba Twinflower LIBO2 preaent and well distributed throughout the stand with coverage equal to or exceeding 1% 10

10a Big huckleberry NAME present with coverage equal to or exceeding 5% 11

11 Lodgepole pine P100 co-dominant or dominant with grand fir PI0OABGR/VAME-LIBO2 pct pg 75 lb Lodgepole pine absent or subordinate grand fir dominant

ABGR/…