Name:
Picea rubens - Abies balsamea - Betula spp. - Acer rubrum Forest
Reference:
Eastern Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
This association is a mixed forest of northern New England and New York in which the typical spruce and fir are mixed with earlier successional species. This forest occurs at various landscape positions and aspects but in general is more common on gentle to moderate slopes and low flats. Soils are loamy to sandy till and, in general, are deeper than those of pure spruce-fir forests. The canopy is more-or-less closed, and the cover of the lower layers is variable, but rarely extensive. The boreal conifers Picea rubens and/or Abies balsamea form a mixed canopy with Acer rubrum and other trees such as Populus tremuloides, Populus grandidentata, Betula papyrifera, Thuja occidentalis, or Pinus strobus. Less common associates include Quercus rubra, Acer saccharum, Betula alleghaniensis, Picea glauca, or Prunus serotina. The subcanopy and shrub layers are comprised of Picea rubens, Abies balsamea, and Acer pensylvanicum. Dwarf-shrubs are usually absent or sparse; Vaccinium angustifolium or Vaccinium myrtilloides are typical species. The herbaceous layer is dominated by tree seedlings with herbs including Pteridium aquilinum, Trientalis borealis, Cornus canadensis, and Maianthemum canadense. In wetter spots, Osmunda cinnamomea and Symplocarpus foetidus (the latter usually only at near-coastal sites) may also be present. The bryophyte layer includes Bazzania trilobata, Dicranum polysetum, Leucobryum glaucum, Hypnum imponens, Pleurozium schreberi, and Sphagnum girgensohnii. This association has a mixed canopy, in contrast to the ecologically similar Picea rubens - Abies balsamea - Betula papyrifera Forest (CEGL006273). It can have relatively deeper soils than Picea rubens - Betula alleghaniensis / Dryopteris campyloptera Forest (CEGL006267), and usually lacks any appreciable amount of yellow birch.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.20016.PICEARUBENSABIE
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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