Carex geyeri

USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information Service

This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS [19]:

3 Southern Pacific Border

4 Sierra Mountains

5 Columbia Plateau

6 Upper Basin and Range

8 Northern Rocky Mountains

9 Middle Rocky Mountains

10 Wyoming Basin

11 Southern Rocky Mountains

12 Colorado Plateau

References:

19. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p. [434]

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USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information Service

Occurrence in North America

AZCACOIDMTNVNMORPAUTWAWYABBC

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USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information Service

Distribution

Elk sedge occurs from British Columbia east to Alberta and south to Colorado and northern California, including Nevada, Utah, Wyoming [45,64,69,74,79], and the northern portions of New Mexico and Arizona [38,89,131]. Elk sedge also occurs in Pennsylvania [45,54,79], but is rare [79,107].

References:

69. Hitchcock, C. Leo; Cronquist, Arthur. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. 730 p. [1168]
38. DeVelice, Robert L.; Ludwig, John A.; Moir, William H.; Ronco, Frank, Jr. 1986. A classification of forest habitat types of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-131. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 59 p. [781]
54. Gleason, Henry A.; Cronquist, Arthur. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. 2nd ed. New York: New York Botanical Garden. 910 p. [20329]
64. Harrington, H. D. 1964. Manual of the plants of Colorado. 2nd ed. Chicago, IL: The Swallow Press, Inc. 666 p. [6851]
89. Lackschewitz, Klaus. 1991. Vascular plants of west-central Montana--identification guidebook. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-227. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 648 p. [13798]
131. Stubbendieck, J.; Hatch, Stephan L.; Hirsch, Kathie J. 1986. North American range plants. 3rd ed. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. 465 p. [2270]
45. Fernald, Merritt Lyndon. 1950. Gray's manual of botany. [Corrections supplied by R. C. Rollins]. Portland, OR: Dioscorides Press. 1632 p. (Dudley, Theodore R., gen. ed.; Biosystematics, Floristic & Phylogeny Series; vol. 2). [14935]
74. Hurd, Emerenciana G.; Shaw, Nancy L.; Mastrogiuseppe, Joy; [and others]. 1998. Field guide to Intermountain sedges. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-10. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 282 p. [29125]
79. Kartesz, John T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 1st ed. In: Kartesz, John T.; Meacham, Christopher A. Synthesis of the North American flora (Windows Version 1.0), [CD-ROM]. Chapel Hill, NC: North Carolina Botanical Garden (Producer). In cooperation with: The Nature Conservancy; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service; U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. [36715]
107. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry. 2001. Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory: plants, [Online]. Available: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/pndi/fullplants.asp [2003, January24]. [38219]

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Localities documented in Tropicos sources

Carex geyeri Boott:
Canada (North America)
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

References:

Fernald, M. 1950. Manual (ed. 8) i–lxiv, 1–1632. American Book Co., New York.
Munz, P. A. & D. D. Keck. 1959. Cal. Fl. 1–1681. University of California Press, Berkeley.
Gleason, H. A. & A. J. Cronquist. 1968. The Pteridophytoa, Gymnospermae and Monocotyledoneae. 1: 1–482. In H. A. Gleason Ill. Fl. N. U.S. (ed. 3). New York Botanical Garden, New York.
Cronquist, A. J., A. H. Holmgren, N. H. Holmgren & Reveal. 1977. Vascular Plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A. 6: 1–584. In A. J. Cronquist, A. H. Holmgren, N. H. Holmgren, J. L. Reveal & P. K. Holmgren (eds.) Intermount. Fl. Hafner Pub. Co., New York.

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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA

Distribution

Alta., B.C.; Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nev., Oreg., Pa., Utah, Wash., Wyo.

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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA

National Distribution

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

United States

Origin: Unknown/Undetermined

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

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NatureServe

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NatureServe

Morphology

Description

More info for the term: culm

Elk sedge is a native upland sedge that grows 6 to12 inches (15-50 cm) tall [69]. Elk sedge grows from branched underground rhizomes and produces an extensive network of fine roots [89,125]. A single elk sedge plant may have a root system 4.5 feet (1.4 m) wide and 6 feet (1.8 m) deep [129]. Elk sedge rhizomes grow at a depth of 0.6 to 2 inches (1.5 to 5 cm) [52,73]. Leaves and stems grow in bunch form or are more loosely clustered [45,89,130]. Leaves grow 2 or 3 to a culm [141] and are 0.04 - 0.14 inch (1-3.5 mm) wide, flat or nearly so, leathery, and evergreen [89,146].

Elk sedge is easily recognized by its few-flowered, solitary spikes. The spike has a slender staminate part bearing male flowers above the 1-3 pistillate (female) flowers, which are distinctly separate and bear scales with a short awn at the tip [89]. Each spike bears 1-3 perigynia in which large seeds are tightly encased [64,69,89,141,146].

References:

69. Hitchcock, C. Leo; Cronquist, Arthur. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. 730 p. [1168]
52. Garrison, George A.; Rummell, Robert S. 1951. First-year effects of logging on ponderosa pine forest range lands of Oregon and Washington. Journal of Forestry. 49(10): 708-713. [16711]
64. Harrington, H. D. 1964. Manual of the plants of Colorado. 2nd ed. Chicago, IL: The Swallow Press, Inc. 666 p. [6851]
73. Hungerford, Roger D. 1986. Vegetation response to stand cultural operations on small stem lodgepole pine stands in Montana. In: Baumgartner, David M.; Boyd, Raymond J.; Breuer, David W.; Miller, Daniel L., compilers/eds. Weed control for forest productivity in the Interior West: Symposium proceedings; 1985 February 5-7; Spokane, WA. Pullman, WA: Washington State University, Cooperative Extension: 63-71. [5896]
89. Lackschewitz, Klaus. 1991. Vascular plants of west-central Montana--identification guidebook. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-227. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 648 p. [13798]
125. Spence, Liter E. 1937. Root studies of important range plants of the Boise River watershed. Journal of Forestry. 35: 747-754. [77]
129. Steele, Robert; Geier-Hayes, Kathleen. 1995. Major Douglas-fir habitat types of central Idaho: a summary of succession and management. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-GTR-331. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 23 p. [26587]
130. Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species comprising secondary plant succession in Northern Rocky Mountain forests. FEIS workshop: Postfire regeneration. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT. 10 p. [20090]
141. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1937. Range plant handbook. Washington, DC. 532 p. [2387]
146. Welsh, Stanley L.; Atwood, N. Duane; Goodrich, Sherel; Higgins, Larry C., eds. 1987. A Utah flora. The Great Basin Naturalist Memoir No. 9. Provo, UT: Brigham Young University. 894 p. [2944]
45. Fernald, Merritt Lyndon. 1950. Gray's manual of botany. [Corrections supplied by R. C. Rollins]. Portland, OR: Dioscorides Press. 1632 p. (Dudley, Theodore R., gen. ed.; Biosystematics, Floristic & Phylogeny Series; vol. 2). [14935]

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USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information Service

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Description

Plants not cespitose, long-rhizomatous. Culms 13–49 cm, triangular, scabrous distally. Leaves: basal sheaths reddish brown to dark brown; blades plane, 1.1–3.5 mm wide, equaling or exceeding culms. Spike with staminate portion separated from pistillate portion by short but conspicuous internode, with pistillate portion unbranched, 7.5–26.5 × 1.3–2.2 mm. Pistillate scales brown, chartaceous, apex cuspidate to short-awned. Staminate scales reddish brown, apex cuspidate to short-awned. Anthers 2.2–6.2 mm. Perigynia 1–3, greenish yellow to brown, with 2 marginal veins, otherwise veinless, 5–6.8(–8.4) × 1.8–2.8 mm.

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USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information Service

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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA

Habitat

Habitat characteristics

More info for the terms: association, codominant, cover, mesic, shrub, tree

Elk sedge is common at moderate to high elevations from foothills to timberline. It occurs in dry montane forests and woodland sites, on open slopes, in drier mountain meadows and grasslands [69,74,89], and less frequently in sagebrush [76,103,149] and Gambel oak shrublands [87,150]. It grows more commonly on exposed hillsides or in open grasslands and woodlands than on more densely forested sites [93,141,148]. Elk sedge occurs primarily on well-drained sandy, gravelly, or rocky soils [141] derived from a variety of parent materials.

The following table provides a summary of the elevational ranges in which elk sedge occurs:

CO 6,000-11,000 feet [24,39,64,145] ID 1,500-9,500 feet [27,127] MT 3,400-7,900 feet [39] OR, WA 1,700-8,200 feet [58] UT 6,000-10,800 feet WY 6,800-10,000 feet [39]

Elk sedge requires from 12 to 20 inches (305-508 mm) of yearly precipitation and tolerates temperatures down to -28 degrees Fahrenheit (-33 °C) [142]. However, it has been on sites with average precipitation up to 30 inches (750 mm) in Washington [20] and up to 45 inches (1,145 mm) in Oregon [32]. Heyerdahl and others [67] list elk sedge as a component of the understory in forest stands generally growing on low slope, south-west aspect sites with well-drained soils. This probably describes the majority of sites on which elk sedge grows, but site conditions vary even within the same ecosystems among different geographical areas. It may, therefore, be most helpful to describe site characteristics within the various ecosystems and areas in which elk sedge occurs.

