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A3296 Thuja occidentalis Limestone Woodland Alliance

Type Concept Sentence: This alliance, found from northern Wisconsin north to Ontario and east to New York and Vermont, is composed of forests and woodland on limestone, dominated by Thuja occidentalis. Substrate includes limestone pavement in association with alvars, as well as limestone bluffs adjacent to lakes, cliffs, or talus.

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Northern White-cedar Limestone Woodland Alliance

Colloquial Name: Laurentian White-cedar Limestone Woodland

Hierarchy Level:  Alliance

Type Concept: This alliance, found from northern Wisconsin and Michigan north to Ontario and east to New York and the Champlain region of Vermont, is composed of forests and woodland on limestone, dominated by Thuja occidentalis, occasionally mixed with Pinus banksiana and Picea glauca. Calcareous ground-layer indicators include Aquilegia canadensis, Carex eburnea, Cystopteris bulbifera, Geranium robertianum, and others. Substrate includes limestone pavement in association with alvars, as well as limestone bluffs adjacent to lakes, cliffs, or talus.

Diagnostic Characteristics: Forests or woodlands dominated by Thuja occidentalis on limestone pavement, bluffs, or slopes; presence of calcareous indicators, including Aquilegia canadensis, Carex eburnea, Cystopteris bulbifera, Geranium robertianum, and others.

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: White-cedar or white-cedar - hardwood woodlands on calcareous cliffs in the Allegheny Plateau region of New York may also fit with ~Thuja occidentalis Appalachian Limestone Cliff Woodland Alliance (A3914)$$ (Ecomap 211Jd, 211Fb, 222Id). New York Natural Heritage Program may include these stands in their "calcareous cliff community," but they are more heavily treed. This alliance may intergrade on some sites with ~Quercus macrocarpa - Carya ovata Northern Limestone Woodland Alliance (A3299)$$ to form a mixed conifer-hardwood stand [see, e.g., limestone woodland type of Edinger et al. (2002)].

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: The canopy is open (10-60% cover), low (5-10 m tall), and dominated by broad-leaved evergreen trees.

Floristics: The tree layer is dominated by Thuja occidentalis, occasionally mixed with Pinus banksiana and Picea glauca. Calcareous ground-layer indicators include Aquilegia canadensis, Carex eburnea, Cystopteris bulbifera, Geranium robertianum, and others.

Dynamics:  No Data Available
Environmental Description:  Substrate includes limestone pavement in association with alvars, as well as limestone bluffs adjacent to lakes, cliffs, or talus.
Geographic Range: This alliance ranges from northern Wisconsin and Michigan north to Ontario and east to New York and the Lake Champlain region of Vermont, within the Laurentian-Acadian region.

Nations: CA,US

States/Provinces:  MI, NY, ON, QC?, VT, WI


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.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.e Laurentian-Acadian Limestone Woodland Group G655 1.B.2.Na.6.e
Alliance A3296 Northern White-cedar Limestone Woodland Alliance A3296 1.B.2.Na.6.e
Association CEGL005050 Northern White-cedar Limestone Bedrock Woodland CEGL005050 1.B.2.Na.6.e
Association CEGL005126 Jack Pine - Northern White-cedar - White Spruce / Common Juniper Woodland CEGL005126 1.B.2.Na.6.e
Association CEGL005132 Northern White-cedar - Jack Pine / Shrubby-cinquefoil / Limestone Calamint Wooded Grassland CEGL005132 1.B.2.Na.6.e
Association CEGL005172 Northern White-cedar Carbonate Talus Woodland CEGL005172 1.B.2.Na.6.e
Association CEGL006021 Northern White-cedar / Bristleleaf Sedge Forest CEGL006021 1.B.2.Na.6.e
Association CEGL006093 Northern White-cedar / Prairie Goldenrod Rocky Outcrop CEGL006093 1.B.2.Na.6.e
Concept Lineage: A.544, with another added from A.142

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: > Alvar woodland (Edinger et al. 2002)
= Limestone Bluff Cedar-Pine Forest (Thompson and Sorenson 2000)
> Limestone woodland (Edinger et al. 2002)
Concept Author(s): G.J. Edinger et al. (2002)

Author of Description: D. Faber-Langendoen

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 12-18-14
  • Edinger, G. J., D. J. Evans, S. Gebauer, T. G. Howard, D. M. Hunt, and A. M. Olivero, editors. 2002. Ecological communities of New York state. Second edition. A revised and expanded edition of Carol Reschke''s ecological communities of New York state. (Draft for review). New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY.
  • 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.
  • Thompson, E. H., and E. R. Sorenson. 2000. 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.