data(treeg)The habitats corresponding to codes 1 through 5 are: Ts/Pach; Ts/Op; Th/Pach; AG/Pach and PA/Pach. These codes refer to the climax tree species, which is the most shade-tolerant species that can grow on the site, and the dominant understorey plant, respectively. Ts refers to Thuja plicata and Tsuga heterophylla, Th refers to just Thuja plicata, AG is Abies grandis, PA is Picea engelmanii and Abies lasiocarpa, Pach is Pachistima myrsinites, and Op is the nasty Oplopanaz horridurn. Grand fir is considered a major climax species for AG/Pach, a major seral species for Th/Pach and PA/Pach, and a minor seral species for Ts/Pach and Ts/Op. Loosely speaking, a community is seral if there is evidence that at least some of the species are temporary, and climax if the community is self-regenerating (Daubenmire, 1952).
A. R. Stage, 1963. A mathematical approach to polymorphic site index curves for grand fir. Forest Science 9, 167--180.