Northern Rocky Mountain forested sites: Elk sedge is a component of the understory in several forest types of the northern Rocky Mountains. The following table provides examples of the wide variety of conditions at forested sites on which elk sedge may be found. The dominant tree species with which elk sedge grows are listed in Habitat Types And Plant Communities.

State Habitat types (HT) or dominant species Soils Parent material Aspect and other site characteristics References MT subalpine fir/elk sedge HT; Douglas-fir/elk sedge HT; whitebark pine forests; conifer/pinegrass types acidic to slightly alkaline, nongravelly loams and gravelly sandy loams to silts variety of parent materials, including calcareous sedimentary and metamorphic drier sites, south-facing and ridge top sites, mid- and upper slopes [108,132] ID Douglas-fir/elk sedge/snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) HT; subalpine fir/elk sedge HT; whitebark pine forests; quaking aspen woods; Douglas-fir/ninebark (Physocarpus malvaceus) HT; Douglas-fir-pinegrass HT poorly-developed to deep, moderately well-drained soils; very gravelly loam soils; sandy loam soils; moraine soils wide variety of parent materials including sedimentary, granitic, metamorphic, and depositional, such as loess and volcanic ash dry, low to moderately steep slopes; drier sites in cirque basins; all aspects, depending on soils and elevation [27,34,119,127] CO montane and subalpine coniferous forest, including spruce-fir and subalpine lodgepole pine forests; lodgepole pine/elk sedge HT; quaking aspen/elk sedge HT shallow to deep soils; calcareous to otherwise basic to moderately acidic; sandy loam, loam and gravelly loam wide variety of parent materials including sedimentary, granitic, metamorphic drier south-facing slopes and open slopes; long, cool winters and cool summers [36,45,65,66,71] UT Douglas-fir/ninebark HT; white fir/ninebark HT; ponderosa pine/Gambel oak HT; quaking aspen/chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)/elk sedge type; subalpine fir/elk sedge HT; Engelmann spruce and lodgepole pine forests loamy sand and silty or sandy loam; noncalcareous soils sandstone and metamorphic parent material; Andesitic (igneous) parent material north-west to south-east facing sites; mesic, gentle slopes and benches [93,98,104,146,150] WY ponderosa pine/elk sedge HT; quaking aspen/elk sedge HT; subalpine fir/elk sedge HT; lodgepole pine/elk sedge HT moderately deep to deep moderately well-drained soils variety of parent materials relatively warm, dry, forested sites up to subalpine; variety of slopes and aspects [3,5,21,111]

Intermountain forested sites: Elk sedge is an important herbaceous understory species in relatively open forested sites of the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington [58]. In this area, elk sedge is found on sites receiving from 8 to 45 inches (200-1,145 mm) precipitation [32]. Throughout its range, elk sedge generally grows on relatively dry sites on sandy to loamy textured well-drained soils, often derived from basalt or granite, sometimes with an ash component. At higher elevations it grows on sandy to loamy textured soils derived from basalt, granite, and tuff (compacted volcanic ash) [58]. Soils at its lower elevation range in this area are loams and silty loams derived from ash, loess, and basalt. Topik [136] lists elk sedge as an indicator of "harsh" conditions or site types on the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains in Washington. Elk sedge was generally found in this area on fairly flat ground (2-34% slope) at 2,750 to 4,000 feet (838-1,219 m) elevation, and was associated with grand fir and pinegrass. Sites supporting the grand fir/elk sedge association were hot and dry, with cold winters and relatively short growing seasons. Elk sedge was also found in the Palouse region of southeastern Washington, predominantly on north-east-facing slopes [6]. Elk sedge may form a dense sod layer on previously-logged sites on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains in west-central Washington, where precipitation averages approximately 30 inches (750 mm) per year [20].

Shrub-dominated sites: Elk sedge is less common in shrub-dominated habitat types than in forested types, but occurs over a range of conditions within shrub types. Elk sedge is a minor component of shrub-steppe habitat types in north-central Colorado. Average precipitation on these shrub-steppe sites is 14 to 15.6 inches (350-390 mm) per year, distributed fairly evenly throughout year, half occurring as snow [135]. Elk sedge occurs but is rare on dry slopes in sagebrush scrub and open woodlands in California [103]. It also occurs in sagebrush communities on south slopes in the Sawtooth Mountains of central Idaho [140] and in mountain big sagebrush (A. t. ssp. vaseyana) communities above 7,000 feet (2,130 m) on steep southeasterly slopes in the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area on the Oregon-Idaho border [76]. Elk sedge is a component of the shrub-dominated ninebark/snowberry/elk sedge community type in Umatilla River Drainage in the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon [18]. Elk sedge has also been documented in Gambel oak shrubland in Colorado on sites with gentle (0-30%) slopes on both north and south exposures, with approximately 22 inches (560 cm) precipitation [87].

Grassland and alpine sites: Elk sedge occurs in mountain grasslands interspersed among timber stands in the Rocky Mountains. These areas are characterized by long, cold winters and relatively cool summers. Precipitation ranges from 20 to 40 inches (510-1020 mm) and occurs mostly as snow, which may cover the ground from October to May [138]. These areas have soils resembling prairie soils, with a thick A horizon rich in organic matter. Elk sedge is codominant with Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis) in very productive grass-sedge communities at about 7,000 feet (2,130 m) in the Seven Devils Mountains in northeast Oregon and western Idaho [76]. These grass-sedge communities occur primarily among scree slopes on the steep mountainsides. Elk sedge has also been documented on dry alpine sites in the Beartooth Mountains of south-central Montana [143].

Riparian areas: Elk sedge is an upland plant but was reported as a component of riparian vegetation at drier sites studied in the Centennial Mountains of Idaho [40].

References:

