Abies lasiocarpaIOplopanax horridum h.t. 

 (SuBALPiNE Fir/Devil's Club h.t.) 



Abilas/Oplhor (ABLA/OPHO) — 



Number of stands sampled = 4 



Comment — The discussion below repre- 

 sents AN expanded description OF THIS HABI- 

 TAT TYPE AS DEFINED BY PfISTER AND OTHERS 



(1977). 



Location and Associated Landforms. 



The Abies lasiocarpaIOplopanax horridum 

 (subalpine fir/devil's club) habitat type is an 

 incidental type at mid-elevations. Sampled sites 

 ranged in elevation from 1,200 to 1,500 m 

 (3,900 to 5,000 feet). This habitat type occurs 

 on wet bottoms and sites near streams, springs, 

 or seepage areas where the water table remains 

 near the soil surface all year. Although nor- 

 mally restricted to wet bottoms and sites near 

 streams and springs, the occurrence of seeps in 

 some drainages, such as the Swan and Stillwa- 

 ter effectively expands the acreage of this type 

 considerably. It often forms narrow stringers 

 along streams. 



Floristic Characteristics 

 Seral to Climax Stands 



Climax stands are codominated by Abies 

 lasiocarpa (subalpine fir) and Picea (spruce). 

 Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas fir), Larix oc- 

 cidentalis (western larch), dtndPinus monticola 

 (white pine) are scattered throughout the stands; 

 Thula plicata (western red cedar) and Tsuga 

 heterophylla (western hemlock) may occur as 

 sporadic accidentals. This habitat type often 



supports very large old growth trees. The under- 

 growth is dominated by Oplopanax horridum 

 (devil's club), Taxus brevifolia (Pacific yew), 

 Clintonia uniflora (queen's cup), Tiarella trifo- 

 liata (trefoil foamflower), Athyrium filix-fem- 

 ina (ladyfem), and Gymnocarpiwn dryopteris 

 (oak-fern). 



The following table gives the average per- 

 cent canopy cover and range of indicator spe- 

 cies for those species with a 50% or more 

 constancy (e.g.. occurs In at least 50% of the 

 stands sampled) in late seral to climax stands: 



Soils 



Parent materials were noncalcareous. The 

 soils were non-gravelly loams and the surface 

 soils were acid. Exposed rock and soil were not 

 noted. Duff depths were 7-10 cm (3-4 in). The 

 water table typically remains near the soil sur- 

 face all year. Soil textures range from fine, 

 poorly drained materials to coarse, well drained 

 soils (Pfister and Sherwood 1989). 



OF Late Adjacent Communities 



Adjacent wetter sites support Carex (sedge) 

 communities, and drier sites may include the 

 Abies lasiocarpalCalamagrostis canadensis 

 (subalpine fir/bluejoint reedgrass) habitat type. 

 The Thuja plicata/Oplopanax horridum (west- 

 em red cedar/devil's club) habitat type occu- 

 pies similar sites, except it Is typically found at 

 warmer, lower elevations. 



Flathead Basin Cooperative Program Final Report 



Page 191 



