Vegetation Communities Vegetation Communities of of

Mount Rainier National ParkMount Rainier National Park

Lou Whiteaker, Plant Ecologist

Overview of TopicsOverview of Topics

Distribution of Distribution of Vegetation TypesVegetation Types

Factors Influencing Factors Influencing VegetationVegetation

Overview of Long-Overview of Long-term Monitoring term Monitoring ProjectsProjects

Management IssuesManagement Issues

Vascular Plant DiversityVascular Plant Diversity

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Total Native Exotic

MORANOCAOLYM

Source: NP Species 2008

Factors Influencing Factors Influencing VegetationVegetation

Climate – temperature, Climate – temperature, precipitationprecipitation

Topography – aspect, slope, Topography – aspect, slope, elevationelevation

Soils- type, ageSoils- type, age Natural disturbance Natural disturbance

regimesregimes Human useHuman use

ForestsForests

Park boundary Park boundary (1880’) to ~ 5400 to (1880’) to ~ 5400 to 6400’ elevation6400’ elevation

Forest stand ages – Forest stand ages – 100 to > 1,000 years100 to > 1,000 years

Most stand> 350 Most stand> 350 years oldyears old

350 yr. and 100 yr 350 yr. and 100 yr are the most are the most numerousnumerous

Hemstrom, M.A. and J.F. Franklin. 1982. Fire and Other Disturbances of the Forests in Mount Rainier National Park. Quarternary Research 18:32-51

Forest TypesForest TypesLow-elevation – Western Low-elevation – Western hemlock/Douglashemlock/Douglas Fir Fir

Tsuga heterophyllaTsuga heterophylla//Pseudotsuga menziesiiPseudotsuga menziesii

• Western red cedar (Thuja plicata) is a common component

• Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) is found in Carbon River drainage

• understory species skunk cabbage, Devil’s club, salal, Oregon grape

• nonvascular spp are an important component

Forest TypesForest Types

Pacific Silver Fir(Abies amablis)

Noble fir (Abies Noble fir (Abies procera)procera)

Alaska yellow cedar Alaska yellow cedar ((Chamaecyparis Chamaecyparis nootkatensis)nootkatensis)

Western white pine Western white pine ((Pinus monticolaPinus monticola))

Mid-elevation Forests

Forest TypesForest Types

Subalpine fir (Subalpine fir (Abies Abies lasiocarpalasiocarpa))

Mountain hemlock Mountain hemlock ((Tsuga mertensianaTsuga mertensiana))

Whitebark pine (Whitebark pine (Pinus Pinus albicaulisalbicaulis))

Engelmann spruce Engelmann spruce ((Picea engelmanniiPicea engelmannii))

Lodgepole pine (Lodgepole pine (Pinus Pinus contorta)contorta)

High-elevation Forests

Stages of Forest Stages of Forest DevelopmentDevelopment

Stand Initiation

Stem Exclusion

Understory ReinitiationOld-growth

Forest DisturbancesForest Disturbances

Fire** 90%Fire** 90% Snow Snow

avalanches avalanches 7%7%

Lahars 2%Lahars 2% InsectsInsects windwind

• Natural fire rotation – 434 yr.

• All but 2 major fires since 1300 A.D. correspond with major droughts

• 1230 – 47% of the park forests burned

Forests Insects & DiseasesForests Insects & Diseases

Introduced pests: balsam woolly adelgid, white pine Introduced pests: balsam woolly adelgid, white pine blister rustblister rust

Native pests: Mountain pine beetle, Western balsam Native pests: Mountain pine beetle, Western balsam bark beetle, Douglas-fir beetle, fir engraverbark beetle, Douglas-fir beetle, fir engraver

Frequency and severity may change with climate Frequency and severity may change with climate changechange

Subalpine ParklandSubalpine Parkland

Extends from forest line to treelineExtends from forest line to treeline Mosaic of tree clumps & subalpine meadowsMosaic of tree clumps & subalpine meadows

Subalpine ParklandsSubalpine Parklands

Snowpack determines location & plant communitiesSnowpack determines location & plant communities Fire is important at forest lineFire is important at forest line