39. Dittberner, Phillip L.; Olson, Michael R. 1983. The Plant Information Network (PIN) data base: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. FWS/OBS-83/86. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. 786 p. [806]
69. Hitchcock, C. Leo; Cronquist, Arthur. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. 730 p. [1168]
3. Alexander, Robert R. 1986. Classification of the forest vegetation of Wyoming. Res. Note RM-466. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 10 p. [304]
5. Alexander, Robert R.; Hoffman, George R.; Wirsing, John M. 1986. Forest vegetation of the Medicine Bow National Forest in southeastern Wyoming: a habitat type classification. Res. Pap. RM-271. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 39 p. [307]
6. Aller, Alvin R.; Fosberg, Maynard A.; LaZelle, Monta C.; Falen, Anita L. 1981. Plant communities and soils of north slopes in the Palouse region of eastern Washington and northern Idaho. Northwest Science. 55(4): 248-262. [2823]
18. Bell, Jack H.; Lauer, Jerry L.; Peek, James M. 1992. Habitat use patterns of white-tailed deer, Umatilla River, Oregon. Northwest Science. 66(3): 160-171. [19276]
20. Blake, John; Crooker, Dave. 1986. Growth response of ponderosa pine following release from grass competition. In: Baumgartner, David M.; Boyd, Raymond J.; Breuer, David W.; Miller, Daniel L., compilers/eds. Weed control for forest productivity in the Interior West: Symposium proceedings; 1985 Feb. 5-7; Spokane, WA. Pullman, WA: Washington State University, Cooperative Extension: 145-146. [470]
21. Blanchard, Bonnie M. 1980. Grizzly bear - habitat relationships in the Yellowstone area. International Conference on Bear Research and Management. 5: 118-123. [8386]
24. Brown, H. E.; Thompson, J. R. 1965. Summer water use by aspen, spruce, and grassland in western Colorado. Journal of Forestry. 63: 756-760. [15600]
27. Cholewa, Anita F. 1977. Successional relationships of vegetational composition to logging, burning, and grazing in the Douglas-fir/Physocarpus habitat type of northern Idaho. Moscow, ID: University of Idaho. 65 p. plus appendices. Thesis. [29853]
32. Clarke, Sharon E.; Bryce, Sandra A., eds. 1997. Hierarchical subdivisions of the Columbia Plateau and Blue Mountains ecoregions, Oregon and Washington. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-395. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 114 p. [28536]
36. Crouch, Glenn L. 1986. Effects of thinning pole-sized lodgepole pine on understory vegetation and large herbivore activity in central Colorado. Res. Pap. RM-268. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 10 p. [8353]
40. Douglas, David C.; Ratti, John T. 1984. Avian habitat associations in riparian zones of the Centennial Mountains and surrounding areas, Idaho. Pullman, WA: Washington State University, Department of Zoology, Wildlife Biology. 125 p. [14928]
58. Hall, Frederick C. 1973. Plant communities of the Blue Mountains in eastern Oregon and southeastern Washington. R6 Area Guide 3-1. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region. 82 p. [1059]
64. Harrington, H. D. 1964. Manual of the plants of Colorado. 2nd ed. Chicago, IL: The Swallow Press, Inc. 666 p. [6851]
65. Hess, Karl; Alexander, Robert R. 1986. Forest vegetation of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in central Colorado: a habitat type classification. Res. Pap. RM-266. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 48 p. [1141]
66. Hess, Karl; Wasser, Clinton H. 1982. Grassland, shrubland, and forestland habitat types of the White River-Arapaho National Forest. Final Report. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 335 p. [1142]
71. Hoffman, George R.; Alexander, Robert R. 1983. Forest vegetation of the White River National Forest in western Colorado: a habitat type classification. Res. Pap. RM-249. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 36 p. [1178]
76. Johnson, Charles G., Jr.; Simon, Steven A. 1987. Plant associations of the Wallowa-Snake Province: Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. R6-ECOL-TP-255A-86. Baker, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. 399 p. [9600]
87. Kufeld, Roland C. 1983. Responses of elk, mule deer, cattle, and vegetation to burning, spraying and chaining of Gambel oak rangeland. Tech. Publ. 34. Fort Collins, CO: Colorado Division of Wildlife. 47 p. [253]
89. Lackschewitz, Klaus. 1991. Vascular plants of west-central Montana--identification guidebook. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-227. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 648 p. [13798]
93. Lewis, Monte E. 1958. Carex -- its distribution and importance in Utah. In: Brigham Young University Science Bulletin: Biological Series. Provo, UT: Brigham Young University. 1(2): 1-4. [18788]
98. Mauk, Ronald L.; Henderson, Jan A. 1984. Coniferous forest habitat types of northern Utah. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-170. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 89 p. [1553]
103. Munz, Philip A.; Keck, David D. 1973. A California flora and supplement. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. 1905 p. [6155]
104. Paulsen, Harold A., Jr. 1969. Forage values on a mountain grassland-aspen range in western Colorado. Journal of Range Management. 22: 102-107. [1842]
108. Pfister, Robert D.; Kovalchik, Bernard L.; Arno, Stephen F.; Presby, Richard C. 1977. Forest habitat types of Montana. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-34. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 174 p. [1878]
111. Reese, Jerry B.; Mohr, Francis R.; Dean, Ronald E.; Klabunde, Thomas. 1976. Teton Wilderness Fire Management Plan. Part I: Ecological and resource description of the Teton Wilderness. Jackson, WY: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Bridger-Teton National Forest. 123 p. [21064]
119. Schlatterer, Edward F. 1972. A preliminary description of plant communities found on the Sawtooth, White Cloud, Boulder and Pioneer Mountains. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Region. Unpublished paper on file with: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT. 111 p. [2076]
127. Steele, Robert; Cooper, Stephen V.; Ondov, David M.; Roberts, David W.; Pfister, Robert D. 1983. Forest habitat types of eastern Idaho-western Wyoming. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-144. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 122 p. [2230]
132. Sund, Sharren Kay. 1988. Post-fire regeneration of Pinus albicaulis in western Montana: patterns of occurrence and site characteristics. Boulder, CO: University of Colorado. 63 p. Thesis. [25933]
135. Tiedeman, James A.; Francis, Richard E.; Terwilliger, Charles, Jr.; Carpenter, Len H. 1987. Shrub-steppe habitat types of Middle Park, Colorado. Res. Pap. RM-273. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 20 p. [2329]
136. Topik, Christopher. 1989. Plant association and management guide for the grand fir zone, Gifford Pinchot National Forest. R6-Ecol-TP-006-88. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region. 110 p. [11361]
138. Turner, George T.; Paulsen, Harold A., Jr. 1976. Management of mountain grasslands in the Central Rockies: the status of our knowledge. Res. Pap. RM-161. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 24 p. [2372]
141. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1937. Range plant handbook. Washington, DC. 532 p. [2387]
143. Van Dyke, Fred G.; Probert, Brenda L.; Rozema, Jennifer J. 1994. Vegetation characteristics of elk summer range in south-central Montana. In: Despain, Don G., ed. Plants and their environments: proceedings of the 1st biennial scientific conference on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem; 1991 September 16-17; Yellowstone National Park, WY. Tech. Rep. NPS/NRYELL/NRTR. Denver, CO: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Rocky Mountain Region: 285-300. [26292]
145. Weber, William A.; Wittmann, Ronald C. 1996. Colorado flora: eastern slope. 2nd ed. Niwot, CO: University Press of Colorado. 524 p. [27572]
146. Welsh, Stanley L.; Atwood, N. Duane; Goodrich, Sherel; Higgins, Larry C., eds. 1987. A Utah flora. The Great Basin Naturalist Memoir No. 9. Provo, UT: Brigham Young University. 894 p. [2944]
148. Young, J. A.; Hedrick, D. W.; Keniston, R. F. 1967. Forest cover and logging--herbage and browse production in the mixed coniferous forest of northeastern Oregon. Journal of Forestry. 65: 807-813. [16290]
149. Young, James A.; Evans, Raymond A.; Eckert, Richard E., Jr. 1984. Successional patterns and productivity potentials of the sagebrush and salt desert ecosystems. In: Developing strategies for rangeland management: a report. Westview Special Studies in Agriculture Science and Policy Series. Boulder, CO: Westview Press: 1259-1299. [2669]
150. Youngblood, Andrew P.; Mauk, Ronald L. 1985. Coniferous forest habitat types of central and southern Utah. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-187. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 89 p. [2684]
142. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2008. PLANTS Database, [Online]. Available: http://plants.usda.gov/. [34262]
34. Cooper, Stephen V.; Neiman, Kenneth E.; Roberts, David W. 1991 [Revised]. Forest habitat types of northern Idaho: a second approximation. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-236. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 143 p. [14792]
45. Fernald, Merritt Lyndon. 1950. Gray's manual of botany. [Corrections supplied by R. C. Rollins]. Portland, OR: Dioscorides Press. 1632 p. (Dudley, Theodore R., gen. ed.; Biosystematics, Floristic & Phylogeny Series; vol. 2). [14935]
67. Heyerdahl, Emily K.; Berry, Dawn; Agee, James K. 1994. Fire history database of the western United States. Final report. Interagency agreement: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency DW12934530; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service PNW-93-0300; University of Washington 61-2239. Seattle, WA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Pacific Northwest Research Station; University of Washington, College of Forest Resources. 28 p. [+ appendices]. Unpublished report on file with: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT. [27979]
74. Hurd, Emerenciana G.; Shaw, Nancy L.; Mastrogiuseppe, Joy; [and others]. 1998. Field guide to Intermountain sedges. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-10. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 282 p. [29125]
140. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Region. 1981. Sawtooth Wilderness and Sawtooth Addition: Natural Fire Management Plan. [Revised from 1978]. Ogden, UT. 72 p. [21256]

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Habitat: Rangeland Cover Types

USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information Service

This species is known to occur in association with the following Rangeland Cover Types (as classified by the Society for Range Management, SRM):

More info for the terms: cover, forb

SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES [120]:

102 Idaho fescue

108 Alpine Idaho fescue

109 Ponderosa pine shrubland

110 Ponderosa pine-grassland

304 Idaho fescue-bluebunch wheatgrass

315 Big sagebrush-Idaho fescue

401 Basin big sagebrush

402 Mountain big sagebrush

409 Tall forb
411 Aspen woodland

412 Juniper-pinyon woodland

413 Gambel oak

References:

120. Shiflet, Thomas N., ed. 1994. Rangeland cover types of the United States. Denver, CO: Society for Range Management. 152 p. [23362]

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Habitat: Cover Types

USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information Service

This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

More info for the term: cover

SAF COVER TYPES [44]:

206 Engelmann spruce-subalpine fir

208 Whitebark pine

209 Bristlecone pine

210 Interior Douglas-fir

212 Western larch

213 Grand fir

215 Western white pine

217 Aspen

218 Lodgepole pine

219 Limber pine

220 Rocky Mountain juniper

237 Interior ponderosa pine

238 Western Juniper

239 Pinyon-juniper

256 California mixed subalpine

References:

44. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]

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Habitat: Plant Associations

USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information Service

This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the term: shrub

KUCHLER [85] PLANT ASSOCIATIONS:

K005 Mixed conifer forest

K008 Lodgepole pine-subalpine forest

K010 Ponderosa shrub forest

K011 Western ponderosa forest

K012 Douglas-fir forest

K014 Grand fir-Douglas-fir forest

K015 Western spruce-fir forest

K016 Eastern ponderosa forest

K018 Pine-Douglas-fir forest

K019 Arizona pine forest

K020 Spruce-fir-Douglas-fir forest

K021 Southwestern spruce-fir forest

K022 Great Basin pine forest

K023 Juniper-pinyon woodland

K038 Great Basin sagebrush

K050 Fescue-wheatgrass

K052 Alpine meadows and barren

K055 Sagebrush steppe

K063 Foothills Prairie

K096 Northeastern spruce-fir forest

References:

85. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. United States [Potential natural vegetation of the conterminous United States]. Special Publication No. 36. New York: American Geographical Society. 1:3,168,000; colored. [3455]

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Habitat: Ecosystem

USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information Service

This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

ECOSYSTEMS [51]:

FRES11 Spruce-fir

FRES19 Aspen-birch

FRES20 Douglas-fir

FRES21 Ponderosa pine

FRES22 Western white pine

FRES23 Fir-spruce

FRES25 Larch

FRES26 Lodgepole pine

FRES29 Sagebrush

FRES34 Chaparral-mountain shrub

FRES35 Pinyon-juniper

FRES36 Mountain grasslands

FRES44 Alpine

References:

51. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; Lewis, Mont E.; Smith, Dixie R. 1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]

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Habitat

Dry montane and subalpine grasslands, burns, and open spruce, fir, or pine woods; 800–3300m.

