Print Report
CEGL002464 Betula papyrifera - Acer saccharum / Mixed Hardwoods Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Paper Birch - Sugar Maple / Mixed Hardwoods Forest
Colloquial Name: Paper Birch - Sugar Maple / Mixed Hardwoods Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This paper birch - northern hardwoods successional forest type is found in the subboreal regions of the Great Lakes of the United States and Canada and elsewhere in central Canada and the northeastern United States. Stands are often small, and found on slopes or in somewhat recently burned or otherwise disturbed areas. It has a moderately open to closed canopy dominated strongly by Betula papyrifera. Populus tremuloides, Populus grandidentata, typically with Acer saccharum or Acer rubrum may be present in smaller amounts. Tree reproduction layers are dominated by later successional deciduous trees. Acer saccharum or Acer rubrum may be dominant species in these layers. Acer rubrum, Betula alleghaniensis, Fagus grandifolia, and Quercus rubra are common components in some areas. Minor amounts of conifers may be present, including Pinus strobus or, in the Northeast, Picea rubens. The shrub layer is dominated by Acer spicatum and Corylus cornuta. The understory contains species such as Aralia nudicaulis, Eurybia macrophylla, Clintonia borealis, Cornus canadensis, Maianthemum canadense, Dryopteris intermedia, and Trientalis borealis. Diagnostic features include dominance by Betula papyrifera, and the presence of a variety of hardwood species in the understory, including Acer saccharum, Acer rubrum, Betula alleghaniensis, Fagus grandifolia, and Quercus rubra.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type is currently only described from northeastern Minnesota, northwestern Ontario, and northern New England. Information is needed from other parts of the range. It is very similar to, and may not be sufficiently distinctive floristically to warrant separation from the mixed ~Populus tremuloides - Betula papyrifera - Acer saccharum - Mixed Hardwoods Forest (CEGL002468)$$. Clintonia borealis, Lycopodium annotinum, and mosses may be more common in this community, whereas Eurybia macrophylla may be more common in CEGL002468, or other early successional community types dominated by both Populus tremuloides and Betula papyrifera (MNNHP 1993), but these suggested patterns need further study.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This type has a moderately open to closed canopy dominated strongly (>90%) by Betula papyrifera, often mixed with Acer saccharum. Populus tremuloides may be present in small amounts. Tree reproduction layers are dominated by later successional deciduous trees. Acer saccharum is often the dominant species in these layers. Acer rubrum, Betula alleghaniensis, and Quercus rubra are common components. The shrub layer is dominated by Acer spicatum and Corylus cornuta. The understory contains species such as Aralia nudicaulis, Eurybia macrophylla (= Aster macrophyllus), Clintonia borealis, Cornus canadensis, Maianthemum canadense, and Trientalis borealis. Diagnostic features include strong dominance by Betula papyrifera, and the presence of a variety of hardwood species in the understory, including Acer saccharum, Acer rubrum, Betula alleghaniensis, and Quercus rubra (Sims et al. 1989, MNNHP 1993).
Dynamics: This type appears to regenerate on burned areas, perhaps where soils are thin.
Environmental Description: Stands are often small, and found on shaded north-facing slopes or in recently burned areas (MNNHP 1993). In the northeastern United States, stands may be more extensive and are not restricted to north-facing slopes.
Geographic Range: This paper birch boreal forest type is found in the boreal regions of the Great Lakes of the United States and Canada and elsewhere in central Canada and the northeastern United States.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: MN, ON, WI?
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686013
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.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.h <i>Acer saccharum - Tilia americana - Fagus grandifolia</i> Forest Group | G921 | 1.B.2.Na.7.h |
| Alliance | A4444 Paper Birch - Quaking Aspen Laurentian Forest Alliance | A4444 | 1.B.2.Na.7.h |
| Association | CEGL002464 Paper Birch - Sugar Maple / Mixed Hardwoods Forest | CEGL002464 | 1.B.2.Na.7.h |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Betula papyrifera / Acer saccharum - Mixed Hardwoods Forest (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
< Beech - Sugar Maple: 60 (Eyre 1980)
< CNE mesic hardwood forest on acidic bedrock/till (Rawinski 1984a)
= Paper Birch Forest Northern Hardwoods Subtype (MNNHP 1993)
? Successional hardwoods (NAP pers. comm. 1998)
< Sugar Maple - Beech - Yellow Birch: 25 (Eyre 1980)
< Sugar Maple: 27 (Eyre 1980)
< Beech - Sugar Maple: 60 (Eyre 1980)
< CNE mesic hardwood forest on acidic bedrock/till (Rawinski 1984a)
= Paper Birch Forest Northern Hardwoods Subtype (MNNHP 1993)
? Successional hardwoods (NAP pers. comm. 1998)
< Sugar Maple - Beech - Yellow Birch: 25 (Eyre 1980)
< Sugar Maple: 27 (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.
- 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.
- 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.).
- 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.
- 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.
- NAP [Northern Appalachian-Boreal Forest Working Group]. 1998. Northern Appalachian-Boreal Working group discussions. The Nature Conservancy, Boston, MA.
- ONHIC [Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre]. 2018. Unpublished data. Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario, Canada.
- Rawinski, T. 1984a. Natural community description abstract - southern New England calcareous seepage swamp. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, Boston, MA. 6 pp.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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]