NATIONALPARK

SERVICE

THE FORESTCOMMUNITIES

OF MOUNT RAINIERNATIONAL PARK

Jerry F. FranklinWilliam H. Moir

Miles A. HemstromSarah E. GreeneBradley G. Smith

Scientific Monograph Series No. 19

U.S. Department of the InteriorNational Park Service

Washington, D.C.1988

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Frontispiece. Mosaic of forest stands of varying age and composition on Sunrise Ridge.Mount Rainier National Park.

AUTHORS

JERRY F. FRANKLIN is Chief Plant Ecologist. U.S. Department o'Agriculture, Forest Service, and Bloedel Professor of Ecosystem Analysis, College of Forest Resources AR-10, University of Washington.Seattle, Washington 98195. WILLIAM H. MOIR is Ecologist, U.SDepartment of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southwestern Region. Federal Building, 517 Gold Avenue, S.W., Albuquerque, New Mexico87102. MILES A. HEMSTROM is Area Ecologist, Willamette NationaForest, 211 East 7th Street, Eugene, Oregon 97440. SARAH EGREENE is Research Forester, U.S. Department of Agriculture, ForesService, Forestry Sciences Laboratory, Corvallis, Oregon 97331BRADLEY G. SMITH is Research Assistant, Department of ForesScience, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331.

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Contents

Acknowledgements xvSummary xviChapter 1. Introduction 1Chapter 2. Physical Setting 3

Climate 4Geology 4Topography 8Soils 10

Chapter 3. Biological Features 16Vegetation 16Disturbances to Vegetation 20

Chapter 4. Methods 25Field Sampling 25Data Analysis 26Terminology and Nomenclature 29

Chapter 5. Forest Classification 32Moist Forest Ecosystems 35

Tsuga heterophvlla/Achlvs triph ylla Association 50Tsuga Izeteroph yllalPolvstichum munition Association 52Tsuga heteroph yllalOplopana.v horridum Association 54Alnus rubralRubus spectabilis Community Type 56Ahies amabilislOplopanax horridum Association 58Abies amabilisITiarella umfoliata Association 61

Modal Forest Ecosystems 64Abies amabilislVaccinium alaskaense Association 64

Vacciniutn alaskaense Phase 64Berberis nervosa Phase 67Rubus pedatus Phase 67Charnaecvparis nootkatensis Phase 73General Relationships of Type 74

Dry Forest Ecosystems 75Tsuga heterophyllaiGaultheria slzallon Association 75

As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the Department of theInterior has responsibility for most of our nationally owned publiclands and natural resources. This includes fostering the wisest use ofour land and water resources, protecting our fish and wildlife, preserv-ing the environment and cultural value of our national parks and his-torical places, and providing for the enjoyment of life through outdoorrecreation. The Department assesses our energy and mineral resourcesand works to assure that their development is in the best interests of allour people. The Department also has a major responsibility for Ameri-can Indian reservation communities and for people who live in islandterritories under U.S. administration.

Library of Congress Cataloging - in - Publication Data

The Forest Communities of Mount Rainier National Park.

(Scientific monograph series; no. 19)Supt. of Does. no.: 1 29.80:19Bibliography: p.Includes index.I. Forest ecology—Washington (State)—Mount Rainier

National Park. 2. Mount Rainier National Park (Wash.)I. Franklin, Jerry F. II. Series: National Park Servicescientific monograph series ; no. 19.QK192.F66 1988 574.5'2642'0979778 88-600188ISBN 0-943475-01-5 (pbk.)

Published by the U.S. Department of the Interior. National ParkService, with support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture,

Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland, Oregon

Printed in the United States of AmericaU.S. Government Printing Office

U.S. Government Printing Office: 1988 - 534-790

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Pseudotsuga menziesiiICeanothus velutinus CommunityType 88

Pseudotsuga rnenziesii/Xerophyllum tenax Community Type 89Pseudotsuga menziesiilViola sempervirens Community Type 90Abies amabilislGaultheria shallon Association 92Abies amabilis/Berberis nervosa Association 93Abies amabilisIXerophyllum tenax Association 96

Cold Forest Ecosystems 100Abies amabilis/Rubus lasiococcus Association 100

Ervthronium montanum Phase 101Rubus lasiococcus Phase 112

Abies lasiocarpa/Valeriana sitchensis Community Type . 114Abies amabilislMenziesia ferruginea Association 116Chamaecyparis nootkatensislVaccinium ovalifolium

Association 118Abies amabilislRhododendron albiflorum Association 120

Other Forest Communities 122Pseudotsuga menziesiilArctostaphylos uva-ursi Association 123

Chapter 6. Environmental and Floristic Relationships 127Topographic-Elevational Patterns 127Classification Insights from Similarity, Discriminant, and

Principal Component Analysis 132Similarity Analysis 132Discriminant Analysis 136Principal Component Analysis 137

Chapter 7. Forest Dynamics 149Large-Scale Disturbances 149Successional Sequences 153Tree Mortality and Small-Scale Disturbances 156

Chapter 8. Management Interpretations of the Habitat Types . 159Physical Conditions 159Biological Conditions 162Potential for Disturbances 165Development Potential 165

Literature Cited 167Appendix A. Key to Typical Forest Types of Mount Rainier

National Park 173Appendix B. Synopses of the Forest Types of Mount Rainier

National Park 177Index 185

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Plates(INSIDE BACK COVER)

Plate 1. Map showing distribution of habitat types in Mount Rainier Na-tional Park.

Plate 2. Map showing distribution of forest age classes in Mount RainierNational Park.

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Summary

The forests of Mount Rainier National Park are a major natural re-source. They extend up the mountain slopes to an elevation of about1800 m (5,800 ft) and occupy 60% of the Park landscape. This phy-tosociological study, conducted during 1975-80, has provided a de-tailed description and classification of these forests for the use of parkmanagers and visitors. The forests lie within three zones based uponthe major climax tree species: Tsuga heterophvlla, Abies amabilis, andTsuga mertensiana. A total of 14 plant associations and 5 communitytypes were recognized across the range of environmental conditionsrepresented within the Park. The moist forest types have rich understo-ries that include numerous herbaceous species and shrubs such asOplopanax horridum. The Abies amabilislVaccinium alaskaenseAssociation is typical of modal environments and the most extensiveformation within the Park. Dry associations are typified by Gaultheriashallon- and Berberis nervosa-dominated understories. High-elevationforest types belong to the cold grouping and are typified by herbaceousunderstories on better drained sites and by dense understories ofericaceous shrubs on wet sites. Forest types show strong relations withelevation and landform, although details vary in the four Park quad-rants. Moisture, temperature, and duration of snowpack appear to bethe primary environmental variables. Wildfire has been the major forestdisturbance; approximately 90% of the forests have arisen after fire, 7%after avalanche, and 2% after lahars. The natural fire rotation was cal-culated as being 465 years before white settlement of the region. Cli-matic episodes appear to have been important in creating conditions forwildfire. Uses of the forest type classification by managers include in-terpretations of the potential value of sites for development, productiv-ity and resilience, value for wildlife, and visitor interest. Large color-keyed maps (Plates 1 and 2) are included on the inside back cover toshow the distribution of the plant associations and major forest ageclasses within the Park.

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