Alpine ZoneAlpine Zone

Lower limit is treeline – Lower limit is treeline – upright treesupright trees

Upper limit – permanent Upper limit – permanent snow and icesnow and ice

Krummholz on Ptarmigan Krummholz on Ptarmigan RidgeRidge

High-elevation VegetationHigh-elevation Vegetation

Factors Influencing Vegetation Type & DistributionFactors Influencing Vegetation Type & Distribution Annual temperatureAnnual temperature

mean annual growing season 5-7mean annual growing season 5-7oo C C Snow pack – duration & depth = veg type & Snow pack – duration & depth = veg type &

heightheight Length of growing seasonLength of growing season

Growth FormGrowth Form Type of growth – perennialType of growth – perennial Growth formsGrowth forms Rapid development in short growing seasonRapid development in short growing season

Subalpine VegetationSubalpine Vegetation

Topography – influences snowmelt Topography – influences snowmelt patterns (black body effect)patterns (black body effect)

Vegetative growth – tree layering, height Vegetative growth – tree layering, height above snowpackabove snowpack

Phenology, pollinationPhenology, pollination Early season – very sensitive to tramplingEarly season – very sensitive to trampling

Alpine VegetationAlpine Vegetation

Topography & micropotographyTopography & micropotography Soil development & movement (solifluction, Soil development & movement (solifluction,

sorted stripes, patterned ground, soil sorted stripes, patterned ground, soil accretion)accretion)

Seed availabilitySeed availability Snow coverSnow cover Needle iceNeedle ice

Abies lasiocarpa seed

Subalpine CommunitiesSubalpine Communities

Lush HerbaceousLush Herbaceous Green Fescue – Green Fescue –

lupinelupine Heath-shrubHeath-shrub Low herbaceousLow herbaceous Wet sedgeWet sedge

Alpine CommunitiesAlpine Communities

HeatherHeather FellfieldFellfield TalusTalus SnowbedSnowbed

fellfield

Alpine CommunitiesAlpine Communities

snowbed

talus

Heather CommunitiesHeather Communities DevelopmentDevelopment Heather - Heather -

up to 7,000 up to 7,000 years oldyears old

Stem agesStem ages High genotypic High genotypic

diversitydiversity

IssuesIssues

Meadow Restoration:Before

Meadow Restoration: After

Cutting and Seed CollectionVolunteer Groups

Steps in Restoration: Seed Collection

Greenhouse PropagationGreenhouse Propagation

Invasive Plant Control Program Components

Research/Surveys/Demographic Studies

Priority Setting

Prevention

Control/Treatment

Effectiveness Monitoring/Evaluation

Collaboration

Orange hawkweed

(Hieracium aurantiacum)

Scotch Broom

(Cytisus scoparius)

St. John’s Wort

(Hypericum perforatum)

Spotted Knapweed

(Centaurea maculosa)

Pinus albicaulis, whitebark pine

• five-needle white pine

• member of Pinus subsection Cembrae or Stone pines

• long-lived tree – up to 700 years, cones produced after 100 years

• large, wingless seeds, indehiscent cones

Distribution & Habitat

• high-elevation species

• Rocky Mountains west to Cascades and northern Sierra Nevada

• dry, often wind-swept sites

• early successional species

Seed Dispersal of Whitebark Pine

• Clark’s Nutcracker removes seeds with beak from cone

• carries up to 150 seeds in sublingual pouch

• caches seeds up to 10-12 km and 500m in elevation from tree

• can retrieve seeds 9 months later

Status of Whitebark Pine

• widespread mortality

• Eurasian fungus, Blister Rust (Cronartium ribicola)

• fire exclusion

•Mountain Pine beetles

Blister Rust, Cronartium ribicola

• introduced to west ~ 1910

Ribes sp. alternate host

• low levels of resistance in Pinus albicaulis populations

• widespread control programs 1920s to 1960s

Blister Rust, Cronartium ribicola

aeciospore

urediniospores

Wind blown, up to 500 km

Ribes sp.

teliosporesbasidiospores

Fall

Signs of Blister Rust,

Dead top of whitebark pine Chlorotic needles, flagging

Climate ChangeClimate Change

19291929

19921992

19291929

19921992

19501950

19921992

Paradise Valley

Questions??