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CEGL005563 Pinus strobus - Populus tremuloides - (Acer rubrum) / Pteridium aquilinum Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Eastern White Pine - Quaking Aspen - (Red Maple) / Western Brackenfern Forest
Colloquial Name: White Pine - Mixed Deciduous / Bracken Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This mixed conifer - hardwood forest is found in the Great Lakes region of the United States. Stands occur on a variety of slope positions from flat to moderately sloped kettled outwash plains to steep ridges on well-drained loamy sand to sandy soils. The canopy is mixed evergreen-deciduous and can range from moderately open (10%) to moderately closed (>60%) and just 1.5 to 10.6 m (5-35 feet) tall. Species in the canopy are highly variable and can be present in the canopy, subcanopy, and tall-shrub layers. Pinus strobus, Pinus resinosa, Acer rubrum, Betula papyrifera, and Populus tremuloides are the most common species. Other possible species include Abies balsamea, Picea glauca, and Pinus banksiana. Short shrubs such as Vaccinium angustifolium and Vaccinium myrtilloides can occur. The herbaceous layer is dominated by Pteridium aquilinum which can form an almost continuous layer in some examples. Nonvascular species can cover up to 90% of the ground surface. This forest type resulted from extensive logging and burning of the slash during the early 1900s. The severity of this disturbance has prevented original forest types in the area from reestablishing and gives a certain "ruderal" quality to these stands.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This description is based on sites sampled at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and areas across the Kingston Plains of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Further evidence is needed to see if other areas within the Great Lakes states suffered similar, severe disturbances that resulted in this type of forest. Although these stands may represent "degraded" conditions as compared to the historic stands on the sites they occupy, they are probably similar enough to more natural white pine-hardwood stands, apart from the loss of oak and a simplified understory. Species lacking that are typical of other associations in this alliance include Quercus alba, Quercus rubra. The shrub and understory layers lack typical shrubs such Acer spicatum, Cornus spp., and Corylus cornuta. Typical herbaceous species may also be lacking including Aralia nudicaulis, Eurybia macrophylla, and Gaultheria procumbens. These differences are not sufficient to justify separating this type from CEGL002480; rather, it can be thought of as a simplified (degraded) example of that type.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The highly variable tree canopy and moderate to dense subcanopy are dominated by Pinus strobus, Acer rubrum, Betula papyrifera, Pinus resinosa, and/or Populus tremuloides. These species may form a more scrubby, open canopy in some examples. Additional taxa may include Abies balsamea, Picea glauca, Populus grandidentata, and Pinus banksiana. The tall-shrub (1-5 m) and short-shrub layer (0.5-2 m) are made up of sapling or scrubby canopy species. Vaccinium angustifolium and Vaccinium myrtilloides form a sparse to somewhat dense dwarf-shrub layer (<0.5 m). The herbaceous layer is dominated by Pteridium aquilinum with nonvascular species (mosses and lichens) covering up to 90% of the ground surface.
Dynamics: Evidence of disturbance includes old logging stumps and slash, and past fire likely from logging practices in the early 1900s. Windthrow also can be common.
Environmental Description: Sites range from flat to moderately sloped kettled outwash plains to steep ridges of any aspect. Substrates are generally well-drained loamy sand and sand soils. The unvegetated surface is made up of leaf litter (0-80% cover), wood (0-50%), bare soil/sand (0-95%), and mosses and lichens (5-95%).
Geographic Range: No Data Available
Nations: US
States/Provinces: MI, WI?
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.831153
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.f <i>Pinus resinosa - Pinus banksiana - Quercus rubra</i> Forest & Woodland Group | G907 | 1.B.2.Na.6.f |
| Alliance | A4127 Eastern White Pine - Red Pine - Northern Red Oak Forest & Woodland Alliance | A4127 | 1.B.2.Na.6.f |
| Association | CEGL005563 Eastern White Pine - Quaking Aspen - (Red Maple) / Western Brackenfern Forest | CEGL005563 | 1.B.2.Na.6.f |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Pinus strobus - Populus tremuloides - (Acer rubrum) / Pteridium aquilinum Forest (Hop et al. 2010c)
- 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.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- 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]