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CEGL005214 Picea glauca - Abies balsamea Basalt - Conglomerate Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: White Spruce - Balsam Fir Basalt - Conglomerate Woodland
Colloquial Name: Great Lakes Spruce - Fir Basalt Bedrock Shore
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This basalt bedrock shore community is found along the Lake Superior shorelines of the United States and Canada. Stands occur between the open basalt bedrock and the inland forests. Soils are thin and exposed areas of bedrock are common. This community consists of scattered, open-grown trees, scattered shrubs or shrub thickets, and a partial layer of graminoids, mosses, and lichens. The scattered, and often stunted, tree layer contains Abies balsamea, Betula papyrifera, Picea glauca, Pinus resinosa, Pinus strobus, Quercus rubra, Sorbus decora, and Thuja occidentalis. The shrub layer is very sparse and may contain Amelanchier spp. and Juniperus communis. More prominent is the dwarf-shrub layer, which contains Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Epigaea repens, Juniperus horizontalis, Lonicera dioica, Rosa acicularis, and Vaccinium angustifolium. The herbaceous layer is characterized by Achillea millefolium, Calamagrostis canadensis, Danthonia spicata, Festuca saximontana var. saximontana, Fragaria virginiana, and Sibbaldiopsis tridentata. Mosses and lichens occur in localized patches throughout the stand.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This community occupies a zone between ~Basalt - Conglomerate Bedrock Great Lakes Shore Sparse Vegetation (CEGL005215)$$ and adjacent boreal forests. The description is taken largely from Albert et al. (1995). The type overlaps in concept with ~Picea glauca - (Betula papyrifera) / Danthonia spicata Woodland (CEGL005196)$$, described from Isle Royale (C. Reschke pers. comm. 1999), but that type is found at higher elevations away from the shoreline, along ridges.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This community consists of scattered, open-grown trees, scattered shrubs or shrub thickets, and a partial layer of graminoids, mosses, and lichens. The scattered, and often stunted, tree layer contains Abies balsamea, Betula papyrifera, Picea glauca, Pinus resinosa, Pinus strobus, Quercus rubra, Sorbus decora, and Thuja occidentalis. The shrub layer is very sparse and may contain Amelanchier spp. and Juniperus communis. More prominent is the dwarf-shrub layer, which contains Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Epigaea repens, Juniperus horizontalis, Lonicera dioica, Rosa acicularis, and Vaccinium angustifolium. The herbaceous layer is characterized by Achillea millefolium, Calamagrostis canadensis, Danthonia spicata, Festuca saximontana var. saximontana (= Festuca ovina var. saximontana), Fragaria virginiana, and Sibbaldiopsis tridentata (= Potentilla tridentata). Mosses and lichens occur in localized patches throughout the stand (Albert et al. 1995).
Dynamics: Exposures to wind and storms affect the structure of this community, with trees often somewhat stunted.
Environmental Description: Stands occur along the Great Lakes shorelines between the open basalt bedrock and the inland forests. Soils are thin and exposed areas of bedrock are common. The bedrock includes basalt, volcanic conglomerates, and localized rhyolites (Albert et al. 1995).
Geographic Range: This basalt bedrock shore community is found along the Lake Superior shorelines of the United States and Canada, ranging from Michigan to Minnesota and Ontario.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: MI, MN, ON
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.689835
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
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.6 Eastern White Pine - Jack Pine - Northern Pin Oak Forest & Woodland Macrogroup | M159 | 1.B.2.Na.6 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.6.c Jack Pine - Red Pine - Black Spruce Subboreal Forest Group | G047 | 1.B.2.Na.6.c |
| Alliance | A3838 Jack Pine - Black Spruce / Blueberry species Subboreal Forest Alliance | A3838 | 1.B.2.Na.6.c |
| Association | CEGL005214 White Spruce - Balsam Fir Basalt - Conglomerate Woodland | CEGL005214 | 1.B.2.Na.6.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Picea glauca - Abies balsamea Basalt - Conglomerate Woodland (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
- Albert, D. A., P. J. Comer, R. A. Corner, D. Cuthrell, M. Penskar, and M. Rabe. 1995. Bedrock shoreline survey of the Niagaran Escarpment in Michigan''s Upper Peninsula: Mackinac County to Delta County. Michigan Natural Features Inventory for Land and Water Management Division (grant # CD-0.02).
- 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.).
- 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]
- MNNHP [Minnesota Natural Heritage Program]. 1993. Minnesota''s native vegetation: A key to natural communities. Version 1.5. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program, St. Paul, MN. 110 pp.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- Minnesota DNR [Minnesota Department of Natural Resources]. 2003-2005a. Field guide to the native plant communities of Minnesota. Three volumes: The Laurentian Mixed Forest Province (2003), The Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province (2005c), The Prairie Parkland and Tallgrass Aspen Parklands provinces (2005b). Ecological Land Classification Program, Minnesota County Biological Survey, and Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul.
- Minnesota DNR [Minnesota Department of Natural Resources]. 2003. Field guide to the native plant communities of Minnesota: The Laurentian Mixed Forest Province. Ecological Land Classification Program, Minnesota County Biological Survey, and Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul.
- TNC [The Nature Conservancy]. 1999b. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Classification of the vegetation of Isle Royale National Park. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Regional Office, Minneapolis, MN, and International Headquarters, Arlington, VA. 143 pp.