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CEGL006273 Picea rubens - Abies balsamea - Betula papyrifera Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Red Spruce - Balsam Fir - Paper Birch Forest
Colloquial Name: Lowland Red Spruce - Fir Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: These red spruce - balsam fir forests are widespread on lower-elevation slopes across boreal regions of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. They occur in cool and generally moist upland settings, on well-drained tills, and occasionally on kame deposits or eskers. Some areas of poorly drained soils may be present. Most are at elevations of 245-610 m (800-2000 feet). Cold-air drainage allows them to occur in lowlands elevationally below northern hardwood forests. These low-diversity forests have a closed canopy and very sparse shrub and herbaceous layers, except in gaps where regeneration can be dense. The canopy is dominated by Picea rubens, with a minor to moderate amount of Abies balsamea. Associate canopy species may include Picea glauca, Picea mariana, Betula alleghaniensis, Betula papyrifera, and minor amounts of Acer rubrum, Populus tremuloides, or Larix laricina. Tsuga canadensis and Pinus strobus may be present, but are rarely abundant. The shrub layer is patchy and typically includes Acer pensylvanicum and Viburnum lantanoides. Occasional shrubs include Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides, Ilex mucronata, and Sorbus americana or Sorbus decora. The herb layer includes Oxalis montana, Cornus canadensis, Gaultheria hispidula, Clintonia borealis, Huperzia lucidula, Aralia nudicaulis, Tiarella cordifolia, and Trillium erectum. The bryoid layer varies from sparse to locally well-developed, and is typified by Dicranum spp. and Bazzania trilobata. Feathermosses, including Hylocomium splendens, Pleurozium schreberi, Ptilium crista-castrensis, and Thuidium delicatulum, are often present but less abundant than in other spruce-fir forest types. The influence of local cold-air drainage creates a micro-climate that favors this coniferous forest at elevations below the norm for montane spruce-fir. Certain high-elevation species such as Dryopteris campyloptera and Sorbus decora are less abundant here while other lower-elevation species such as Aralia nudicaulis, Tiarella cordifolia, and Trillium erectum may be more abundant. This association is distinguished from other spruce-fir forest types by the combination of upland soils, low- to mid-elevation setting, absence or low importance of black spruce, and not maritime-influenced.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: These forests are often some of the most productive spruce forests, producing trees of extraordinary size; almost all have been logged.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: These low-diversity forests have a closed canopy and very sparse shrub and herbaceous layers, except in gaps where regeneration can be dense. The canopy is dominated by Picea rubens, with a minor to moderate amount of Abies balsamea. Associate canopy species may include Picea glauca, Picea mariana, Betula alleghaniensis (= Betula lutea), Betula papyrifera, and minor amounts of Acer rubrum, Populus tremuloides, or Larix laricina. Tsuga canadensis and Pinus strobus may be present, but are rarely abundant. The shrub layer is patchy and typically includes Acer pensylvanicum and Viburnum lantanoides (= Viburnum alnifolium). Occasional shrubs include Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides, Ilex mucronata (= Nemopanthus mucronatus), and Sorbus americana. The herb layer includes Oxalis montana (= Oxalis acetosella), Cornus canadensis, Gaultheria hispidula, Clintonia borealis, Huperzia lucidula (= Lycopodium lucidulum), Aralia nudicaulis, Tiarella cordifolia, and Trillium erectum. The bryoid layer varies from sparse to locally well-developed, and is typified by Dicranum spp. and Bazzania trilobata. Feathermosses, including Hylocomium splendens, Pleurozium schreberi, Ptilium crista-castrensis, and Thuidium delicatulum, are often present but less abundant than in other spruce-fir forest types. The influence of local cold-air drainage and moist soils creates a micro-climate that favors this coniferous forest at elevations below the norm for montane spruce-fir. Certain high-elevation species such as Dryopteris campyloptera and Sorbus decora are less abundant here while other lower-elevation species such as Aralia nudicaulis, Tiarella cordifolia, and Trillium erectum may be more abundant.
Dynamics: The influence of local cold-air drainage creates a micro-climate that favors this coniferous forest at elevations below the norm for montane spruce-fir. Certain high-elevation species such as Dryopteris campyloptera and Sorbus decora are less abundant here while other lower-elevation species such as Aralia nudicaulis, Tiarella cordifolia, and Trillium erectum may be more abundant.
Environmental Description: These red spruce - balsam fir forests are widespread on lower-elevation slopes across boreal regions of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. They occur in upland settings, on well-drained tills, and occasionally on kame deposits or eskers. Some areas of poorly drained soils may be present. Most are at elevations of 245-610 m (800-2000 feet). Cold-air drainage allows them to occur in lowlands elevationally below northern hardwood forests; they may be adjacent to wetlands of various types.
Geographic Range: These red spruce - balsam fir forests are widespread on lower-elevation slopes across boreal regions of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: MA, ME, NB, NH, NY, QC?, VT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.689577
Confidence Level: Moderate
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.d Red Spruce - Balsam Fir - Paper Birch Forest Group | G744 | 1.B.2.Na.7.d |
| Alliance | A4442 Red Spruce - Yellow Birch - Sugar Maple Forest Alliance | A4442 | 1.B.2.Na.7.d |
| Association | CEGL006273 Red Spruce - Balsam Fir - Paper Birch Forest | CEGL006273 | 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: < Red Spruce - Balsam Fir: 33 (Eyre 1980)
- CDPNQ [Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec]. No date. Unpublished data. Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec, Québec.
- Cogbill, C. V. 1987. The boreal forests of New England. Wildflower Notes 2:27-36.
- 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.
- Eyre, F. H., editor. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Society of American Foresters, Washington, DC. 148 pp.
- 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.