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USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information Service

Rights Holder:

Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA

General Ecology

Broad-scale Impacts of Plant Response to Fire

More info for the terms: prescribed fire, restoration

Lyon's Research Paper and the Research Project Summary
Vegetation response to restoration treatments in ponderosa pine-Douglas-fir forests also provide information on prescribed fire and postfire response of plant
community species including elk sedge.

Source:

License:

USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information Service

Plant Response to Fire

More info for the terms: cover, density, fire severity, forbs, frequency, phase, prescribed burn, severity

Elk sedge often increases or invades after a fire [23,124,141], sometimes flowering and producing seed the year after a fire [134]. However, the ability of elk sedge to recolonize or regrow after a fire seems to depend largely on severity of the fire. Elk sedge sprouted more heavily in light surface burn areas than in severe surface burns or areas burned by crown fires in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming [139]. According to another study in Wyoming, elk sedge cover was higher in plots after moderate burns than on unburned and severely burned plots. However, elk sedge was one of the most important postfire species in the severe burn, as well as one of the most abundant species in the moderate burn sites [41]. In central Idaho, Geier-Hayes [53] found that elk sedge cover was lower on plots clearcut and broadcast burned than on unburned clearcut plots. This effect was greatest at the highest elevation site, which also was subjected to the highest intensity burn. The ability of elk sedge to recolonize from seeds in the soil at burned sites may also be affected by fire severity. Seeds collected from burned sites in Yellowstone National Park and subjected to heat treatments survived temperatures of 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100Âº C) for many sites, but never survived a treatment of 302 degrees Fahrenheit (150Âº C). The number of seeds per area for elk sedge was generally higher in unburned vs. burn sites; survival in burned areas varied among habitat types [30].

Response of elk sedge after fire in different habitat types is dependent largely on fire severity. On a site in the dry phase of the Douglas-fir/ninebark type in western Montana, elk sedge decreased in cover 5 years after stand-replacing wildfires and clearcuts with broadcast burning. In other habitats and phases it generally increased in cover after low severity broadcast burning, clearcutting, or scarification [13]. In Douglas-fir forest in south-central Idaho, elk sedge decreased after a severe prescribed burn [96]. Elk sedge was absent from the plots 1 year after the fire, and after 7 years had grown in to roughly half its preburn cover. Elk sedge recovered quickly on recently burned areas in the Douglas-fir/elk sedge/mountain snowberry (Symphoricarpos oreophilus) type in Idaho but decreased in higher elevation sites after a severe burn [119]. Elk sedge cover and frequency decreased in burned stands in the Douglas-fir/ninebark habitat type in northern Idaho [27]. In warm, dry grand fir sites in northeastern Oregon, per cent cover of elk sedge increased within 5 years after moderate and severe burns [77]. Elk sedge cover decreased after severe burns on Douglas-fir sites in the same area, but increased after low severity burns. Arno [10] found that elk sedge cover often decreased with increasing intensity of burn in plots within shelterwood cuts in ponderosa pine forests with no-burn, low-consumption, and high consumption treatments.

Frequency of occurrence and canopy cover of elk sedge were similar on all plots in a study that compared vegetation among plots not recently burned, burned in 1932, and moderately and severely burned in 1974 in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming [17]. In Yellowstone National Park, density of elk sedge shoots following fire was affected by patch size of burns, but this effect could be related to fire severity, as larger burned areas are more likely to have burned with more intensity [139].

Response of elk sedge to fire may be affected by competing understory species. Bunchgrasses resprouted more successfully than elk sedge when sampled 1 year after a burn in Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado [46]. Canon [26] reported that relative cover of elk sedge compared to forbs was lower on burned vs. unburned plots in aspen stands. In contrast, Johnston and Hendzel [78] found that elk sedge was able to recover quickly after fire in conifer/aspen stands in Colorado, and dominated the understory in several plots.

On ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir communities in the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon, elk sedge cover and frequency were higher on unburned control sites than on prescribed burned, thinned, or thinned-and-burned sites. Elk sedge was determined to be an indicator species for unburned sites (P≤0.05). For further information on the effects of thinning and burning treatments on elk sedge and 48 other species, see the Research Project Summary of Youngblood and others' [151] study.

References:

13. Arno, Stephen F.; Simmerman, Dennis G.; Keane, Robert E. 1985. Forest succession on four habitat types in western Montana. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-177. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 74 p. [349]
23. Bradley, Anne F.; Noste, Nonan V.; Fischer, William C. 1992. Fire ecology of forests and woodlands in Utah. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-287. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 128 p. [18211]
27. Cholewa, Anita F. 1977. Successional relationships of vegetational composition to logging, burning, and grazing in the Douglas-fir/Physocarpus habitat type of northern Idaho. Moscow, ID: University of Idaho. 65 p. plus appendices. Thesis. [29853]
30. Clark, David Lee. 1991. The effect of fire on Yellowstone ecosystem seed banks. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 115 p. Thesis. [36504]
41. Doyle, Kathleen M.; Knight, Dennis H.; Taylor, Dale L.; Barmore, William J., Jr.; Benedict, James M. 1998. Seventeen years of forest succession following the Waterfalls Canyon Fire in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. International Journal of Wildland Fire. 8(1): 45-55. [29072]
53. Geier-Hayes, Kathleen. 1989. Vegetation response to helicopter logging and broadcast burning in Douglas-fir habitat types at Silver Creek, central Idaho. Res. Pap. INT-405. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 24 p. [6810]
77. Johnson, Charles Grier, Jr. 1998. Vegetation response after wildfires in national forests of northeastern Oregon. R6-NR-ECOL-TP-06-98. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region. 128 p. plus appendices. [30061]
78. Johnston, B. C.; Hendzel, L. 1985. Examples of aspen treatment, succession, and management in western Colorado. Lakewood, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. 164 p. [18670]
96. Lyon, L. Jack. 1971. Vegetal development following prescribed burning of Douglas-fir in south-central Idaho. Res. Pap. INT-105. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 30 p. [1495]
119. Schlatterer, Edward F. 1972. A preliminary description of plant communities found on the Sawtooth, White Cloud, Boulder and Pioneer Mountains. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Region. Unpublished paper on file with: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT. 111 p. [2076]
124. Smith, Jane Kapler; Fischer, William C. 1997. Fire ecology of the forest habitat types of northern Idaho. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-GTR-363. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 142 p. [27992]
134. Taylor, Dale L. 1969. Biotic succession of lodgepole pine forests of fire origin in Yellowstone National Park. Laramie, WY: University of Wyoming. 320 p. Thesis. [9481]
139. Turner, Monica G.; Romme, William H.; Gardner, Robert H.; Hargrove, William W. 1997. Effects of fire size and pattern on early succession in Yellowstone National Park. Ecological Monographs. 67(4): 411-433. [27851]
141. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1937. Range plant handbook. Washington, DC. 532 p. [2387]
151. Youngblood, Andrew; Metlen, Kerry L.; Coe, Kent. 2006. Changes in stand structure and composition after restoration treatments in low elevation dry forests of northeastern Oregon. Forest Ecology and Management. 234(1-3): 143-163. [64992]
26. Canon, Stephen Kemble. 1985. Habitat selection, Foraging behavior, and dietary nutrition of elk in burned vs unburned aspen forest. Logan, UT: Utah State University. 110 p. Thesis. [599]
10. Arno, Stephen F. 1999. Undergrowth response, shelterwood cutting unit. In: Smith, Helen Y.; Arno, Stephen F., eds. Eighty-eight years of change in a managed ponderosa pine forest. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-23. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 36-37. [+ Appendix C: summary of vegetation changes in shelterwood cutting unit]. [38264]
17. Barmore, William J., Jr.; Taylor, Dale; Hayden, Peter. 1976. Ecological effects and biotic succession following the 1974 Waterfalls Canyon Fire in Grand Teton National Park. Research Progress Report 1974-1975. [Moose, WY: Grand Teton National Park]. Unpublished report on file at: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT. 99 p. [16109]
46. Floyd-Hanna, Lisa; DaVega, Anne; Hanna, David; Romme, William H. 1997. Chapin 5 Fire vegetation monitoring and mitigation: First year report. [Mesa Verde, CO]: [U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Mesa Verde National Park]. Unpublished report on file at: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT. 7 p. [+ appendices]. [34181]

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USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information Service

Broad-scale Impacts of Fire

More info for the terms: cover, density, fire severity, severity

Sources do not specify that severe fire kills elk sedge, but some sources report that elk sedge cover decreases after severe or relatively intense fire, or imply that some plants are killed by fire. For example, Turner and others [139] specify elk sedge demonstrated a negative relationship between sprout density and fire severity, implying fewer plants survived more severe fires to resprout after the fire. Zimmerman [153] found cover of elk sedge was generally much lower on burned plots than unburned plots. Taylor [134] reported that "a few Carex plants survived the fire" in a study area in which elk sedge made up a "significant" part of the flora.

