Print Report
CEGL005044 Tsuga canadensis - Acer saccharum - Betula alleghaniensis Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Eastern Hemlock - Sugar Maple - Yellow Birch Forest
Colloquial Name: North-Central Hemlock - Hardwood Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This hemlock - hardwoods forest is found in the northern Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada. Sites are dry-mesic, typically coarse- to medium-textured ground and end moraines, but also silty/clayey lakeplains, thin glacial till over bedrock, and sand dunes. Soils are loamy sand to sandy loam, with moderately acidic soils. The tree canopy is dominated by a mix of evergreen and deciduous species. Acer saccharum, Betula alleghaniensis, and Tsuga canadensis dominate the canopy. Canopy associates include Acer rubrum. Shrub cover is moderate to sparse, including species such as Acer pensylvanicum (eastward), Acer spicatum, Corylus cornuta, Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa, and Viburnum lantanoides (eastward). Typical herbs include Actaea pachypoda, Aralia nudicaulis, Eurybia macrophylla, Carex arctata, Clintonia borealis, Dryopteris carthusiana, Galium triflorum, Lycopodium dendroideum, Maianthemum canadense, Medeola virginiana, Mitella nuda, Osmorhiza claytonii, Polygonatum pubescens, Streptopus lanceolatus var. longipes, Trientalis borealis, Trillium erectum, and Trillium grandiflorum. Mosses include Brachythecium reflexum, Callicladium haldanianum, Dicranum montanum, and Plagiothecium laetum.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type is either west of the range of Fagus grandifolia, or within the range of Fagus may occupy drier, and perhaps somewhat less acidic, sites (Chambers et al. 1997). In Michigan this type is found mostly on till/bedrock in western Upper Peninsula. Going eastward in the United States and Canada, the presence of Picea rubens may be a good indicator as to when ~Tsuga canadensis - (Betula alleghaniensis) - Picea rubens / Cornus canadensis Forest (CEGL006129)$$ occurs. Other more eastern species include Acer pensylvanicum, Viburnum lantanoides, and Trillium undulatum (Rogers 1980). The data by Rogers (1980), who examined pure hemlock stands (many of them less than 2 ha in size) from Wisconsin to Nova Scotia, make clear that there are few species strictly associated with a pure hemlock versus a mixed hemlock-hardwood type, and also indicate that some distinction between a Great Lakes versus northeastern United States/eastern Canada has some merit.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The tree canopy is dominated by a mix of evergreen and deciduous species. Acer saccharum, Betula alleghaniensis, and Tsuga canadensis dominate the canopy. Canopy associates include Acer rubrum. Shrub cover is moderate to sparse, including species such as Acer pensylvanicum (eastward), Acer spicatum, Corylus cornuta, Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa (= Sambucus pubens), and Viburnum lantanoides (= Viburnum alnifolium) (eastward). Typical herbs include Actaea pachypoda (= Actaea alba), Aralia nudicaulis, Eurybia macrophylla (= Aster macrophyllus), Carex arctata, Clintonia borealis, Dryopteris carthusiana, Galium triflorum, Lycopodium dendroideum, Maianthemum canadense, Medeola virginiana, Mitella nuda, Osmorhiza claytonii, Polygonatum pubescens, Streptopus lanceolatus var. longipes (= Streptopus roseus), Trientalis borealis, Trillium erectum, and Trillium grandiflorum. Mosses include Brachythecium reflexum, Callicladium haldanianum, Dicranum montanum, and Plagiothecium laetum (Curtis 1959, Chapman et al. 1989, Chambers et al. 1997).
Dynamics: Natural blowdowns by windstorms drive the landscape dynamics of this type. Fires are very uncommon (Frelich and Lorimer 1991a, 1991b, Frelich et al. 1993). The relatively small patch size of blowdowns leads to an old-growth-dominated landscape. Old-growth characteristics are summarized by Tyrrell and Crow (1994).
Environmental Description: Sites are dry-mesic, typically coarse- to medium-textured ground and end moraines, but also silty/clayey lakeplains, thin glacial till over bedrock, and sand dunes. Soils are loamy sand to sandy loam, with moderately acidic soils.
