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CEGL005488 Fraxinus nigra - Acer saccharinum Upper Great Lakes Floodplain Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Black Ash - Silver Maple Upper Great Lakes Floodplain Forest
Colloquial Name: Upper Great Lakes Black Ash Floodplain Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This black ash terrace floodplain forest is found in the northern midwestern United States and adjacent southern Canada. Stands occur primarily along higher terraces of river bottoms and floodplains and beside lakes and larger streams, where flooding is relatively brief. Soils are well-drained and moist. They are both organic and medium-textured to fine-textured mineral soils. The overstory is dominated by Fraxinus nigra and Acer saccharinum, and, at least prior to Dutch elm disease, Ulmus americana. Associates in parts of its range include Acer negundo, Acer saccharinum, Acer rubrum, Celtis occidentalis (rarely), and Tilia americana. The shrub/sapling layer, which is variable in structure and composition, may include Cornus alternifolia, Carpinus caroliniana, Cornus sericea, and Salix spp. The herbaceous ground cover contains Asclepias incarnata, Carex spp., Elymus virginicus, Eutrochium maculatum, Eupatorium perfoliatum, Impatiens capensis, Laportea canadensis, Rudbeckia laciniata, Toxicodendron radicans, and a variety of ferns, including Matteuccia struthiopteris, Osmunda claytoniana, and Osmunda cinnamomea. Diagnostic features include the dominance of Fraxinus pennsylvanica and Ulmus americana, lack of more southern herb and tree species (e.g., Carya cordiformis, Platanus occidentalis, Juglans cinerea, Juglans nigra, Quercus bicolor), the infrequent and short flooding, and the presence of both upland and floodplain associates.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type (CEGL005488) is intended as a more species-poor and more northern version of ~Fraxinus pennsylvanica - Ulmus spp. - Celtis occidentalis Floodplain Forest (CEGL002014)$$ in the Great Lakes states, but it does not occur in the northern Great Plains states [see ~Fraxinus pennsylvanica - Ulmus americana - (Acer negundo, Tilia americana) Great Plains Floodplain Forest (CEGL005400)$$]. In Ontario, this type extends to the Ottawa River, usually on the second terrace of the floodplain. In Wisconsin, this type could be considered simply a more northern depauperate version of ~Acer saccharinum - Fraxinus pennsylvanica - Ulmus americana Floodplain Forest (CEGL002586)$$ [but see also ~Acer saccharinum Upper Great Lakes Low Floodplain Forest (CEGL005489)$$]. In Minnesota, this type is shown extending into the Red River Valley of Minnesota based on the Minnesota state type FFn57a (Minnesota DNR 2005b), but CEGL005400 is the expected association there and typically does not contain black ash (outside the range of that species). The Minnesota description notes that the stands in the valley are not typical of stands farther east. Thus should a Northwest variant be warranted, it would equate to CEGL005400.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The overstory is dominated by Fraxinus nigra and Acer saccharinum, and, at least prior to Dutch elm disease, Ulmus americana. Associates in parts of its range include Acer negundo, Acer saccharinum, Acer rubrum, Celtis occidentalis (rarely), and Tilia americana. The shrub/sapling layer, which is variable in structure and composition, may include Cornus alternifolia, Carpinus caroliniana, Cornus sericea, and Salix spp. The herbaceous ground cover contains Asclepias incarnata, Carex spp., Elymus virginicus, Eutrochium maculatum (= Eupatorium maculatum), Eupatorium perfoliatum, Impatiens capensis, Laportea canadensis, Rudbeckia laciniata, Toxicodendron radicans, and a variety of ferns, including Matteuccia struthiopteris, Osmunda claytoniana, and Osmunda cinnamomea (Eyre 1980, Chapman et al. 1989, E. Epstein pers. comm. 1999).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This community occurs primarily along higher terraces of river bottoms and floodplains and beside lakes and larger streams, where flooding is relatively brief. Soils are well-drained and moist. They are both organic and medium-textured to fine-textured mineral soils. Rarely, soils are clays and gravels (Eyre 1980, Chapman et al. 1989).
Geographic Range: This ash - maple floodplain forest is found in the northern midwestern United States and adjacent southern Canada, ranging from central and northern Michigan and Wisconsin. It may occur in extreme southeastern Manitoba east of the range of CEGL005400.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: MI, MN, ON, QC, WI?
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.892928
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.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.a Silver Maple - Green Ash - Black Ash Floodplain Forest Group | G653 | 1.B.3.Na.3.a |
| Alliance | A3715 Silver Maple - Red Maple - American Elm Floodplain Forest Alliance | A3715 | 1.B.3.Na.3.a |
| Association | CEGL005488 Black Ash - Silver Maple Upper Great Lakes Floodplain Forest | CEGL005488 | 1.B.3.Na.3.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
- CDPNQ [Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec]. No date. Unpublished data. Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec, Québec.
- 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.
- Epstein, Eric. Personal communication. Community Ecologist, Wisconsin Natural Heritage Program, Madison, WI.
- Eyre, F. H., editor. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Society of American Foresters, Washington, DC. 148 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]
- 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.
- Minnesota DNR [Minnesota Department of Natural Resources]. 2005b. Field guide to the native plant communities of Minnesota: The Prairie Parkland and Tallgrass Aspen Parklands provinces. Ecological Land Classification Program, Minnesota County Biological Survey, and Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul.
- 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]