Print Report
CEGL002452 Picea mariana / Alnus incana / Sphagnum spp. Swamp Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Black Spruce / Gray Alder / Peatmoss species Swamp Forest
Colloquial Name: Black Spruce / Alder Intermediate Swamp
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This black spruce intermediate swamp type is found in the southern boreal forest of the Great Lakes of the United States and adjacent Canada. Stands occur on level, wet, poorly drained organic soils. The peat on which this community is usually found may be shallow to deep, and nutrient levels are moderate to high. The overstory is composed almost exclusively of conifers. Picea mariana is the most abundant tree and may occur in pure stands. Abies balsamea, Larix laricina, and Thuja occidentalis vary from minor to codominant. There is a moderately well-developed tall-shrub/sapling layer, consisting of Alnus incana and saplings of the canopy trees. Several shrubs, many of them ericaceous, make up a low-shrub layer. These include Andromeda polifolia, Chamaedaphne calyculata, Gaultheria hispidula, Ledum groenlandicum, Linnaea borealis, Rubus pubescens, and Vaccinium angustifolium. The herbaceous layer is frequently species rich, containing species such as Calamagrostis canadensis (in Manitoba), Carex leptalea, Carex trisperma, Clintonia borealis, Coptis trifolia, Cornus canadensis, Dryopteris cristata, Eriophorum spp., Mitella nuda, and Trientalis borealis. Mosses include Dicranum flagellare, Dicranum polysetum, Pleurozium schreberi, Ptilium crista-castrensis, Sphagnum girgensohnii, Sphagnum magellanicum, and Sphagnum capillifolium.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Conceptually, this type is an intermediate black spruce swamp. Small pockets of standing water may occur. The understory ranges from herb- and shrub-rich to poor. Ledum groenlandicum may be prominent in some stands, while Equisetum sylvaticum and various Carex spp. may be abundant in the herb layer. In Wisconsin, there may be small patches resembling this type, sometimes in more extensive stands of cedar or tamarack (E. Epstein pers. comm. 1999). In Minnesota, a distinction is made between rich black spruce swamps in basins (FPn62a) and those found in water tracks of large peatlands (FPn71a). The latter type may more closely resemble similar Rich Tamarack Swamps in water tracks of large peatlands (FPn81a). Together these show stronger resemblance to Northern Poor Conifer Swamps (APn81), and thus may have characteristics of an intermediate conifer swamp type. But intermediate conifer swamps in northwestern Ontario were not directly related to water tracks (Harris et al. 1996).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The overstory is composed almost exclusively of conifers. Picea mariana is the most abundant tree and may occur in pure stands. Abies balsamea, Larix laricina, and Thuja occidentalis vary from minor to codominant. There is a moderately well-developed tall-shrub/sapling layer, consisting of Alnus incana and saplings of the canopy trees. Several shrubs, many of them ericaceous, make up a low-shrub layer. These include Andromeda polifolia, Chamaedaphne calyculata, Gaultheria hispidula, Ledum groenlandicum, Linnaea borealis, Rubus pubescens, and Vaccinium angustifolium. The herbaceous layer is frequently species-rich, containing species such as Calamagrostis canadensis (in Manitoba), Carex leptalea, Carex trisperma, Clintonia borealis, Coptis trifolia, Cornus canadensis, Dryopteris cristata, Eriophorum spp., Mitella nuda, and Trientalis borealis. Mosses include Dicranum flagellare, Dicranum polysetum, Pleurozium schreberi, Ptilium crista-castrensis, Sphagnum girgensohnii, Sphagnum magellanicum, and Sphagnum capillifolium (= Sphagnum nemoreum) (Sims et al. 1989, Harris et al. 1996, Chambers et al. 1997).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This community occurs on level, wet, poorly drained organic soils (Zoladeski et al. 1995). The peat on which this community is usually found may be shallow to deep, and nutrient levels are moderate to high for typical Picea mariana swamps.
Geographic Range: This black spruce conifer intermediate swamp type is found in the southern boreal forest of the Great Lakes of the United States and adjacent Canada and ranges from northern Minnesota, northern Ontario and Manitoba, and probably more widely in central and eastern Canada.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: MB, MI, MN, ON, QC?, WI
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683077
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G5
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 1 Forest & Woodland Class | C01 | 1 |
| Subclass | 1.B Temperate & Boreal Forest & Woodland Subclass | S15 | 1.B |
| Formation | 1.B.5 Boreal Flooded & Swamp Forest Formation | F036 | 1.B.5 |
| Division | 1.B.5.Na North American Boreal Flooded & Swamp Forest Division | D016 | 1.B.5.Na |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.5.Na.2 North American Boreal Flooded & Rich Swamp Forest Macrogroup | M300 | 1.B.5.Na.2 |
| Group | 1.B.5.Na.2.b Ontario-Québec Boreal Flooded & Rich Swamp Forest Group | G809 | 1.B.5.Na.2.b |
| Alliance | A3829 Black Spruce - Balsam Fir / Cinnamon Fern Swamp Forest Alliance | A3829 | 1.B.5.Na.2.b |
| Association | CEGL002452 Black Spruce / Gray Alder / Peatmoss species Swamp Forest | CEGL002452 | 1.B.5.Na.2.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Dryopterideto cristate - Picetum Association (Janssen 1967)
= Picea mariana / Alnus incana / Sphagnum spp. Forest (Faber-Langendoen 2001) [Northern Wet Forest Black Spruce Rich Swamp Subtype]
= Black Spruce - Alnus Type (Kurmis et al. 1986)
= Black Spruce / Herb Rich / Sphagnum Forest (Zoladeski et al. 1995)
= Tree islands (Glaser 1992b) [?]