References:

134. Taylor, Dale L. 1969. Biotic succession of lodgepole pine forests of fire origin in Yellowstone National Park. Laramie, WY: University of Wyoming. 320 p. Thesis. [9481]
139. Turner, Monica G.; Romme, William H.; Gardner, Robert H.; Hargrove, William W. 1997. Effects of fire size and pattern on early succession in Yellowstone National Park. Ecological Monographs. 67(4): 411-433. [27851]
153. Zimmerman, Gordon Thomas. 1979. Livestock grazing, fire, and their interactions within the Douglas-fir/ninebark habitat type of northern Idaho. Moscow, ID: University of Idaho. 145 p. Thesis. [6724]

Source:

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USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information Service

Immediate Effect of Fire

More info for the term: resistance

Elk sedge has a high degree of resistance to fire [109,142] because of its ability to resprout from underground rhizomes. After a fire in lodgepole pine forest in Yellowstone National Park, elk sedge plants that had been top-killed and reduced to brown stubble patches produced new shoots the next year from rhizomes and roots that survived the fire [134].

References:

109. Powell, David C. 1988. Aspen community types of the Pike and San Isabel National Forests in south-central Colorado. R2-ECOL-88-01. Denver, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. 254 p. [15285]
134. Taylor, Dale L. 1969. Biotic succession of lodgepole pine forests of fire origin in Yellowstone National Park. Laramie, WY: University of Wyoming. 320 p. Thesis. [9481]
142. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2008. PLANTS Database, [Online]. Available: http://plants.usda.gov/. [34262]

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USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information Service

Fire Ecology

More info for the terms: codominant, cover, fire regime, fire suppression, shrub, surface fire, tree

Fire adaptations: Elk sedge is often one of the 1st species to recolonize or grow back after a fire [23,78,119,134] because it is able to resprout from underground rhizomes [23,130] or recolonize from seeds stored in soil [124]. Elk sedge is generally slower to recover after severe burns than after lower intensity fires [13,41,139]. Fire Effects contains more detailed information about the response of elk sedge to fire.

FIRE REGIMES: Elk sedge occurs in vegetation types with a variety of FIRE REGIMES. Heyerdahl and others [67] assigned habitat types to Heinselman FIRE REGIMES in a multiscale study in the interior western United States. The habitat types or community types in which elk sedge is a codominant occur mainly within Heinselman FIRE REGIMES 2 (frequent light surface fires with 1-25 year return interval) and 3 (infrequent, severe surface fires with a greater than 25 year return interval). Elk sedge is also an important component of several types that occur within fire regime 1 (infrequent light surface fires with a greater than 25 year return interval) and 4 (short interval return crown fires with 25-100 year return intervals).

Habitat types, community types, and phases are grouped into "fire groups" for given geographic areas, based on their presettlement fire regimes, response of dominant tree species to fire, and successional patterns. The fire group assigned to a given type may vary among geographic areas because of floristic, climatic, and ecological differences among areas. The fire groups are ordered in a gradient of conditions from warmest, driest habitat types at low elevations, through cold habitat types at high elevations, to warm, moist habitat types of montane and lower elevations [124].

Elk sedge occurs as an understory dominant in warm, dry to moderate Douglas-fir forests. Generally the fire regime for these forests was characterized by frequent, nonlethal surface fire in presettlement times with relatively few stand-replacing fires [123]. Elk sedge is also listed as a component of the vegetation in types within higher elevation fire groups, including persistent lodgepole pine with a history of frequent, widespread stand-replacing fires; dry lower subalpine forests, which are characterized by a history of stand-replacing fires occurring at intervals of 52 to 200 years or more; moist lower subalpine forests that developed under less frequent and less uniform fires; and upper subalpine types with a history of mixed-severity fires with return intervals of 60 to 300 years [124]. In eastern Idaho and western Wyoming, elk sedge is a dominant species in the understory of forests developed under a wider variety of fire regimes. These forest types include certain moist Douglas-fir types with fire return intervals of 15 to 100 years and low-severity fires to severe stand replacing fires; persistent lodgepole pine community types with low-intensity ground fires or stand-replacing fires; mid- and lower elevation subalpine forests with fire return intervals of 50 to 350 years but generally greater than 100 years; and cold, upper subalpine and timberline habitat types where fires are infrequent (50-300 year return intervals) and stand-replacing fires are rare [22]. In Utah elk sedge occurs in warm, dry ponderosa pine habitat types with a history of frequent fires (less than 50 year return interval), drier Douglas-fir habitat types with a variety of FIRE REGIMES, quaking aspen habitat and community types established after fire, and habitat types with persistent lodgepole pine stands that are perpetuated or maintained by fire occurring at intervals of 22 to over 300 years [23].

Several references [1,13,59,60,126] have described elk sedge as a prominent understory component in areas with low-intensity, frequent burns. In some areas fire suppression has allowed tree canopy to increase, which has resulted in a decrease in elk sedge cover. One of the best-known examples of this phenomenon is in forests of the Blue Mountains in northeastern Oregon. These dry Douglas-fir and grand fir forests with undergrowth dominated by pinegrass and elk sedge apparently developed with a history of frequent (10-15 year return interval), low-intensity fires [1,60,126]. The open canopy and grassy understory of elk sedge and pinegrass in mixed-conifer forests of the Blue Mountains in northeastern Oregon were maintained by frequent, low-intensity fires prior to European settlement [2]. Fire suppression has led to greater canopy cover, resulting in lower understory cover, of which elk sedge is a major component [1,60]. Elk sedge is also a component of the herbaceous understory in Douglas-fir/western larch forests in the northern Rocky Mountains, which historically experienced frequent fires, and in subalpine fir forest, with long (100-300 yr) fire intervals [57]. Elk sedge also occurs in the Engelmann spruce/subalpine fir/elk sedge habitat type, in which high intensity, stand-replacing fires are common [147].

FIRE REGIMES for elk sedge sites are generally related to the dominant tree or shrub species occurring with elk sedge. The following table summarizes additional information about fire regime intervals for the dominant species and communities with which elk sedge is found.

Community or Ecosystem Dominant Species Fire Return Interval Range (years) grand fir Abies grandis 35-200 [11] basin big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata var. tridentata 12-43 [117] mountain big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata var. vaseyana 15-40 [12,25,100] Rocky Mountain juniper Juniperus scopulorum 106] Engelmann spruce-subalpine fir Picea engelmannii-Abies lasiocarpa 35 to > 200 [11] pinyon-juniper Pinus-Juniperus spp. 106] whitebark pine* Pinus albicaulis 50-200 [11] Rocky Mountain lodgepole pine* Pinus contorta var. latifolia 25-300+ [9,11,116] Colorado pinyon Pinus edulis 10-49 [106] Pacific ponderosa pine* Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa 1-47 [11] interior ponderosa pine* Pinus ponderosa var. scopulorum 2-30 [11,15,91] Arizona pine Pinus ponderosa var. arizonica 2-10 [11] quaking aspen (west of the Great Plains) Populus tremuloides 7-120 [11,55,99] mountain grasslands Pseudoroegneria spicata 3-40 (10**) [9,11] Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir* Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca 25-100 [11] *fire return interval varies widely; trends in variation are noted in the species summary
**mean

References:

