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A3249 Populus tremuloides - Populus balsamifera / Corylus americana Forest Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: This alliance includes mesic and wet forests dominated by Populus tremuloides or Populus balsamifera in the Aspen Parklands areas of south-central Canada and the north-central U.S. A short to medium-tall shrub layer is nearly always present.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Quaking Aspen - Balsam Poplar / American Hazelnut Forest Alliance
Colloquial Name: Aspen Parklands Forest
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: This alliance includes mesic and wet forests dominated by Populus tremuloides or Populus balsamifera in the Aspen Parklands areas of south-central Canada and the north-central U.S. A shrub layer is nearly always present. Corylus americana is very common. Associated shrubs include Amelanchier alnifolia, Cornus sericea, and Salix spp. Prairie grasses are uncommon due to the shade cast by the tree and shrub canopies. Stands are found on well-drained to poorly drained soils that remain wet or moist for much of the growing season.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Mesic to wet stands in the Aspen Parklands area of Minnesota, North Dakota, and the southern Canadian Prairie Provinces dominated by Populus tremuloides or Populus balsamifera. Corylus americana is a very common shrub. Wetter stands have understory species such as Cornus sericea, Calamagrostis canadensis, and Carex lacustris.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: One association (CEGL002063) appears to have been expanded beyond its original Aspen Parklands range. As currently defined, this association includes both Aspen Parklands areas in northwestern Minnesota and successional Populus tremuloides stands along the Prairie-Forest border through central Minnesota and southern Wisconsin. The association should be split.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Stands in this alliance have a moderately dense to dense (50-100%) tree canopy dominated by cold-deciduous trees. Conifers are present in some stands. The tree canopy tends to be short to medium-tall (5-15 m tall). Cold-deciduous shrubs are nearly always present with a sparse to moderately dense canopy (25-75%). Shrubs are typically 1-3 m tall. The herbaceous layer is rarely dense due to the shade from the tree and shrub canopies.
Floristics: Populus tremuloides is the most common tree in this alliance. Populus balsamifera can be abundant, when present. Other tree canopy associates are Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Picea glauca, Quercus macrocarpa, and Ulmus americana. The shrub canopy is moderate to dense and can include Amelanchier spp., Corylus americana, Corylus cornuta, Cornus racemosa, Cornus sericea, Prunus virginiana, and Salix spp. in addition to young or fire-stunted trees. The relatively dense tree and shrub canopies favor understory species typical of forests rather than the nearby prairies or savannas. These include Anemone quinquefolia, Aralia nudicaulis, Carex pensylvanica, Fragaria virginiana, Galium boreale, Maianthemum stellatum, Rubus pubescens, Sanicula marilandica, Solidago canadensis, and Thalictrum dasycarpum.
Dynamics: This alliance is maintained by fairly frequent surface fires and periodic stand-replacement fires. In Minnesota, surface fires were estimated to occur every 15 years and stand-replacement fires every 100 years (Minnesota DNR 2005a). These fires prevent later successional trees from becoming common. The harsh winters with occasional low temperatures below -30 to -40 degrees F limit the species that can exist in stands of this alliance, as well.
Environmental Description: Stands in this alliance are found on flat to gently rolling landscapes between the Boreal and Hemi-Boreal forests and the northern prairies of north-central North America. The climate is continental with long cold winters and short warm summers. The average frost-free season is <80 days. In northern Minnesota and southern Manitoba, this alliance occurs on the lakeplain of Glacial Lake Agassiz. Soils there are deep and sandy with organic material accumulated in the upper horizon. The soils are wet in the spring but dry out for some of the growing season.
Geographic Range: This alliance is found in the southern Canadian Prairie Provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan and north-central U.S. in Minnesota and North Dakota. This alliance does not extend into the grasslands of the Great Plains.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: MB, MN, ND, SK
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.899373
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.2 Cool Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation | F008 | 1.B.2 |
| Division | 1.B.2.Ne North American Great Plains Forest & Woodland Division | D326 | 1.B.2.Ne |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Ne.1 Bur Oak - Quaking Aspen / Western Wheatgrass Forest Woodland Macrogroup | M151 | 1.B.2.Ne.1 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Ne.1.c Quaking Aspen - Bur Oak / Big Bluestem Woodland Group | G146 | 1.B.2.Ne.1.c |
| Alliance | A3249 Quaking Aspen - Balsam Poplar / American Hazelnut Forest Alliance | A3249 | 1.B.2.Ne.1.c |
| Association | CEGL002063 Quaking Aspen / American Hazelnut Forest | CEGL002063 | 1.B.2.Ne.1.c |
| Association | CEGL002097 Quaking Aspen - Balsam Poplar / Bluejoint - Prairie Cordgrass Forest | CEGL002097 | 1.B.2.Ne.1.c |
Concept Lineage: Alliance composed of a single association from old A.300 and a single association from A.274.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: > Aspen - (Beaked Hazel) Woodland Type [FDw34b] (Minnesota DNR 2005a) [MN state types FDw34b, FDw44a, and FDw44b together equal A3249.]
> Aspen - (Chokecherry) Woodland Type [FDw44b] (Minnesota DNR 2005a) [MN state types FDw34b, FDw44a, and FDw44b together equal A3249.]
> Aspen - (Cordgrass) Woodland Type [FDw44a] (Minnesota DNR 2005a) [MN state types FDw34b, FDw44a, and FDw44b together equal A3249.]
> Aspen - (Chokecherry) Woodland Type [FDw44b] (Minnesota DNR 2005a) [MN state types FDw34b, FDw44a, and FDw44b together equal A3249.]
> Aspen - (Cordgrass) Woodland Type [FDw44a] (Minnesota DNR 2005a) [MN state types FDw34b, FDw44a, and FDw44b together equal A3249.]
- Faber-Langendoen, D., J. Drake, M. Hall, G. Kittel, S. Menard, C. Nordman, M. Pyne, M. Reid, M. Russo, K. Schulz, L. Sneddon, K. Snow, and J. Teague. 2013-2019b. Screening alliances for induction into the U.S. National Vegetation Classification: Part 1 - Alliance concept review. NatureServe, Arlington, VA.
- 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.