Name:
Thuja occidentalis Saturated Forest Alliance
Reference:
Midwestern Ecology Working Group...
Description:
This alliance occurs across much of the northern half of the eastern United States and in southern Canada. It is characterized by Thuja occidentalis in pure stands or in association with lesser amounts of Abies balsamea, Acer rubrum, Betula alleghaniensis, Fraxinus nigra, Larix laricina, Picea glauca (in the west of this alliance's range), Picea mariana, and Tsuga canadensis. The shrub layer may be sparse to well-developed, and includes species such as Alnus incana, Chamaedaphne calyculata, Cornus sericea, Ledum groenlandicum, Linnaea borealis, and Lonicera oblongifolia. The herbaceous layer is often quite diverse, and may include Carex leptalea, Cornus canadensis (in the west), Coptis trifolia, Cypripedium reginae, Amerorchis rotundifolia, Rubus pubescens, Maianthemum canadense, Gaultheria hispidula, Gaultheria procumbens, Mitella nuda, Sarracenia purpurea, and Trientalis borealis. The moss layer is variable in cover, and characterized by Bazzania trilobata, Thuidium delicatulum, Hylocomium splendens, Sphagnum spp., and Trichocolea tomentella. This vegetation is commonly associated with wetlands influenced by calcareous groundwater, in poorly drained depressions with substantial peat accumulation, along streams, or on slopes with emergent groundwater seepage evident as rivulets at the surface. Soils range from organic to mineral. The groundwater is usually moderately to strongly minerotrophic and has circumneutral pH. Thuja occidentalis stands often become established on Alnus spp. thickets following fire, but they may also be stable and long-lived without disturbance.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.18241.THUJAOCCIDENTAL
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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