Print Report
CEGL006112 Abies balsamea - (Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia) Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Balsam Fir - (Mountain Paper Birch) Forest
Colloquial Name: Montane Balsam Fir - Birch Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: These subalpine forests occur near treeline on mountains of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. They are found on upper mountain slopes and ridgetops (above 915 m [3000 feet]) where they are associated with high winds, cold temperatures and shallow, acidic soils with a strong organic component. They are usually coniferous, but in some cases Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia may be a long-term replacement after disturbance. Canopy coverage is usually 70-85%. The shrub layer is sparse where the canopy is closed, but disturbance-created patches that are frequent within this forest may have dense shrub cover. Dwarf-shrubs and herbs are sparse; the coverage of bryoids is variable. In the canopy, Abies balsamea is often dominant and may form pure stands; Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia and Picea rubens are common associates, usually of minor importance except for post-disturbance patches that may be strongly birch-dominated. Typically forms large patches between 1070 and 1370 m (3500-4500 feet), but may be almost matrix. The shrub layer is predominantly Abies seedlings with occasional Sorbus americana, Alnus viridis, Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides, and Ledum groenlandicum. Characteristic herbs include Dryopteris campyloptera, Oxalis montana, Maianthemum canadense, Clintonia borealis, Cornus canadensis, Coptis trifolia, Solidago macrophylla, and the clubmoss Lycopodium annotinum. Bryophytes include Dicranum scoparium, Dicranum fuscescens, Polytrichum ohioense, Plagiothecium laetum, Bazzania trilobata, and Pleurozium schreberi. These forests generally occur above montane spruce-fir forests and spruce-hardwood forests, and approach a matrix forest above 1220 m (4000 feet). Fir waves are a physiognomically unusual expression of this community.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Summarized from Fitzgerald (1989): Frequent wind-induced disturbance tends to favor growth of balsam fir over red spruce when the two occur together (McIntosh and Hurley 1964, Sprugel 1976). Seedlings of both species can live suppressed for many years, but balsam fir has a competitive advantage due to its more highly developed root system (Fowells 1965). This results in an increase of balsam fir at the expense of red spruce.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: They are usually coniferous, but in some cases Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia may be a long-term replacement after disturbance. Canopy coverage is usually 70-85%. The shrub layer is sparse where the canopy is closed, but disturbance-created patches that are frequent within this forest may have dense shrub cover. Dwarf-shrubs and herbs are sparse; the coverage of bryoids is variable. In the canopy, Abies balsamea is often dominant and may form pure stands; Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia and Picea rubens are common associates, usually of minor importance except for post-disturbance patches that may be strongly birch-dominated. Typically forms large patches between 1070 and 1370 m (3500-4500 feet), but may be almost matrix. The shrub layer is predominantly Abies seedlings with occasional Sorbus americana, Alnus viridis, Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides, and Ledum groenlandicum. Characteristic herbs include Dryopteris campyloptera, Oxalis montana (= Oxalis acetosella), Maianthemum canadense, Clintonia borealis, Cornus canadensis, Coptis trifolia (= Coptis groenlandica), Solidago macrophylla, and the clubmoss Lycopodium annotinum. Bryophytes include Dicranum scoparium, Dicranum fuscescens, Polytrichum ohioense, Plagiothecium laetum, Bazzania trilobata, and Pleurozium schreberi. These forests generally occur above montane spruce-fir forests and spruce-hardwood forests, and approach a matrix forest above 1220 m (4000 feet). Fir waves are a physiognomically unusual expression of this community.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: These subalpine forests occur near treeline on mountains of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. They are found on upper mountain slopes and ridgetops (above 915 m [3000 feet] elevation) where they are associated with high winds, cold temperatures and shallow, acidic soils with a strong organic component.
Geographic Range: These subalpine forests occur near treeline on mountains of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: MA, ME, NB, NH, NY, QC?, VT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683349
Confidence Level: Moderate
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.2 Cool Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation | F008 | 1.B.2 |
| Division | 1.B.2.Na Eastern North American Forest & Woodland Division | D008 | 1.B.2.Na |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Na.7 Sugar Maple - Yellow Birch - Eastern Hemlock Forest Macrogroup | M014 | 1.B.2.Na.7 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.7.d Red Spruce - Balsam Fir - Paper Birch Forest Group | G744 | 1.B.2.Na.7.d |
| Alliance | A4443 Red Spruce - Balsam Fir - Yellow Birch Forest Alliance | A4443 | 1.B.2.Na.7.d |
| Association | CEGL006112 Balsam Fir - (Mountain Paper Birch) Forest | CEGL006112 | 1.B.2.Na.7.d |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Mountain fir forest (Reschke 1990)
? New England high elevation spruce/fir forest (Rawinski 1984a)
< Paper Birch - Red Spruce - Balsam Fir: 35 (Eyre 1980)
< Red Spruce - Balsam Fir: 33 (Eyre 1980)
? New England high elevation spruce/fir forest (Rawinski 1984a)
< Paper Birch - Red Spruce - Balsam Fir: 35 (Eyre 1980)
< Red Spruce - Balsam Fir: 33 (Eyre 1980)
- CDPNQ [Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec]. No date. Unpublished data. Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec, Québec.
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- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
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- Eyre, F. H., editor. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Society of American Foresters, Washington, DC. 148 pp.
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- Fowells, H. A, compiler. 1965. Silvics of the forest trees of the United States. Agriculture Handbook No. 271. USDA Forest Service, Washington, DC. 762 pp.
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- McIntosh, R. P., and R. T. Hurley. 1964. The spruce-fir forests of the Catskill Mountains. Ecology 45:314-326.
- Rawinski, T. 1984a. Natural community description abstract - southern New England calcareous seepage swamp. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, Boston, MA. 6 pp.
- Reschke, C. 1990. Ecological communities of New York State. New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Latham, NY. 96 pp.
- Slack, N. G. 1977. Species diversity and community structure in bryophytes: New York State studies. New York State Museum, Bulletin 428, The University of the State of New York, The State of Education Department, Albany, NY.
- 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.
- Sprugel, D. G. 1976. Dynamic structure of wave-regenerated Abies balsamea forests in the north-eastern United States. Journal of Ecology 64:889-911.
- Swain, P. C., and J. B. Kearsley. 2014. Classification of the natural communities of Massachusetts. Version 2.0. Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Westborough, MA. [http://www.mass.gov/nhesp/http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/natural-heritage/natural-communities/classification-of-natural-communities.html]
- 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.