= Picea mariana / Alnus incana / Sphagnum spp. Forest (Faber-Langendoen 2001) [Northern Wet Forest Black Spruce Rich Swamp Subtype]
= Black Spruce - Alnus Type (Kurmis et al. 1986)
= Black Spruce / Herb Rich / Sphagnum Forest (Zoladeski et al. 1995)
= Tree islands (Glaser 1992b) [?]
- CDPNQ [Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec]. No date. Unpublished data. Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec, Québec.
- Chambers, B. A., B. J. Naylor, J. Nieppola, B. Merchant, and P. Uhlig. 1997. Field guide to forest ecosystems of central Ontario. Southcentral Science Section (SCSS) Field Guide FG-01, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, North Bay, Ontario, Canada. 200 pp.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., editor. 2001. Plant communities of the Midwest: Classification in an ecological context. Association for Biodiversity Information, Arlington, VA. 61 pp. plus appendix (705 pp.).
- Glaser, P. H. 1992b. Vegetation and water chemistry. Pages 15-26 in: H. E. Wright, Jr., B. A. Coffin, and N. E. Aaseng, editors. The patterned peatlands of Minnesota. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN.
- Greenall, J. A. 1996. Manitoba''s terrestrial plant communities. MS Report 96-02. Manitoba Conservation Data Centre, Winnipeg.
- Harris, A. G., S. C. McMurray, P. W. C. Uhlig, J. K. Jeglum, R. F. Foster, and G. D. Racey. 1996. Field guide to the wetland ecosystem classification for northwestern Ontario. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Northwest Science and Technology, Thunder Bay, Ontario. Field guide FG-01. 74 pp. plus appendix.
- Hop, K., D. Faber-Langendoen, M. Lew-Smith, N. Aaseng, and S. Lubinski. [1999]. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota. USDI U.S. Geological Survey, La Crosse, WI. 210 pp.
- Janssen, C. R. 1967. A floristic study of forests and bog vegetation, northwestern Minnesota. Ecology 48(5):751-765.
- Kost, M. A., D. A. Albert, J. G. Cohen, B. S. Slaughter, R. K. Schillo, C. R. Weber, and K. A. Chapman. 2007. Natural communities of Michigan: Classification and description. Report No. 2007-21, Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Lansing. 314 pp. [http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/reports/2007-21_Natural_Communites_of_Michigan_Classification_and_Description.pdf]
- Kurmis, V., S. L. Webb, and L. C. Merriam. 1986. Plant communities of Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, U.S.A. Canadian Journal of Botany 64:531-540.
- Lee, H., W. Bakowsky, J. Riley, J. Bowles, M. Puddister, P. Uhlig, and S. McMurray. 1998. Ecological land classification for southern Ontario: First approximation and its application. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Southcentral Science Section, Science Development and Transfer Branch. SCSS Field Guide FG-02.
- MNNHP [Minnesota Natural Heritage Program]. 1993. Minnesota''s native vegetation: A key to natural communities. Version 1.5. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program, St. Paul, MN. 110 pp.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- Minnesota DNR [Minnesota Department of Natural Resources]. 2003-2005a. Field guide to the native plant communities of Minnesota. Three volumes: The Laurentian Mixed Forest Province (2003), The Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province (2005c), The Prairie Parkland and Tallgrass Aspen Parklands provinces (2005b). Ecological Land Classification Program, Minnesota County Biological Survey, and Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul.
- Minnesota DNR [Minnesota Department of Natural Resources]. 2003. Field guide to the native plant communities of Minnesota: The Laurentian Mixed Forest Province. Ecological Land Classification Program, Minnesota County Biological Survey, and Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul.
- ONHIC [Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre]. 2018. Unpublished data. Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario, Canada.
- Sims, R. A., W. D. Towill, K. A. Baldwin, and G. M. Wickware. 1989. Field guide to the forest ecosystem classification for northwestern Ontario. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Toronto. 191 pp.
- TNC [The Nature Conservancy]. 1999b. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Classification of the vegetation of Isle Royale National Park. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Regional Office, Minneapolis, MN, and International Headquarters, Arlington, VA. 143 pp.
- WDNR [Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources]. 2015. The ecological landscapes of Wisconsin: An assessment of ecological resources and a guide to planning sustainable management. PUB-SS-1131 2015. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison. [http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/landscapes/Book.html]
- Zoladeski, C. A., G. M. Wickware, R. J. Delorme, R. A. Sims, and I. G. W. Corns. 1995. Forest ecosystem classification for Manitoba: Field guide. Special Report 2. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Northwest Region, Northern Forestry Center, Edmonton, Alberta.