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CEGL006380 Betula alleghaniensis - Acer rubrum - (Tsuga canadensis, Abies balsamea) / Osmunda cinnamomea Swamp Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Yellow Birch - Red Maple - (Eastern Hemlock, Balsam Fir) / Cinnamon Fern Swamp Forest
Colloquial Name: Hardwood - Conifer Seepage Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This mixed forest type occurs in moist ecotonal areas between uplands and wetlands in New England and the Northern Appalachians. Settings include stream drainages, seepage channels, inactive river terraces, and slope bottoms, but not permanently saturated basins. Perennial seepage from upslope or an impervious soil layer keeps water near the surface. There is often pronounced hummock-and-hollow microtopography. The somewhat acidic to circumneutral mineral soils are typically saturated early in the season but may dry out as summer progresses. The canopy closure ranges from somewhat open to nearly closed. Shrubs are sparse; the herb layer is patchy and may be locally dense. The bryoid layer is typically fairly sparse. The canopy is codominated by Tsuga canadensis and mixed hardwoods such as Betula alleghaniensis, Fraxinus americana, and Acer rubrum. Less frequent species can include Pinus strobus, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, and Fraxinus nigra. Picea rubens may occur sporadically at the northern extent of this community, and Nyssa sylvatica may occur to the south. The shrub layer often includes Lindera benzoin, Viburnum lantanoides, and Acer pensylvanicum. The herb layer reflects the underlying moisture gradients, with Osmunda cinnamomea, Osmunda claytoniana, Geum rivale, Impatiens capensis, Thelypteris palustris, Arisaema triphyllum, Symplocarpus foetidus, Hydrocotyle americana, and Cardamine pensylvanica in the more moist areas, and Coptis trifolia, Thelypteris noveboracensis, Athyrium filix-femina, Oclemena acuminata, Dryopteris intermedia, Cornus canadensis, Aralia nudicaulis, and Clintonia borealis typical of the areas grading to upland. Bryophyte cover is variable and often includes Sphagnum girgensohnii, Thuidium delicatulum, Bazzania trilobata, and Mnium spp. These forests are somewhat similar to ~Tsuga canadensis - Betula alleghaniensis / Ilex verticillata / Sphagnum spp. Swamp Forest (CEGL006226)$$ but occur on mineral soils, not in peaty basins, and have understory species that indicate somewhat more nutrient-enriched conditions.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Conifers are characteristic but not necessarily prominent. The more southerly examples have hemlock as an associate, while more northerly examples tend to have balsam fir.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The canopy closure ranges from somewhat open to nearly closed. Shrubs are sparse; the herb layer is patchy and may be locally dense. The bryoid layer is typically fairly sparse. The canopy is codominated by Tsuga canadensis and mixed hardwoods such as Betula alleghaniensis and Acer rubrum. Less frequent species can include Pinus strobus, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, and Fraxinus nigra. Picea rubens and/or Abies balsamea may occur sporadically at the northern extent of this community, and Nyssa sylvatica may occur to the south. The shrub layer often includes Lindera benzoin, Viburnum lantanoides (= Viburnum alnifolium), and Acer pensylvanicum. The herb layer reflects the underlying moisture gradients, with Osmunda cinnamomea, Osmunda claytoniana, Geum rivale, Impatiens capensis, Thelypteris palustris, Arisaema triphyllum, Symplocarpus foetidus, Hydrocotyle americana, and Cardamine pensylvanica in the more moist areas, and Coptis trifolia, Thelypteris noveboracensis, Oclemena acuminata (= Aster acuminatus), Dryopteris intermedia, Cornus canadensis, Aralia nudicaulis, and Clintonia borealis typical of the areas grading to upland. Bryophyte cover is spotty, and often includes Sphagnum girgensohnii, Bazzania trilobata, and Mnium spp.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This mixed forest type occurs in moist ecotonal areas between uplands and wetlands in New England and the Northern Appalachians. Settings include stream drainages, seepage channels, inactive river terraces, and slope bottoms where an impervious soil layer keeps water near the surface, but not permanently saturated basins. The somewhat acidic to circumneutral mineral soils are typically saturated early in the season, but may dry out as summer progresses. There is often pronounced hummock-and-hollow microtopography.
Geographic Range: This mixed forest type occurs in moist ecotonal areas between uplands and wetlands in New England and the Northern Appalachians, and adjacent Canada.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: CT, MA, ME, NB, NH, NY, QC?, RI, VT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683857
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4?
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.2 Pin Oak - Green Ash - Blackgum Swamp Forest Macrogroup | M503 | 1.B.3.Na.2 |
| Group | 1.B.3.Na.2.h <i>Quercus bicolor - Fagus grandifolia - Acer rubrum</i> Swamp Forest Group | G918 | 1.B.3.Na.2.h |
| Alliance | A4461 <i>Acer rubrum - Fraxinus pennsylvanica</i> Northeast Alkaline Swamp Forest Alliance | A4461 | 1.B.3.Na.2.h |
| Association | CEGL006380 Yellow Birch - Red Maple - (Eastern Hemlock, Balsam Fir) / Cinnamon Fern Swamp Forest | CEGL006380 | 1.B.3.Na.2.h |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < Hemlock - Yellow Birch: 24 (Eyre 1980)
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