Print Report
CEGL006632 Acer saccharum - Fagus grandifolia - Fraxinus americana / Arisaema triphyllum Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Sugar Maple - American Beech - White Ash / Jack-in-the-Pulpit Forest
Colloquial Name: Transitional Northern Hardwood Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association, known commonly as "northern hardwood forest," is a widespread matrix forest in the Allegheny Plateau of Pennsylvania and New York, the adjacent Lake Ontario and Lake Erie plains and in Lower New England to northern New Jersey. This forest occurs most commonly on moderately acidic (pH 5.5-7), moderate to well-drained tills at elevations generally below 762 m (2500 feet). Slope and rolling topographic settings are common. The closed-canopy forest has sparse to moderate shrub and herb cover and may have local carpets of tree seedlings in the ground vegetation. Bryoids are a minor component of the forest floor. The closed-canopy forest has sparse to moderate shrub and herb cover and may have local carpets of tree seedlings in the ground vegetation. Bryoids are a minor component of the forest floor. The canopy is dominated by Acer saccharum mixed with variable amounts of Fagus grandifolia and/or Fraxinus americana Associated hardwood species include Acer rubrum, Betula papyrifera, and Betula alleghaniensis, and Tilia americana. Betula lenta may be present. Conifers are usually present at low abundance. Characteristic species include Pinus strobus and Tsuga canadensis. Oaks are generally not present, although Quercus rubra and Quercus alba are sometimes present in low numbers. The shrub layer is often dominated by saplings of canopy tree species Characteristic understory shrubs or small trees include Acer pensylvanicum, Amelanchier laevis, Ostrya virginiana, Viburnum acerifolium and, occasionally, Lindera benzoin. The patchy herbaceous layer is a mix of ferns, rhizomatous herbs and clubmosses. Characteristic species include Dryopteris intermedia, Dryopteris carthusiana, Polystichum acrostichoides, Huperzia lucidula, Maianthemum canadense, Clintonia borealis, Trientalis borealis, Oclemena acuminata, and Uvularia sessilifolia. Occasional species include Aralia nudicaulis, Trillium erectum, Trillium grandiflorum, Dryopteris campyloptera, Streptopus lanceolatus, Cinna latifolia, Thelypteris noveboracensis, Mitchella repens, Solidago macrophylla, and Medeola virginiana. The bryophyte layer may include Dicranum spp. and Leucobryum glaucum. Sugar maple leaf litter is high in nitrogen relative to lignin and thus decomposes rapidly, increasing the nutrient pool in the soil organic layer. Structure and composition of the forest are maintained primarily by single small tree-fall gaps. Yellow birch is maintained in the system by mineral soils on "tip-up mounds."
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type was formerly included in CEGL006252. It is the Allegheny-Lower New England counterpart to ~Acer saccharum - Betula alleghaniensis - Fagus grandifolia / Viburnum lantanoides Forest (CEGL006631)$$, from which it was separated to reflect the transitional northern - central hardwoods character of the vegetation.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The closed-canopy forest has sparse to moderate shrub and herb cover and may have local carpets of tree seedlings in the ground vegetation. Bryoids are a minor component of the forest floor. On some rocky, higher-elevation sites, dense ferns and other herbs may form a lush understory (the "fern-glade variant"). The canopy is dominated by Acer saccharum mixed with variable amounts of Fagus grandifolia and/or Fraxinus americana. Associated hardwood species include Acer rubrum, Betula papyrifera, Betula alleghaniensis, and Tilia americana. Betula lenta may be present. Conifers are usually present at low abundance. Characteristic species include Pinus strobus and Tsuga canadensis. Oaks are generally not present, although Quercus rubra and Quercus alba are sometimes present in low numbers. The shrub layer is often dominated by saplings of canopy tree species. Characteristic understory shrubs or small trees include Acer pensylvanicum, Amelanchier laevis, Ostrya virginiana, Viburnum acerifolium and, occasionally, Lindera benzoin. The patchy herbaceous layer is a mix of ferns, rhizomatous herbs and clubmosses. Characteristic species include Dryopteris intermedia, Dryopteris carthusiana, Polystichum acrostichoides, Huperzia lucidula, Maianthemum canadense, Clintonia borealis, Trientalis borealis, Oclemena acuminata (= Aster acuminatus), and Uvularia sessilifolia. Occasional species include Aralia nudicaulis, Trillium erectum, Trillium grandiflorum, Dryopteris campyloptera, Streptopus lanceolatus var. lanceolatus (= Streptopus roseus), Cinna latifolia, Thelypteris noveboracensis, Mitchella repens, Solidago macrophylla, and Medeola virginiana. The bryophyte layer may include Dicranum spp. and Leucobryum glaucum. In the southern portion of the range, exotic species, including Berberis thunbergii and Microstegium vimineum, may be common in the shrub and herb layers.
