Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Alnus rhombifolia
Introductory
SPECIES: Alnus rhombifolia
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Uchytil, Ronald J. 1989. Alnus rhombifolia. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer).
Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ [].
ABBREVIATION :
ALNRHO
SYNONYMS :
NO-ENTRY
SCS PLANT CODE :
ALRH2
COMMON NAMES :
white alder
Sierra alder
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name for white alder is Alnus
rhombifolia Nutt. [13,20,22,24,27]. There are no recognized subspecies,
varieties, or forms.
LIFE FORM :
Tree
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Alnus rhombifolia
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
White alder is distributed from the Pacific coast of Baja California,
north in the coastal valleys to just north of San Francisco Bay, in the
interior foothills of the Coast Ranges and low to mid elevation slopes
of the Sierra Nevada. It is found farther north along the lower eastern
slopes of the Cascades in Oregon and Washington and in the dry interior
valleys of Oregon, extending into southern British Columbia. It extends
eastward along the main tributaries of the Columbia River to the lower
valleys of southeastern and south-central Washington, and northeastern
Oregon, reaching its eastern limits in Idaho along the Clearwater and
Snake Rivers [22].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES20 Douglas-fir
FRES21 Ponderosa pine
FRES27 Redwood
FRES28 Western hardwoods
FRES29 Sagebrush
FRES34 Chaparral - mountain shrub
FRES35 Pinyon - juniper
FRES41 Wet grasslands
FRES42 Annual grasslands
STATES :
CA ID NV OR WA BC
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
1 Northern Pacific Border
2 Cascade Mountains
3 Southern Pacific Border
4 Sierra Mountains
5 Columbia Plateau
6 Upper Basin and Range
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K005 Mixed conifer forest
K006 Redwood forest
K011 Western ponderosa forest
K024 Juniper steppe woodland
K025 Alder - ash forest
K026 Oregon oakwoods
K029 California mixed evergreen forest
K030 California oakwoods
K033 Chaparral
K048 California steppe
K055 Sagebrush steppe
SAF COVER TYPES :
211 White fir
221 Red alder
222 Black cottonwood - willow
229 Pacific Douglas-fir
232 Redwood
234 Douglas-fir - tanoak - Pacific madrone
239 Pinyon - juniper woodlands
243 Sierra Nevada mixed conifer
244 Pacific ponderosa pine - Douglas-fir
245 Pacific ponderosa pine
247 Jeffrey pine
248 Knobcone pine
249 Canyon live oak
255 California coast live oak
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
White alder is restricted to riparian woodland communities. In these
communities it is often found with Fremont cottonwood (Populus
fremontii), California sycamore (Platanus racemosa), willows (Salix
spp.), ash (Fraxinus spp.), California live oak (Quercus agrifolia),
valley oak (Q. lobata), and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
[2,30,31,39].
Plublished classification schemes listing white alder as a dominant part
of the vegetation in community types (cts), habitat types (hts), or
plant associations (pas) are presented below:
Area Classification Authority
CA hardwood forest&woodland cts Barbour 1987
s CA general veg. pas Paysen & others 1980
CA:San Gabriel Mts general veg. cts Hanes 1976
CA:Santa Ana&San general veg. cts Vogl 1976
Jacinto Mts
CA:San Bernardino general veg. cts Minnich 1976
Mts
sw USA wetland cts Brown 1979
e Wa,nID steppe hts Daubenmire 1970
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Alnus rhombifolia
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
The extent of white alder stands is limited. Compared to other
California hardwoods, white alder is a minor contributor of wood
products. However, white alder trees have straight boles and can
therefore be harvested as efficiently and safely as conifer trees. They
are cut mostly for saw logs because they have a high saw log volume in
relation to total tree volume [5]. This alder is commonly used for
firewood.
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
The leaves and young twigs of white alder are lightly browsed by
domestic livestock [32]. Game animals eat white alder twigs, leaves,
and buds to a small degree. Maximum consumption is probably in the
fall, winter, and early spring [32,37]. Alder (Alnus spp.) bark is used
by beavers for food and also for building dams and lodges. Alder seeds
are eaten by redpolls, siskins, and goldfinches [37].
As a member of riparian woodland communities, white alder contributes to
structural diversity which is an important habitat requirement of many
avian species. Riparian woodlands support a higher diversity and
density of breeding birds in California than any other habitat [14,17].
PALATABILITY :
The degree of use shown by livestock and wildlife for white alder in
California is as follows [32]:
Cattle poor to useless
Sheep fair to poor
Horses useless
Deer fair to useless
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
COVER VALUE :
When growing with other riparian trees, white alder contributes to
structural diversity, providing cover and structure for numerous
perching birds [17].
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Within recent years, white alder's use in revegetating disturbed
riparian areas has increased. It has been planted with other native
plants to approximate the original stream vegetation in restoration
projects [42] and to stabilize flood control channels [16] and levees
[41]. White alder requires a constant water suppply. Irrigation may
therefore be needed to aid in the establishment of transplants. Since
vandalism has become a serious problem in urban California, sprinkler
heads and irrigation equipment should not be placed in easily accessible
areas [16].
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
White alder can be used as a shade tree in residential landscaping if
watered sufficiently [32]. Native Americans used this alder to make a
red dye for their baskets and a tea to induce perspiration during their
sweat lodge ceremonies [9].
