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CEGL006007 Thuja occidentalis / Sphagnum (girgensohnii, warnstorfii) Swamp Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Northern White-cedar / (Girgensohn''s Peatmoss, Fen Peatmoss) Swamp Forest
Colloquial Name: Northern White-cedar Peatland Swamp Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: These cedar swamps are closed-canopy forests in enriched peatland basins in the Northern Appalachians and possibly adjacent Canada. They typically occur in small forested basins, or along lakes or streams, but may rarely occur in the enriched portions of larger peatlands where there is an influence of minerotrophic groundwater. They often occur in areas of calcareous or at least circumneutral bedrock. The soils are organic and range widely in depth of the peat. Canopy closure ranges from somewhat open to closed, and the forest floor is typically dark and cool. Shrub and herb coverage may be sparse to locally dense, with increased cover in canopy gaps. Herbs are typically scattered thinly over the moss layer. Bryophytes are abundant and form a mossy carpet. Thuja occidentalis is the canopy dominant; associates include Picea mariana, Abies balsamea, and Larix laricina. Tsuga canadensis, Picea rubens, or Pinus strobus are occasionally present. Shrubs include Lonicera canadensis, Ilex verticillata, Vaccinium corymbosum, Nemopanthus mucronatus, and small amounts of Kalmia angustifolia. Rhamnus alnifolia is typical in the more enriched swamps. The herb layer is often diverse and features Gaultheria hispidula, Carex trisperma, Carex disperma, Linnaea borealis, Mitella nuda, Mitella diphylla, Tiarella cordifolia, Orthilia secunda, Rumex acetosella, Gymnocarpium dryopteris, Phegopteris connectilis, Chrysosplenium americanum, Moneses uniflora, Cornus canadensis, Trientalis borealis, Carex leptalea, Carex pedunculata, and Coptis trifolia, with the uncommon Calypso bulbosa, Cypripedium reginae, and Cypripedium parviflorum in some swamps. Sphagnum mosses, especially Sphagnum girgensohnii and Sphagnum warnstorfii, form a mixed moss layer with Hylocomium splendens, Pleurozium schreberi, Thuidium delicatulum, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, and Bazzania trilobata, with Calliergon cordifolium, Calliergon giganteum, Rhizomnium punctatum, Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, Leptodictyum riparium, and Campylium stellatum in wet hollows. This association is related to ~Thuja occidentalis - (Picea rubens) / Tiarella cordifolia Swamp Forest (CEGL006175)$$, but occurs in basins rather than on slopes and has deeper peat soils.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Canopy closure ranges from somewhat open to closed, and the forest floor is typically dark and cool. Shrub and herb coverage may be sparse to locally dense, with increased cover in canopy gaps. Herbs are typically scattered thinly over the moss layer. Bryophytes are abundant and form a mossy carpet. Thuja occidentalis is the canopy dominant; associates include Picea mariana, Abies balsamea, and Larix laricina. Tsuga canadensis, Picea rubens, or Pinus strobus are occasionally present. Shrubs include Lonicera canadensis, Ilex verticillata, Vaccinium corymbosum, Nemopanthus mucronatus, and small amounts of Kalmia angustifolia. Rhamnus alnifolia is typical in the more enriched swamps. The herb layer is often diverse and features boreal species such as Gaultheria hispidula, Carex trisperma, Carex disperma, Linnaea borealis, Mitella nuda, Mitella diphylla, Tiarella cordifolia, Orthilia secunda (= Pyrola secunda), Rumex acetosella, Gymnocarpium dryopteris, Phegopteris connectilis (= Thelypteris phegopteris), Chrysosplenium americanum, Moneses uniflora, Cornus canadensis, Trientalis borealis, Carex leptalea, Carex pedunculata, and Coptis trifolia (= Coptis groenlandica), with the uncommon Calypso bulbosa, Cypripedium reginae, and Cypripedium parviflorum in some swamps. Sphagnum mosses, especially Sphagnum girgensohnii and Sphagnum warnstorfii, form a mixed moss layer with Hylocomium splendens, Pleurozium schreberi, Thuidium delicatulum, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, and Bazzania trilobata, with Calliergon cordifolium, Calliergon giganteum, Rhizomnium punctatum (= Mnium punctatum), Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, Leptodictyum riparium (= Amblystegium riparium), and Campylium stellatum in wet hollows.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: These cedar swamps are closed-canopy forests in enriched peatland basins in the Northern Appalachians and possibly adjacent Canada. They typically occur in small forested basins, or along lakes or streams, but may rarely occur in the enriched portions of larger peatlands where there is an influence of minerotrophic groundwater. They often occur in areas of calcareous or at least circumneutral bedrock. The soils are organic and range widely in depth of the peat.
Geographic Range: This swamp forest is found from Maine to New York.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CT, ME, NH, NY, VT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683188
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
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.3 Temperate Flooded & Swamp Forest Formation | F026 | 1.B.3 |
| Division | 1.B.3.Na Eastern North American-Great Plains Flooded & Swamp Forest Division | D011 | 1.B.3.Na |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.3.Na.3 <i>Tsuga canadensis - Fraxinus nigra - Larix laricina</i> Flooded & Swamp Forest Macrogroup | M504 | 1.B.3.Na.3 |
| Group | 1.B.3.Na.3.d Northern White-cedar - Black Ash - Red Maple Swamp Forest Group | G046 | 1.B.3.Na.3.d |
| Alliance | A4465 <i>Thuja occidentalis - Acer rubrum - Abies balsamea</i> Acadian-Appalachian Swamp Forest Alliance | A4465 | 1.B.3.Na.3.d |
| Association | CEGL006007 Northern White-cedar / (Girgensohn''s Peatmoss, Fen Peatmoss) Swamp Forest | CEGL006007 | 1.B.3.Na.3.d |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < Northern White-Cedar: 37 (Eyre 1980)
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- Edinger, G. J., D. J. Evans, S. Gebauer, T. G. Howard, D. M. Hunt, and A. M. Olivero, editors. 2014a. Ecological communities of New York state. Second edition. A revised and expanded edition of Carol Reschke''s ecological communities of New York state. New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY.
- Eyre, F. H., editor. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Society of American Foresters, Washington, DC. 148 pp.
- Gawler, S. C. 2002. Natural landscapes of Maine: A guide to vegetated natural communities and ecosystems. Maine Natural Areas Program, Department of Conservation, Augusta, ME.
- Gawler, S. C., and A. Cutko. 2010. Natural landscapes of Maine: A classification of vegetated natural communities and ecosystems. Maine Natural Areas Program, Department of Conservation, Augusta.
- Metzler, K., and J. Barrett. 2006. The vegetation of Connecticut: A preliminary classification. State Geological and Natural History Survey, Report of Investigations No. 12. Connecticut Natural Diversity Database, Hartford, CT.
- Sperduto, D. D., and W. F. Nichols. 2004. Natural communities of New Hampshire: A guide and classification. New Hampshire Natural Heritage Bureau, DRED Division of Forests and Lands, Concord. 242 pp.
- Thompson, E. H., and E. R. Sorenson. 2005. Wetland, woodland, wildland: A guide to the natural communities of Vermont. The Nature Conservancy and the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife. University Press of New England, Hanover, NH. 456 pp.