Print Report
CEGL006053 Picea rubens / Vaccinium angustifolium / Sibbaldiopsis tridentata Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Red Spruce / Lowbush Blueberry / Shrubby Fivefingers Woodland
Colloquial Name: Northern Appalachian Red Spruce Rocky Ridge
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This red spruce woodland of the Northern Appalachians occurs primarily on acidic bedrock outcrops or summits. Soil development is restricted to crevices or sheltered areas interspersed with significant amounts of exposed bedrock. What soils are present are shallow, well-drained to excessively drained, acidic, coarse sands. Elevations of known examples range from near sea level at the coast to 305-760 m (1000-2500 feet) inland. The canopy is patchy and open, with areas of moderate canopy cover interspersed with areas of sparse vegetation and much open rock. Taken over a large area, woodland structure (25-60% canopy cover) is evident. Tall shrubs and herb are sparse. The dwarf-shrub layer is of variable cover, and may be locally extensive, as may bryoids. Canopy trees are primarily Picea rubens and Abies balsamea, with Pinus strobus occasionally codominant. Associated tree species include Betula papyrifera var. papyrifera, Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia, Pinus rigida, Thuja occidentalis, and Picea mariana. Typical tall shrubs are Sorbus americana, Sorbus decora, Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides, Ilex mucronata, Aronia melanocarpa, or Amelanchier spp. Morella pensylvanica and Picea glauca may be present in this community near the seacoast. The low heath layer is made up of Vaccinium angustifolium, Vaccinium myrtilloides, Gaylussacia baccata, and Kalmia angustifolia. Forbs and graminoids include Deschampsia flexuosa, Danthonia spicata, Piptatheropsis pungens, Sibbaldiopsis tridentata, Solidago simplex var. randii, and Maianthemum canadense. Bryoids include Cladonia spp., Pleurozium schreberi, Dicranum polysetum, Polytrichum juniperinum, Polytrichum piliferum, and Polytrichum commune. Ground cover is sparse needle litter and exposed bedrock. This association occurs on bedrock ridges and outcrops, compared to the floristically similar ~Picea rubens / Ribes glandulosum Woodland (CEGL006250)$$, which occurs on talus.
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: The canopy is patchy and open, with areas of moderate canopy cover interspersed with areas of sparse vegetation and much open rock. Taken over a large area, woodland structure (25-60% canopy cover) is evident. Tall shrubs and herb are sparse. The dwarf-shrub layer is of variable cover, and may be locally extensive, as may bryoids. Canopy trees are primarily Picea rubens and Abies balsamea, with Pinus strobus occasionally codominant. Associated tree species include Betula papyrifera var. papyrifera, Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia, Pinus rigida, Thuja occidentalis, and Picea mariana. Typical tall shrubs are Sorbus americana, Sorbus decora, Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides, Ilex mucronata (= Nemopanthus mucronatus), Aronia melanocarpa, or Amelanchier spp. Morella pensylvanica (= Myrica pensylvanica) and Picea glauca may be present in this community near the seacoast. The low heath layer is made up of Vaccinium angustifolium, Vaccinium myrtilloides, Gaylussacia baccata, and Kalmia angustifolia. Forbs and graminoids include Deschampsia flexuosa, Danthonia spicata, Piptatheropsis pungens (= Oryzopsis pungens), Sibbaldiopsis tridentata, Solidago simplex var. randii, and Maianthemum canadense. Bryoids include Cladonia spp. (= Cladina spp.), Pleurozium schreberi, Dicranum polysetum, Polytrichum juniperinum, Polytrichum piliferum, and Polytrichum commune. Ground cover is sparse needle litter and exposed bedrock.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This red spruce woodland of the Northern Appalachians occurs primarily on acidic bedrock outcrops or summits. Soil development is restricted to crevices or sheltered areas interspersed with significant amounts of exposed bedrock. What soils are present are shallow, well-drained to excessively drained, acidic, coarse sands. Elevations of known examples range from near sea level at the coast to 305-760 m (1000-2500 feet) inland.
Geographic Range: This red spruce woodland occurs primarily on acidic bedrock outcrops or summits of the Northern Appalachians and ranges from New Brunswick, Canada, to Pennsylvania.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: MA?, ME, NB, NH, NS?, NY, PA, QC?, VT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686595
Confidence Level: Low
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.d Red Spruce - Balsam Fir - Paper Birch Forest Group | G744 | 1.B.2.Na.7.d |
| Alliance | A3314 Red Spruce / Lowbush Blueberry Rocky Woodland Alliance | A3314 | 1.B.2.Na.7.d |
| Association | CEGL006053 Red Spruce / Lowbush Blueberry / Shrubby Fivefingers Woodland | CEGL006053 | 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: ? New England high elevation spruce/fir forest (Rawinski 1984a)
? Red spruce wooded rocky summit (NAP pers. comm. 1998)
? Red spruce wooded rocky summit (NAP pers. comm. 1998)
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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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- Hunt, D. M. 1999. Natural community descriptions and specifications: Communities known or suspected from Adirondack Nature Conservancy. Unpublished report. New York Natural Heritage Program, Albany, NY. 272 pp.
- 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]
- NAP [Northern Appalachian-Boreal Forest Working Group]. 1998. Northern Appalachian-Boreal Working group discussions. The Nature Conservancy, Boston, MA.
- Rawinski, T. 1984a. Natural community description abstract - southern New England calcareous seepage swamp. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, Boston, MA. 6 pp.
- 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.
- 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.