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CEGL006175 Thuja occidentalis - (Picea rubens) / Tiarella cordifolia Swamp Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Northern White-cedar - (Red Spruce) / Heartleaf Foamflower Swamp Forest
Colloquial Name: Northern White-cedar - Spruce Seepage Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: These forests of northern white-cedar mixed with other boreal conifers are found on damp slopes in the cooler regions of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. They occur on gently sloping hillsides, or at slope bases, with significant seepage of cold calcium-enriched groundwater. The soils are mostly mineral, usually developed over circumneutral to calcareous bedrock, with little peat accumulation; peat is primarily sedge-derived. The canopy may be somewhat open but more often is closed (usually 65-95%), with a patchy shrub layer beneath. The herb layer is locally extensive and usually relatively species-rich. The bryoid layer is very well-developed, essentially continuous, with mossy hollows and hummocks of moss-covered decaying downed trees. The canopy may be strongly dominated by Thuja occidentalis or may be a mixture of Thuja with Picea rubens. Less abundant associates include Abies balsamea, Acer rubrum, Fraxinus nigra, and Betula alleghaniensis. Shrubs include Lonicera canadensis, Lonicera oblongifolia, Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides, and Acer spicatum. Particularly characteristic herbs are Mitella nuda, Platanthera obtusata, Orthilia secunda, and Dalibarda repens; common associates in the herb layer include Cornus canadensis, Clintonia borealis, Gaultheria hispidula, Coptis trifolia, Oxalis montana, Linnaea borealis, Tiarella cordifolia, and Gymnocarpium dryopteris. The bryophyte layer tends to have feathermosses (Hylocomium splendens, Thuidium delicatulum, and others), Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, and Bazzania trilobata more abundant than Sphagnum spp., which are also present. This association is similar to ~Thuja occidentalis / Sphagnum (girgensohnii, warnstorfii) Swamp Forest (CEGL006007)$$, but that type occurs in basins that have deeper peat soils and generally lacks the more upland herb species found in this type. A similar midwestern association, ~Larix laricina - Thuja occidentalis Swamp Forest (CEGL002455)$$, lacks red spruce.
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 may be somewhat open but more often is closed (usually 65-95%), with a patchy shrub layer beneath. The herb layer is locally extensive and usually relatively species-rich. The bryoid layer is very well-developed, essentially continuous, with mossy hollows and hummocks of moss-covered decaying downed trees. The canopy may be strongly dominated by Thuja occidentalis or may be a mixture of Thuja with Picea rubens. Less abundant associates include Abies balsamea, Acer rubrum, Fraxinus nigra, and Betula alleghaniensis. Shrubs include Lonicera canadensis, Lonicera oblongifolia, Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides, and Acer spicatum. Particularly characteristic herbs are Mitella nuda, Platanthera obtusata, Orthilia secunda (= Pyrola secunda), and Dalibarda repens; common associates in the herb layer include Cornus canadensis, Clintonia borealis, Gaultheria hispidula, Coptis trifolia (= Coptis groenlandica), Oxalis montana, Linnaea borealis, Tiarella cordifolia, and Gymnocarpium dryopteris. The bryophyte layer tends to have feathermosses (Hylocomium splendens, Thuidium delicatulum, and others), Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, and Bazzania trilobata more abundant than Sphagnum spp., which are also present.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: These forests of northern white-cedar mixed with other boreal conifers are found on damp slopes in the cooler regions of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. They occur on gently sloping hillsides, or at slope bases, with significant seepage of cold calcium-enriched groundwater. The soils are mostly mineral, usually developed over circumneutral to calcareous bedrock, with little peat accumulation; peat is primarily sedge-derived.
Geographic Range: These forests are found in the cooler regions of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: ME, NB, NH, NY, VT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686709
Confidence Level: Low
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.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.3 <i>Tsuga canadensis - Fraxinus nigra - Larix laricina</i> Flooded & Swamp Forest Macrogroup | M504 | 1.B.3.Na.3 |
| Group | 1.B.3.Na.3.d Northern White-cedar - Black Ash - Red Maple Swamp Forest Group | G046 | 1.B.3.Na.3.d |
| Alliance | A4465 <i>Thuja occidentalis - Acer rubrum - Abies balsamea</i> Acadian-Appalachian Swamp Forest Alliance | A4465 | 1.B.3.Na.3.d |
| Association | CEGL006175 Northern White-cedar - (Red Spruce) / Heartleaf Foamflower Swamp Forest | CEGL006175 | 1.B.3.Na.3.d |
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.
- 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.
- 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.