11. Arno, Stephen F. 2000. Fire in western forest ecosystems. In: Brown, James K.; Smith, Jane Kapler, eds. Wildland fire in ecosystems: Effects of fire on flora. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-42-vol. 2. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 97-120. [36984]
9. Arno, Stephen F. 1980. Forest fire history in the Northern Rockies. Journal of Forestry. 78(8): 460-465. [11990]
15. Baisan, Christopher H.; Swetnam, Thomas W. 1990. Fire history on a desert mountain range: Rincon Mountain Wilderness, Arizona, U.S.A. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 20: 1559-1569. [14986]
25. Burkhardt, Wayne J.; Tisdale, E. W. 1976. Causes of juniper invasion in southwestern Idaho. Ecology. 57: 472-484. [565]
1. Agee, James K. 1996. Fire in the Blue Mountains: a history, ecology, and research agenda. In: Jaindl, R. G.; Quigley, T. M., eds. Search for a solution: sustaining the land, people and economy of the Blue Mountains. Washington, DC: American Forests: 119-145. [28827]
12. Arno, Stephen F.; Gruell, George E. 1983. Fire history at the forest-grassland ecotone in southwestern Montana. Journal of Range Management. 36(3): 332-336. [342]
13. Arno, Stephen F.; Simmerman, Dennis G.; Keane, Robert E. 1985. Forest succession on four habitat types in western Montana. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-177. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 74 p. [349]
22. Bradley, Anne F.; Fischer, William C.; Noste, Nonan V. 1992. Fire ecology of the forest habitat types of eastern Idaho and western Wyoming. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-290. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 92 p. [19557]
23. Bradley, Anne F.; Noste, Nonan V.; Fischer, William C. 1992. Fire ecology of forests and woodlands in Utah. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-287. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 128 p. [18211]
41. Doyle, Kathleen M.; Knight, Dennis H.; Taylor, Dale L.; Barmore, William J., Jr.; Benedict, James M. 1998. Seventeen years of forest succession following the Waterfalls Canyon Fire in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. International Journal of Wildland Fire. 8(1): 45-55. [29072]
55. Gruell, G. E.; Loope, L. L. 1974. Relationships among aspen, fire, and ungulate browsing in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 33 p. In cooperation with: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Rocky Mountain Region. [3862]
57. Habeck, James R. 1987. Present-day vegetation in the northern Rocky Mountains. In: Contributions to a symposium on the evolution of the modern flora of the northern Rocky Mountains. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 74(4): 804-840. [3971]
59. Hall, Frederick C. 1977. Ecology of natural underburning in the Blue Mountains of Oregon. R6-ECOL-79-001. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region. 11 p. [8481]
60. Hall, Frederick C. 1980. Fire history--Blue Mountains, Oregon. In: Stokes, Marvin A.; Dieterich, John H., technical coordinators. Proceedings of the fire history workshop; 1980 October 20-24; Tucson, AZ. Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-81. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station: 75-81. [12817]
78. Johnston, B. C.; Hendzel, L. 1985. Examples of aspen treatment, succession, and management in western Colorado. Lakewood, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. 164 p. [18670]
91. Laven, R. D.; Omi, P. N.; Wyant, J. G.; Pinkerton, A. S. 1980. Interpretation of fire scar data from a ponderosa pine ecosystem in the central Rocky Mountains, Colorado. In: Stokes, Marvin A.; Dieterich, John H., tech. coords. Proceedings of the fire history workshop; 1980 October 20-24; Tucson, AZ. Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-81. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station: 46-49. [7183]
99. Meinecke, E. P. 1929. Quaking aspen: A study in applied forest pathology. Tech. Bull. No. 155. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture. 34 p. [26669]
100. Miller, Richard F.; Rose, Jeffery A. 1995. Historic expansion of Juniperus occidentalis (western juniper) in southeastern Oregon. The Great Basin Naturalist. 55(1): 37-45. [25666]
106. Paysen, Timothy E.; Ansley, R. James; Brown, James K.; Gottfried, Gerald J.; Haase, Sally M.; Harrington, Michael G.; Narog, Marcia G.; Sackett, Stephen S.; Wilson, Ruth C. 2000. Fire in western shrubland, woodland, and grassland ecosystems. In: Brown, James K.; Smith, Jane Kapler, eds. Wildland fire in ecosystems: Effects of fire on flora. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-42-vol. 2. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 121-159. [36978]
116. Romme, William H. 1982. Fire and landscape diversity in subalpine forests of Yellowstone National Park. Ecological Monographs. 52(2): 199-221. [9696]
117. Sapsis, David B. 1990. Ecological effects of spring and fall prescribed burning on basin big sagebrush/Idaho fescue--bluebunch wheatgrass communities. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University. 105 p. Thesis. [16579]
119. Schlatterer, Edward F. 1972. A preliminary description of plant communities found on the Sawtooth, White Cloud, Boulder and Pioneer Mountains. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Region. Unpublished paper on file with: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT. 111 p. [2076]
124. Smith, Jane Kapler; Fischer, William C. 1997. Fire ecology of the forest habitat types of northern Idaho. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-GTR-363. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 142 p. [27992]
126. Steele, Robert; Arno, Stephen F.; Geier-Hayes, Kathleen. 1986. Wildfire patterns change in central Idaho's ponderosa pine-Douglas-fir forest. Western Journal of Applied Forestry. 1(1): 16-18. [6840]
130. Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species comprising secondary plant succession in Northern Rocky Mountain forests. FEIS workshop: Postfire regeneration. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT. 10 p. [20090]
134. Taylor, Dale L. 1969. Biotic succession of lodgepole pine forests of fire origin in Yellowstone National Park. Laramie, WY: University of Wyoming. 320 p. Thesis. [9481]
139. Turner, Monica G.; Romme, William H.; Gardner, Robert H.; Hargrove, William W. 1997. Effects of fire size and pattern on early succession in Yellowstone National Park. Ecological Monographs. 67(4): 411-433. [27851]
147. Woodard, Paul M. 1983. Germination success of Pinus contorta Dougl. and Picea engelmannii Parry on burned seedbeds. Forest Ecology and Management. 5: 301-306. [7486]
2. Agee, James K.; Maruoka, Kathleen R. 1994. Historical FIRE REGIMES of the Blue Mountains. BMNRI-TN-1. La Grande, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Blue Mountains Natural Resources Institute. 4 p. [23867]
123. Smith, Jane Kapler. 1998. Presettlement FIRE REGIMES in northern Idaho. In: Close, Kelly; Bartlette, Roberta A., eds. Fire management under fire (adapting to change): Proceedings, 1994 Interior West Fire Council meeting and program; 1994 November 1-4; Coeur d'Alene, ID. Fairfield, WA: Interior West Fire Council: 83-92. [29063]
67. Heyerdahl, Emily K.; Berry, Dawn; Agee, James K. 1994. Fire history database of the western United States. Final report. Interagency agreement: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency DW12934530; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service PNW-93-0300; University of Washington 61-2239. Seattle, WA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Pacific Northwest Research Station; University of Washington, College of Forest Resources. 28 p. [+ appendices]. Unpublished report on file with: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT. [27979]

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Successional Status

USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information Service

More info for the terms: association, climax, codominant, competition, cover, fire suppression, frequency, presence, tree

Elk sedge is relatively shade-tolerant [108] compared to other upland sedges, and in some cases seems to grow more vigorously with a light canopy cover. In a study conducted in the Blue Mountains of Oregon, elk sedge growing in open areas was more stressed, with shorter, lighter green leaves drying at the tips, than plants growing under a mixed conifer overstory [31]. Other studies in the Blue Mountains reported that cover of elk sedge declines with increased tree canopy cover and poorer range condition [59,61]. Disturbance is part of the equation as well. Cholewa [27] reported that cover and frequency of elk sedge was lower in logged and grazed plots than in undisturbed climax plots. Response of elk sedge to grazing pressure is also discussed in Other Management Considerations.

The presence of elk sedge as a dominant species often indicates a late successional stage. Aspen/elk sedge and conifer/elk sedge types are generally considered stable climax types in the northern Rocky Mountains and Intermountain region of the United States [5,71,83,98,101,102,129]. For example, elk sedge is considered a late-seral to climax species in Douglas-fir habitat types of central Idaho [129]. Elk sedge also occurs as an understory codominant with pinegrass in mature stands of the Douglas-fir/ninebark/pinegrass community type, which is a theoretical climax forest in conditions of fire suppression [13]. In the Palouse region of southeastern Washington and adjacent areas of Idaho, stands dominated by elk sedge represent a topo-edaphic climax association [6]. Elk sedge is listed as an important species in climax subalpine fir and spruce eastside forests in Oregon and Washington [75].

In some site types elk sedge is considered mid-seral. For example, the presence of an elk sedge layer indicates mid-seral conditions in the subalpine fir/beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax) habitat type in northern Idaho and northwestern Montana [121]. The aspen/chokecherry/elk sedge type in Utah can be climax, or may be seral to the subalpine fir/Oregon grape (Mahonia repens) type in northern Utah or the subalpine fir/elk sedge type in southern and central Utah [104]. The aspen-lodgepole pine/elk sedge type in Idaho is seral to the lodgepole pine/pinegrass type [101].