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Due to urbanization, riparian woodlands in California are being cleared
at an alarming rate. This has caused the loss of thousands of acres of
white alder stands. The cutting of these riparian woodlands has caused
the loss of wildlife habitat, stream channelization, and floodplain
filling [40]. From a wildlife standpoint, it is important to protect
remaining riparian forests, as more species of birds breed in riparian
forests in California than any other habitat [33].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Alnus rhombifolia
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
White alder is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree. It ranges from
16 to 115 feet (5-35 m) in height, but mature trees are typically 50 to
80 feet (15-24 m) tall [1,22,34]. In California, trees commonly reach
11 inches (28 cm) in d.b.h. and can reach up to 21 inches (53 cm) in
d.b.h. [5]. The largest tree on record is 112 feet (35 m) tall with a
38.6 inch (98 cm) diameter. Mature trees typically have several trunks
arising from a single clump. The bark is light gray, whitish, smooth or
slightly rough on young trees but becomes plated and reddish brown at
maturity [13]. The leaves are 2 to 4 inches (5-10 cm) long,
oblong-ovate, with coarsely double-toothed margins, dark green above and
light green beneath [32]. Male and female flowers occur on the same
tree in catkins. The drooping staminate catkins are 1.25 to 4 inches
(3-10 cm) long, with two to several clustered near the end of a twig.
Pistillate catkins are erect, 0.4 to 0.6 inch (10-15 mm) long, turning
woody and conelike at maturity [13,20].
White alder is closely related to red alder (Alnus rubra). Although the
two species are difficult to differentiate when growing together, their
distribution and habitats do not overlap to any great extent. In the
summer, leaf characteristics can be used to separate these alders.
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Phanerophyte
Hemicryptophyte
Geophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
White alder regenerates well from both seeds and sprouts. Seeds seem to
be important in the colonization of new areas, such as sand bars, but
established plants show a high degree of vegetative reproduction, mostly
from root or trunk sprouting [32,35]. In a California riparian study,
60 to 70 percent of mature or pole-sized white alder trees had either
root or trunk sprouts [35]. Another California riparian study found
that stands growing on river sediments reproduced mostly from layering
[25]. Layering did not occur after terrace buildup along the river
caused the ground surface to become higher and therefore drier.
White alder trees are monecious and primarily wind pollinated. After
fertilization, female catkins develop into woody cones, which contain
numerous, winged, nutlike seeds [34]. There are approximately 650,000
air dried seeds per pound (1,430,000/kg), of which about 65 to 71
percent are viable [34]. The wind and water transported seeds germinate
rapidly on sunny, wet mineral sites exposed from receding flood waters.
Seedling establishment appears restricted to sites with a continuously
moist substrate. Seedlings probably do not survive on sites that dry
out during the summer [6].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
White alder occurs primarily in forest riparian areas but also extends
along major streams into nonforested bunchgrass, sagebrush-grass, and
chaparral types [22]. It is restricted to streams that run all year,
and in dry years is a better indicator of water than either cottonwoods
or willows [1,21]. Trees are mostly restricted to the flooding zone and
become infrequent farther away from streams [6,8,25,35]. Throughout
most of California, white alder is often a dominant or codominant in
riparian deciduous forests [21,31]. White alder tends to replace red
alder in the southerly valleys between the Cascades and the Coastal
Range in Washington and Oregon [12].
Associates: Common associates are Fremont cottonwood, Oregon ash
(Fraxinus latifolia), velvet ash (F. velutina), arroyo willow (Salix
lasiolepis), red willow (S. laevigata), Pacific willow (S. lasiandra),
Hinds willow (S. hindsiana), boxelder (Acer negundo), valley oak
(Quercus lobata), and Oregon white oak (Q. garryana) [2,8,31].
In California, white alder occurs at elevations ranging from sea level
to over 8,000 feet (2,438 m) [18].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
White alder is a riparian pioneer species. It produces large quantities
of wind- and water-transported seed, which often colonize fine-textured
soils of sandbars or other fresh alluvium exposed by receding flood
waters [6,25]. Seedling establishment appears restricted to these areas
which have continuously moist substrates. With time, some stands form a
dominant canopy and may be self-perpetuating.
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
White alder is a deciduous tree. In Oregon, white alder flowers in
March and the fruits ripen in late September to early October [34]. In
the southern portion of its range in southern California, it retains its
leaves most of the year, but farther north leaves are shed before the
onset of winter [34].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Alnus rhombifolia
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
White alder plants are not fire resistant. However, since they are
restricted to streamside habitats which burn infrequently, plants may
escape fire. Along the San Gabriel River in California, Brothers [6]
observed no evidence of fire on large white alder trees which were older
than the last major fire in the area.
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Tree with adventitious-bud root crown/soboliferous species root sucker
Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Alnus rhombifolia
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
A study of riparian vegetation following a July high intensity fire in
southern California found that about 97 percent of white alder trees
were killed, while associated oaks, sycamores, and cottonwoods were
top-killed only and resprouted vigorously (Barro 1989, pers. comm.)
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
A California riparian study found that 60 to 70 percent of mature, white
alder trees had either root or trunk sprouts [35]. With this high degree
of vegetative regeneration one would expect this plant to sprout
following the removal of aboveground vegetation by fire. However, Barro
(1989 pers. comm.) found that about 97 percent of white alder died from a
high intensity July wildfire. These plants did not resprout.
White alder has light wind-dispersed seed that normally establishes on
moist alluvium left bare from receding flood waters. Fires that remove
organic soil layers and expose mineral soils, may possibly provide
favorable seedbeds for the establishment of white alder seed, providing
the soil remains moist.
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
NO-ENTRY
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Alnus rhombifolia
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