Geographic Range: This hemlock-hardwoods community type is found in the northern Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada, ranging from Michigan and Wisconsin to Ontario.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: MI, ON, WI
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688095
Confidence Level: Moderate
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.f Eastern Hemlock - Eastern White Pine - Yellow Birch Forest Group | G919 | 1.B.2.Na.7.f |
| Alliance | A4452 Eastern Hemlock - Yellow Birch - Sugar Maple Laurentian Forest Alliance | A4452 | 1.B.2.Na.7.f |
| Association | CEGL005044 Eastern Hemlock - Sugar Maple - Yellow Birch Forest | CEGL005044 | 1.B.2.Na.7.f |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Tsuga canadensis - Acer saccharum - Betula alleghaniensis Forest (Faber-Langendoen 2001) [Northern Mesic Forest Hemlock-Maple Subtype]
> Acer-Tsuga/Dryopteris (Kotar et al. 1988)
> Acer-Tsuga/Maianthemum (Kotar et al. 1988)
= Mesic Northern Forest - Hemlock-Beech (Chapman et al. 1989)
> Acer-Tsuga/Dryopteris (Kotar et al. 1988)
> Acer-Tsuga/Maianthemum (Kotar et al. 1988)
= Mesic Northern Forest - Hemlock-Beech (Chapman et al. 1989)
- Chambers, B. A., B. J. Naylor, J. Nieppola, B. Merchant, and P. Uhlig. 1997. Field guide to forest ecosystems of central Ontario. Southcentral Science Section (SCSS) Field Guide FG-01, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, North Bay, Ontario, Canada. 200 pp.
- Chapman, K. A., D. A. Albert, and G. A. Reese. 1989. Draft descriptions of Michigan''s natural community types. Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Lansing, MI. 35 pp.
- Curtis, J. T. 1959. The vegetation of Wisconsin: An ordination of plant communities. Reprinted in 1987. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison. 657 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.).
- Frelich, L. E., R. R. Calcote, M. B. Davis, and J. Pastor. 1993. Patch formation and maintenance in an old-growth hemlock-hardwood forest. Ecology 74(2):513-527.
- Frelich, L. E., and C. G. Lorimer. 1991a. Natural disturbance regimes in hemlock-hardwood forests of the upper Great Lakes region. Ecological Monographs 61(2):145-164.
- Frelich, L. E., and C. G. Lorimer. 1991b. A simulation of landscape-level stand dynamics in the northern hardwood region. Journal of Ecology 79:223-233.
- Hop, K., S. Menard, J. Drake, S. Lubinski, and J. Dieck. 2010a. National Park Service Vegetation Inventory Program: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Wisconsin. Natural Resource Report NPS/GLKN/NRR-2010/199. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 310 pp.
- Hop, K., S. Menard, J. Drake, S. Lubinski, and J. Dieck. 2010c. National Park Service Vegetation Inventory Program: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan. Natural Resource Report NPS/GLKN/NRR-2010/201. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. 358 pp.
- Kost, M. A., D. A. Albert, J. G. Cohen, B. S. Slaughter, R. K. Schillo, C. R. Weber, and K. A. Chapman. 2007. Natural communities of Michigan: Classification and description. Report No. 2007-21, Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Lansing. 314 pp. [http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/reports/2007-21_Natural_Communites_of_Michigan_Classification_and_Description.pdf]
- Kotar, J., J. A. Kovach, and C. T. Locey. 1988. Field guide to forest habitat types of northern Wisconsin. Department of Forestry, University of Wisconsin and Department of Natural Resources.
- 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.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- ONHIC [Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre]. 2018. Unpublished data. Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario, Canada.
- Rogers, R. S. 1980. Hemlock stands from Wisconsin to Nova Scotia: Transitions in understory composition along a floristic gradient. Ecology 61(1):178-193.
- Tyrrell, L. E., and T. R. Crow. 1994a. Structural characteristics of old-growth hemlock-hardwood forests in relation to age. Ecology 75(2):370-386.
- 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]