In habitat types where elk sedge is the dominant herbaceous species, it is often 1st to sprout following fire [119]. It is also dominant in early successional stages following fire in spruce-fir forests of Colorado [29]. Elk sedge may depend on fire to lower competition from other plants. Hall [59] cited prevention of understory burning as the cause of decreased elk forage provided by pinegrass and elk sedge in mixed conifer/pinegrass communities in northeastern Oregon. Further information about the response of elk sedge to fire can be found in Plant Response To Fire.

References:

5. Alexander, Robert R.; Hoffman, George R.; Wirsing, John M. 1986. Forest vegetation of the Medicine Bow National Forest in southeastern Wyoming: a habitat type classification. Res. Pap. RM-271. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 39 p. [307]
6. Aller, Alvin R.; Fosberg, Maynard A.; LaZelle, Monta C.; Falen, Anita L. 1981. Plant communities and soils of north slopes in the Palouse region of eastern Washington and northern Idaho. Northwest Science. 55(4): 248-262. [2823]
13. Arno, Stephen F.; Simmerman, Dennis G.; Keane, Robert E. 1985. Forest succession on four habitat types in western Montana. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-177. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 74 p. [349]
27. Cholewa, Anita F. 1977. Successional relationships of vegetational composition to logging, burning, and grazing in the Douglas-fir/Physocarpus habitat type of northern Idaho. Moscow, ID: University of Idaho. 65 p. plus appendices. Thesis. [29853]
29. Clagg, Harry B. 1975. Fire ecology in high-elevation forests in Colorado. Fort Collins, CO: Colorado State University. 137 p. Thesis. [113]
31. Clark, Patrick E.; Krueger, William C.; Bryant, Larry D.; Thomas, David R. 2000. Livestock grazing effects on forage quality of elk winter range. Journal of Range Management. 53(1): 97-105. [38666]
59. Hall, Frederick C. 1977. Ecology of natural underburning in the Blue Mountains of Oregon. R6-ECOL-79-001. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region. 11 p. [8481]
61. Hall, Frederick C. 1988. Opportunities for enhancing livestock forage on forestland. In: Schmidt, Wyman C., compiler. Proceedings--future forests of the Mountain West: a stand culture symposium; 1986 September 29 - October 3; Missoula, MT. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-243. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station: 48-54. [5069]
71. Hoffman, George R.; Alexander, Robert R. 1983. Forest vegetation of the White River National Forest in western Colorado: a habitat type classification. Res. Pap. RM-249. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 36 p. [1178]
75. Johnson, Charles G., Jr.; Clausnitzer, Roderick R.; Mehringer, Peter J.; Oliver, Chadwick D. 1994. Biotic and abiotic processes of Eastside ecosystems: the effects of management on plant and community ecology, and on stand and landscape vegetation dynamics. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-322. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 66 p. (Everett, Richard L., assessment team leader; Eastside forest ecosystem health assessment; Hessburg, Paul F., science team leader and tech. ed., Volume III: assessment). [23002]
83. Komarkova, Vera; Alexander, Robert R.; Johnston, Barry C. 1988. Forest vegetation of the Gunnison and parts of the Uncompahgre National Forests: a preliminary habitat type classification. Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-163. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 65 p. [5798]
98. Mauk, Ronald L.; Henderson, Jan A. 1984. Coniferous forest habitat types of northern Utah. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-170. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 89 p. [1553]
101. Mueggler, Walter F. 1988. Aspen community types of the Intermountain Region. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-250. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 135 p. [5902]
102. Mueggler, Walter F.; Campbell, Robert B., Jr. 1986. Aspen community types of Utah. Res. Pap. INT-362. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 69 p. [1714]
104. Paulsen, Harold A., Jr. 1969. Forage values on a mountain grassland-aspen range in western Colorado. Journal of Range Management. 22: 102-107. [1842]
108. Pfister, Robert D.; Kovalchik, Bernard L.; Arno, Stephen F.; Presby, Richard C. 1977. Forest habitat types of Montana. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-34. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 174 p. [1878]
119. Schlatterer, Edward F. 1972. A preliminary description of plant communities found on the Sawtooth, White Cloud, Boulder and Pioneer Mountains. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Region. Unpublished paper on file with: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT. 111 p. [2076]
121. Simpson, Michael L. 1990. The subalpine fir/beargrass habitat type: Succession and management. Moscow, ID: University of Idaho. 134 p. Thesis. [13464]
129. Steele, Robert; Geier-Hayes, Kathleen. 1995. Major Douglas-fir habitat types of central Idaho: a summary of succession and management. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-GTR-331. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 23 p. [26587]

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Regeneration Processes

More info for the term: monoecious

Elk sedge regenerates primarily asexually by spreading from underground rhizomes, but also reproduces by seed [131].

Breeding system: Monoecious

Pollination: No information

Seed production: Elk sedge produces few seeds [81,142], generally 1 per flowering spike, and those produced have low viability [81,131]. Seed production often increases following disturbance [95].

Seed dispersal: Elk sedge has no apparent means for seed dispersal [129], but relies on seed stored in soil and asexual reproduction.

Seed banking: Elk sedge seeds are stored in soil [73,128]. Steele and Geyer-Hayes rated viability at 56% [128], although viability probably varies with conditions.

Germination: Seed stored in soil germinates well following clearcutting and scarification, and can also germinate on mineral soil after burning [128,129]. Seeds may not be able to germinate after being exposed to very high temperatures. In a study in Yellowstone National Park, seeds of elk sedge were collected from soil and subjected to 1-hour heat treatments of 122, 212, or 302 degrees Fahrenheit (50, 100, or 150 °C). Seeds germinated after treatments of 122 and 212 degrees Fahrenheit (50 and 100 °C) but did not germinate at 302 degrees Fahrenheit (150 °C) [30].

Seedling establishment/growth: No information

Asexual regeneration: Elk sedge spreads by short, creeping rhizomes [129,141]. Plugs have been used to propagate elk sedge where seed could not be germinated successfully [81].

References:

30. Clark, David Lee. 1991. The effect of fire on Yellowstone ecosystem seed banks. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 115 p. Thesis. [36504]
73. Hungerford, Roger D. 1986. Vegetation response to stand cultural operations on small stem lodgepole pine stands in Montana. In: Baumgartner, David M.; Boyd, Raymond J.; Breuer, David W.; Miller, Daniel L., compilers/eds. Weed control for forest productivity in the Interior West: Symposium proceedings; 1985 February 5-7; Spokane, WA. Pullman, WA: Washington State University, Cooperative Extension: 63-71. [5896]
81. Klock, G. O. 1969. Some autecological characteristics of elk sedge. Res. Pap. PNW-106. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 5 p. [15870]
95. Lotan, James E. 1986. Silvicultural management of competing vegetation. In: Baumgartner, David M.; Boyd, Raymond J.; Breuer, David W.; Miller, Daniel L., compilers/eds. Weed control for forest productivity in the Interior West: Symposium proceedings; 1985 February 5-7; Spokane, WA. Pullman, WA: Washington State University, Cooperative Extension: 9-16. [1474]
128. Steele, Robert; Geier-Hayes, Kathleen. 1994. The Douglas-fir/white spirea habitat type in central Idaho: succession and management. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-305. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 81 p. [23481]
129. Steele, Robert; Geier-Hayes, Kathleen. 1995. Major Douglas-fir habitat types of central Idaho: a summary of succession and management. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-GTR-331. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 23 p. [26587]
131. Stubbendieck, J.; Hatch, Stephan L.; Hirsch, Kathie J. 1986. North American range plants. 3rd ed. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. 465 p. [2270]
141. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1937. Range plant handbook. Washington, DC. 532 p. [2387]
142. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2008. PLANTS Database, [Online]. Available: http://plants.usda.gov/. [34262]

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Growth Form (according to Raunkiær Life-form classification)

USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information Service

More info for the terms: chamaephyte, geophyte

RAUNKIAER [110] LIFE FORM:
Chamaephyte
Geophyte

References:

110. Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843]

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USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information Service

Life Form

More info for the term: graminoid

Graminoid

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Cyclicity

Flowering/Fruiting

Fruiting late Apr–late Aug.

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Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD)

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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA

Molecular Biology

Barcode data: Carex geyeri

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

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Barcode of Life Data Systems

Statistics of barcoding coverage: Carex geyeri

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 2
Specimens with Barcodes: 4
Species With Barcodes: 1

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Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD)

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Barcode of Life Data Systems

Conservation Status

National NatureServe Conservation Status

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N3 - Vulnerable

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

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NatureServe

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NatureServe

NatureServe Conservation Status

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

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NatureServe

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NatureServe

Management

Management considerations

More info for the terms: competition, cover, forbs, frequency, rhizome, shrub, tree

Elk sedge is very drought-resistant [141,142] and can out-compete tree
seedlings partially through low moisture requirements [142] and early use of plant available water in soil. Elk sedge competes strongly with tree seedlings and other plants due
to its extensive rhizome and root system [128,129]. On dry forest sites elk sedge and other graminoids may
inhibit tree and shrub regeneration by depleting soil moisture before seedlings
are established [129]. On sites where elk sedge
forms a dense sod layer, elk sedge can prohibit natural
regeneration or seedling growth of conifers unless sites are scarified [20,150].

