Print Report
CEGL006507 Thuja occidentalis - Abies balsamea / Ledum groenlandicum / Carex trisperma Swamp Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Northern White-cedar - Balsam Fir / Bog Labrador-tea / Three-seeded Sedge Swamp Woodland
Colloquial Name: Northern White-cedar Wooded Fen
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: These are northern white-cedar bog woodlands of basin peatlands in the northern Appalachian Mountains. They occur on shallow to deep peat in depressional wetlands in glacial till. The open canopy, usually under 60% closure, allows for development of fairly extensive dwarf-shrub and/or herbaceous layers. Tall shrubs are generally sparse, although they may be locally abundant. The bryoid layer is continuous. The partial canopy is dominated by Thuja occidentalis, in association with Picea mariana, Larix laricina, Abies balsamea, and Acer rubrum. The subcanopy contains a similar species array. The tall-shrub layer is characterized by Alnus incana, Ilex verticillata, and Viburnum nudum. Dwarf-shrubs typically include Vaccinium angustifolium, Kalmia angustifolia, and Gaylussacia baccata. Morella pensylvanica is an associate at some coastal sites. The herbaceous layer includes Maianthemum trifolium, Carex trisperma, Carex stricta, Calamagrostis canadensis, Osmunda cinnamomea, Coptis trifolia, Onoclea sensibilis, and Osmunda regalis. The bryophyte layer is well-developed and characterized by Sphagnum magellanicum, Sphagnum girgensohnii, Sphagnum papillosum, Sphagnum wulfianum, Sphagnum capillifolium, Sphagnum recurvum, Sphagnum compactum, Sphagnum flavicomans, and Pleurozium schreberi. This association differs from northern white-cedar swamps, e.g., ~Thuja occidentalis / Sphagnum (girgensohnii, warnstorfii) Swamp Forest (CEGL006007)$$, in its more open canopy and (typically) association with open peatlands; it also usually occurs on deeper peats than do the closed-canopy northern white-cedar swamps. These woodlands can grade into open fen vegetation with widely scattered Thuja.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Information on Canadian distribution is needed.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The open canopy, usually under 60% closure, allows for development of fairly extensive dwarf-shrub and/or herbaceous layers. Tall shrubs are generally sparse, although they may be locally abundant. The bryoid layer is continuous. The partial canopy is dominated by Thuja occidentalis, in association with Picea mariana, Larix laricina, Abies balsamea, and Acer rubrum. The subcanopy contains a similar species array. The tall-shrub layer is characterized by Alnus incana, Ilex verticillata, and Viburnum nudum. Dwarf-shrubs typically include Vaccinium angustifolium, Kalmia angustifolia, and Gaylussacia baccata. Morella pensylvanica (= Myrica pensylvanica) is an associate at some coastal sites. The herbaceous layer includes Maianthemum trifolium, Carex trisperma, Carex stricta, Calamagrostis canadensis, Osmunda cinnamomea, Coptis trifolia, Onoclea sensibilis, and Osmunda regalis. The bryophyte layer is well-developed and characterized by Sphagnum magellanicum, Sphagnum girgensohnii, Sphagnum papillosum, Sphagnum wulfianum, Sphagnum capillifolium, Sphagnum recurvum, Sphagnum compactum, Sphagnum flavicomans, and Pleurozium schreberi.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: These are northern white-cedar bog woodlands of basin peatlands in the northern Appalachian Mountains. They occur on shallow to deep peat in depressional wetlands in glacial till.
Geographic Range: This northern white-cedar bog woodland occurs in basin peatlands of the northern Appalachian Mountains from Vermont to New Brunswick, Canada.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: ME, NB, NH, VT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688278
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 | CEGL006507 Northern White-cedar - Balsam Fir / Bog Labrador-tea / Three-seeded Sedge Swamp Woodland | CEGL006507 | 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: = Type 22: Gymnosperm wooded fen-mixed wooded fen (Thuja occidentalis-Abies balsamea-Acer rubrum-Alnus incana ssp. rugosa) (Anderson and Davis 1997)
- Anderson, D. S., and R. B. Davis. 1997. The vegetation and its environment in Maine peatlands. Canadian Journal of Botany 75:1785-1805.
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- 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.
- Hill, A. F. 1923. The vegetation of the Penobscot Bay region, Maine. Proceedings of the Portland Society of Natural History 3:307-438.
- 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]
- Moore, B., and N. Taylor. 1927. An ecological study of the vegetation of Mount Desert Island, Maine. Brooklyn Botanical Garden Memoirs 3:1-151.
- 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.