Name:
Thuja occidentalis / Sphagnum (girgensohnii, warnstorfii) Forest
Reference:
Eastern Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
These cedar swamps are closed-canopy forests in enriched peatland basins in the Northern Appalachians and possibly adjacent Canada. They typically occur in small forested basins, or along lakes or streams, but may rarely occur in the enriched portions of larger peatlands where there is an influence of minerotrophic groundwater. They often occur in areas of calcareous or at least circumneutral bedrock. The soils are organic and range widely in depth of the peat. Canopy closure ranges from somewhat open to closed, and the forest floor is typically dark and cool. Shrub and herb coverage may be sparse to locally dense, with increased cover in canopy gaps. Herbs are typically scattered thinly over the moss layer. Bryophytes are abundant and form a mossy carpet. Thuja occidentalis is the canopy dominant; associates include Picea mariana, Abies balsamea, and Larix laricina. Tsuga canadensis, Picea rubens, or Pinus strobus are occasionally present. Shrubs include Lonicera canadensis, Ilex verticillata, Vaccinium corymbosum, Nemopanthus mucronatus, and small amounts of Kalmia angustifolia. Rhamnus alnifolia is typical in the more enriched swamps. The herb layer is often diverse and features Gaultheria hispidula, Carex trisperma, Carex disperma, Linnaea borealis, Mitella nuda, Mitella diphylla, Tiarella cordifolia, Orthilia secunda (= Pyrola secunda), Rumex acetosella, Gymnocarpium dryopteris, Phegopteris connectilis (= Thelypteris phegopteris), Chrysosplenium americanum, Moneses uniflora, Cornus canadensis, Trientalis borealis, Carex leptalea, Carex pedunculata, and Coptis trifolia (= Coptis groenlandica), with the uncommon Calypso bulbosa, Cypripedium reginae, and Cypripedium parviflorum in some swamps. Sphagnum mosses, especially Sphagnum girgensohnii and Sphagnum warnstorfii, form a mixed moss layer with Hylocomium splendens, Pleurozium schreberi, Thuidium delicatulum, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, and Bazzania trilobata, with Calliergon cordifolium, Calliergon giganteum, Rhizomnium punctatum (= Mnium punctatum), Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, Leptodictyum riparium (= Amblystegium riparium), and Campylium stellatum in wet hollows. This association is related to Thuja occidentalis - (Picea rubens) / Tiarella cordifolia Forest (CEGL006175), but occurs in basins rather than on slopes and has deeper peat soils.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.18240.THUJAOCCIDENTAL
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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