Elk sedge in ponderosa pine forest range lands is highly susceptible to
logging disturbance, such as that resulting from skidder use, because its
rhizomes are easily displaced [52]. Grass cover, of which elk sedge was a major
component, was drastically lower 1 year after logging than before logging in ponderosa
pine forests of eastern Oregon and Washington, but was restored nearly
to original levels by 7 years after logging [49]. In contrast to these reports, cover of elk sedge was lower on untreated
plots than on plots that had undergone various silvicultural treatments in the Swan Valley of
Montana [47].

The response of elk sedge to chemical site preparation treatments varies with
the compound used. Cover of elk sedge was higher in stands treated with slashing, spraying with
glyphosate, and spraying with triclopyr ester as site preparation and
conifer treatments, compared to untreated plots. The stand treated
with both glyphosate and 2,4-D had a lower canopy cover of elk sedge than the
untreated plot, but had no plant kill of elk sedge [63]. Cover of elk sedge did
not show any significant change after application of Tordon and Transline [112].

Riegel and others found that growth of elk sedge in ponderosa pine forests is
limited by nitrogen and water [113] and is controlled largely
by competition for nutrients and water by tree roots [114].
In a separate study, elk sedge growth increased after nitrogen and potassium fertilization, up to
a treatment level of 200 pounds per acre (220 kg/ha) [81].

Utilization considerations: Studies do not all agree on the effect of grazing on elk sedge forage
production. In Douglas-fir/ninebark, elk sedge cover was essentially the
same in grazed and ungrazed plots, but production in grazed plots was twice
that in ungrazed plots [152]. In contrast, elk sedge under heavy
stocking produced 74% less plant material than it did when it was protected from
grazing [50].

Overgrazing over several decades has caused understory community composition to
shift in many western forests, including a decrease in elk sedge cover as it is
replaced with more grazing-tolerant grasses. Elk sedge withstands grazing well
because it reproduces from underground rhizomes and
forms dense tufts or sod; however, continued heavy use can eventually
lower elk sedge cover [141]. Driscoll [42] found elk sedge vigor, as indicated by flowering stalk
production, was significantly lower on plants with 40% and 60% of their
herbage removed, compared to plants with 20% removed.
Because significant changes in vigor were noticeable in just 3 years, he indicated that heavy grazing over several years is
likely to reduce cover of elk sedge. Elk sedge
may be replaced by forbs and pasture grasses in some areas in the intermountain
West that have
been heavily grazed by domestic sheep in the past, and in some cases may be absent
from the understory altogether [119]. Because it often decreases under
heavy grazing pressure, elk sedge is an indicator of good range condition where it is dominant in the
understory below ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir in the Blue Mountains of
northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington [58]. Under heavy grazing
pressure elk sedge is often replaced by pasture grasses in the Douglas-fir/ninebark
habitat type of the northern Rocky Mountains [27,28] and in quaking aspen/elk sedge sites [102].

In some cases elk sedge may respond favorably to grazing. Powell [109] stated that heavy grazing
by domestic sheep would cause an
increase in cover of elk sedge relative to the variety of palatable forbs
present in the understory of the quaking aspen/Fendler meadowrue (Thalictrum
fendleri) community type in Colorado. Zimmerman [153] found that livestock grazing had no adverse
influences on the reproduction of elk sedge, and that cover of elk sedge was the
same in grazed and ungrazed stands in the Douglas-fir/ninebark habitat type in
Idaho. However, frequency of elk sedge was slightly higher
in grazed stands.

References:

20. Blake, John; Crooker, Dave. 1986. Growth response of ponderosa pine following release from grass competition. In: Baumgartner, David M.; Boyd, Raymond J.; Breuer, David W.; Miller, Daniel L., compilers/eds. Weed control for forest productivity in the Interior West: Symposium proceedings; 1985 Feb. 5-7; Spokane, WA. Pullman, WA: Washington State University, Cooperative Extension: 145-146. [470]
27. Cholewa, Anita F. 1977. Successional relationships of vegetational composition to logging, burning, and grazing in the Douglas-fir/Physocarpus habitat type of northern Idaho. Moscow, ID: University of Idaho. 65 p. plus appendices. Thesis. [29853]
52. Garrison, George A.; Rummell, Robert S. 1951. First-year effects of logging on ponderosa pine forest range lands of Oregon and Washington. Journal of Forestry. 49(10): 708-713. [16711]
58. Hall, Frederick C. 1973. Plant communities of the Blue Mountains in eastern Oregon and southeastern Washington. R6 Area Guide 3-1. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region. 82 p. [1059]
81. Klock, G. O. 1969. Some autecological characteristics of elk sedge. Res. Pap. PNW-106. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 5 p. [15870]
102. Mueggler, Walter F.; Campbell, Robert B., Jr. 1986. Aspen community types of Utah. Res. Pap. INT-362. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 69 p. [1714]
109. Powell, David C. 1988. Aspen community types of the Pike and San Isabel National Forests in south-central Colorado. R2-ECOL-88-01. Denver, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. 254 p. [15285]
119. Schlatterer, Edward F. 1972. A preliminary description of plant communities found on the Sawtooth, White Cloud, Boulder and Pioneer Mountains. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Region. Unpublished paper on file with: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT. 111 p. [2076]
128. Steele, Robert; Geier-Hayes, Kathleen. 1994. The Douglas-fir/white spirea habitat type in central Idaho: succession and management. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-305. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 81 p. [23481]
129. Steele, Robert; Geier-Hayes, Kathleen. 1995. Major Douglas-fir habitat types of central Idaho: a summary of succession and management. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-GTR-331. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 23 p. [26587]
141. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1937. Range plant handbook. Washington, DC. 532 p. [2387]
150. Youngblood, Andrew P.; Mauk, Ronald L. 1985. Coniferous forest habitat types of central and southern Utah. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-187. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 89 p. [2684]
153. Zimmerman, Gordon Thomas. 1979. Livestock grazing, fire, and their interactions within the Douglas-fir/ninebark habitat type of northern Idaho. Moscow, ID: University of Idaho. 145 p. Thesis. [6724]
28. Cholewa, Anita F.; Johnson, Frederic D. 1983. Secondary succession in the Pseudotsuga menziesii/Physocarpus malvaceus association. Northwest Science. 57(4): 273-282. [11402]
42. Driscoll, Richard S. 1957. Effects of intensity and date of herbage removal on herbage production of elk sedge. Journal of Range Management. 10: 212. [16142]
47. Freedman, June D.; Habeck, James R. 1985. Fire, logging, and white-tailed deer interrelationships in the Swan Valley, northwestern Montana. In: Lotan, James E.; Brown, James K., compilers. Fire's effects on wildlife habitat--symposium proceedings; 1984 March 21; Missoula, MT. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-186. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station: 23-35. [8319]
49. Garrison, G. A. 1960. Recovery of ponderosa pine range in eastern Oregon and eastern Washington by seventh year after logging. In: Proceedings, Society of American Foresters annual meeting: 137-139. [16881]
63. Hann, Wendel J. 1986. Evaluation of site preparation and conifer release treatments in north Idaho shrubfields. In: Baumgartner, David M.; Boyd, Raymond J.; Breuer, David W.; Miller, Daniel L., compilers/eds. Weed control for forest productivity in the Interior West: Symposium proceedings; 1985 February 5-7; Spokane, WA. Pullman, WA: Washington State University, Cooperative Extension: 115-119. [1074]
112. Rice, P. M.; Toney, J. C. 1996. Plant population responses to broadcast herbicide applications for spotted knapweed control. Down to Earth. 51(2): 14-19. [27754]
113. Riegel, Gregg M.; Miller, Richard F.; Krueger, William C. 1991. Understory vegetation response to increasing water and nitrogen levels in a Pinus ponderosa forest in northeastern Oregon. Northwest Science. 65(1): 10-15. [15571]
114. Riegel, Gregg M.; Miller, Richard F.; Krueger, William C. 1992. Competition for resources between understory vegetation and overstory Pinus ponderosa in northeastern Oregon. Ecological Applications. 2(1): 71-85. [19657]
152. Zimmerman, G. T.; Neuenschwander, L. F. 1984. Livestock grazing influences on community structure, fire intensity, and fire frequency within the Douglas-fir/ninebark habitat type. Journal of Range Management. 37(2): 104-110. [10103]
142. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2008. PLANTS Database, [Online]. Available: http://plants.usda.gov/. [34262]
50. Garrison, George A. 1966. A preliminary study of response of plant reserves to systems and intensities of grazing on mountain rangeland in northwest U.S.A. In: Proceedings, 10th international grassland congress; 1966; Helsinki, Finland. [Place of publication unknown]: [Publisher unknown]: 937-940. On file with: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT. [996]

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USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information Service

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