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CEGL006508 Thuja occidentalis - Fraxinus pennsylvanica / Acer pensylvanicum Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Northern White-cedar - Green Ash / Striped Maple Woodland
Colloquial Name: Northern White-cedar Mesic Rocky Woodland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association is a northern white-cedar open-canopy woodland known only from scattered locations in northern New England. It occurs on gentle to moderately steep slopes over talus, glacial till, or bedrock, in settings that are not xeric and that may have areas where seepage emerges. Where the underlying bedrock is granitic, the near-coastal location may ameliorate the effects of the acidic substrate to some degree; substrates in other locations appear to have a circumneutral tendency. Canopy closure is variable from closed to quite open. The lower layers are typically sparse, although the herb layer may be locally extensive. The canopy is strongly dominated by Thuja occidentalis. Associated canopy trees include Betula papyrifera, Betula alleghaniensis, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Picea rubens, Pinus strobus, Tsuga canadensis, Abies balsamea, or Acer saccharum. The shrub layer may include Abies balsamea, Acer pensylvanicum, Diervilla lonicera, or Amelanchier spp. The herbaceous layer includes Eurybia macrophylla, Oclemena acuminata, Dryopteris marginalis, Maianthemum canadense, Trientalis borealis, Danthonia spicata, Carex pedunculata, Carex gracillima, and Carex laxiflora. Typical bryophytes include Dicranum spp., Leucobryum glaucum, Pleurozium schreberi, and Hylocomium splendens. This cedar woodland overstory of the association resembles that of ~Thuja occidentalis / Gaylussacia baccata - Vaccinium angustifolium Woodland (CEGL006411)$$, but the mesic conditions, presence of Fraxinus spp. or Betula alleghaniensis, and lack of a heath layer distinguish this community.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association appears distinctive, but is known from only one limited area of the Maine coast and a few poorly documented locations in New Hampshire. More information on upland cedar-dominated woodlands across the species'' northeastern and midwestern range might help put this in context, and help determine whether it is a valid separate type or an odd variant of some other conifer woodland.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Canopy closure is variable from closed to quite open. The lower layers are typically sparse, although the herb layer may be locally extensive. The canopy is strongly dominated by Thuja occidentalis. Associated canopy trees include Betula papyrifera, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Picea rubens, Pinus strobus, Tsuga canadensis, Abies balsamea, or Acer saccharum. The shrub layer may include Abies balsamea, Acer pensylvanicum, Diervilla lonicera, or Amelanchier spp. The herbaceous layer includes Eurybia macrophylla (= Aster macrophyllus), Dryopteris marginalis, Maianthemum canadense, Trientalis borealis, Danthonia spicata, Carex pedunculata, Carex gracillima, and Carex laxiflora. Typical bryophytes include Dicranum spp., Leucobryum glaucum, Pleurozium schreberi, and Hylocomium splendens.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association is a northern white-cedar open-canopy woodland known only from scattered locations in northern New England. It occurs on gentle to moderately steep slopes over talus, glacial till, or occasionally bedrock where seepage emerges. Where the underlying bedrock is granitic, the near-coastal location may ameliorate the effects of the acidic substrate to some degree; substrates in other locations appear to have a circumneutral tendency.
Geographic Range: This association is found in northern New England and adjacent Canada.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: ME, NB, NH, NY, VT?
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686355
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
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.g <i>Tsuga canadensis - Picea rubens - Betula alleghaniensis</i> Forest Group | G920 | 1.B.2.Na.7.g |
| Alliance | A4451 Northern White-cedar Acidic Acadian-Appalachian Forest Alliance | A4451 | 1.B.2.Na.7.g |
| Association | CEGL006508 Northern White-cedar - Green Ash / Striped Maple Woodland | CEGL006508 | 1.B.2.Na.7.g |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
- 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.
- 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.
- Küchler, A. W. 1956. Notes on the vegetation of southeastern Mount Desert Island, Maine. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 38:335-392.
- Lubinski, S., K. Hop, and S. Gawler. 2003. Vegetation Mapping Program: Acadia National Park, Maine. Report produced by U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, and Maine Natural Areas Program in conjunction with M. Story (NPS Vegetation Mapping Coordinator) NPS, Natural Resources Information Division, Inventory and Monitoring Program, and K. Brown (USGS Vegetation Mapping Coordinator), USGS, Center for Biological Informatics and NatureServe. [http://biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/ftp/vegmapping/acad/reports/acadrpt.pdf]