Dynamics: Sugar maple leaf litter is high in nitrogen relative to lignin and thus decomposes rapidly, increasing the nutrient pool in the soil organic layer. Structure and composition of the forest are maintained primarily by single small tree-fall gaps. Yellow birch is maintained in the system by mineral soils on "tip-up mounds."
Environmental Description: This association, known commonly as "northern hardwood forest," is a widespread matrix forest in central New England. This forest occurs most commonly on acidic (pH 5-6), moderate to well-drained tills at elevations generally below 760 m (2500 feet).
Geographic Range: This association is a widespread matrix forest in the Allegheny Plateau of New York and Pennsylvania, on the Lake Ontario and Lake Erie plains and in Lower New England, with a more limited distribution to northern New Jersey.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: CT?, MA, NJ, NY, ON, PA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.933817
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G5
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.3 Appalachian-Interior-Northeastern Mesic Forest Macrogroup | M883 | 1.B.2.Na.3 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.3.b Appalachian-Allegheny Northern Hardwood Forest | G742 | 1.B.2.Na.3.b |
| Alliance | A3301 Sugar Maple - American Beech - American Basswood Forest Alliance | A3301 | 1.B.2.Na.3.b |
| Association | CEGL006632 Sugar Maple - American Beech - White Ash / Jack-in-the-Pulpit Forest | CEGL006632 | 1.B.2.Na.3.b |
Concept Lineage: This type was formerly included in CEGL006252. It is the Allegheny-Lower New England counterpart to ~Acer saccharum - Betula alleghaniensis - Fagus grandifolia / Viburnum lantanoides Forest (CEGL006631)$$, from which it was separated to reflect the transitional northern - central hardwoods character of the vegetation.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < Beech - Sugar Maple: 60 (Eyre 1980)
? CNE dry transitional forest on sandy / gravelly soils (Rawinski 1984a)
< CNE mesic conifer [transition] forest on acidic bedrock/till (Rawinski 1984a)
< Northern Hardwood Forest (Bormann et al. 1970) [This association is at the lower to mid elevations, grading to CEGL006267 at the higher.]
= Northern Hardwoods without Hemlock (Niering 1953)
? Northern hardwood forest: boreal/montane type (NAP pers. comm. 1998)
< Sugar Maple - Beech - Yellow Birch: 25 (Eyre 1980)
< Sugar Maple: 27 (Eyre 1980)
? CNE dry transitional forest on sandy / gravelly soils (Rawinski 1984a)
< CNE mesic conifer [transition] forest on acidic bedrock/till (Rawinski 1984a)
< Northern Hardwood Forest (Bormann et al. 1970) [This association is at the lower to mid elevations, grading to CEGL006267 at the higher.]
= Northern Hardwoods without Hemlock (Niering 1953)
? Northern hardwood forest: boreal/montane type (NAP pers. comm. 1998)
< Sugar Maple - Beech - Yellow Birch: 25 (Eyre 1980)
< Sugar Maple: 27 (Eyre 1980)
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