Name:
NY Heritage: Black spruce-tamarack bog
Reference:
Ecological Communities of New York, 2nd Ed.
Description:
A conifer forest that occurs on acidic peatlands in cool, poorly drained depressions.
The characteristic trees are black spruce (Picea mariana) and tamarack (Larix laricina); in any one stand, either tree may be dominant, or they may be codominant. Canopy cover is quite variable, ranging from open canopy woodlands with as little as 20% cover of evenly spaced canopy trees to closed canopy forests with 80 to 90% cover.
In the more open canopy stands there is usually a well-developed shrub layer characterized by several shrubs typical of bogs: leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata), sheep laurel (Kalmia angustifolia), highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), Labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum), mountain holly (Nemopanthus mucronatus), and wild raisin (Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides). In closed canopy stands the shrub layer is usually sparse; however the species composition is similar. The dominant groundcover consists of several species of Sphagnum moss, including S. fimbriatum, S. girgensohnii, and S. magellanicum, with scattered sedges and forbs.
Characteristic herbs are the sedge Carex trisperma, cotton grass (Eriophorum spp.), pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea), bunchberry (Cornus canadensis), and cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea). In shady areas where the canopy is dense, gold thread (Coptis trifolia) and creeping snowberry (Gaultheria hispidula) may be found. Vascular plant diversity is usually low in these forested peatlands; however the bryophyte and epiphytic lichen flora may be relatively diverse.
Characteristic animals include three-toed woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus), black-backed woodpecker (Picoides arcticus), olive-sided flycatcher (Contopus borealis), gray jay (Perisoreus canadensis), Lincoln's sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii), white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis), golden-crowned kinglet (Regulus satrapa), spruce grouse (Dendragapus canadensis), and four-toed salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum).
A black spruce-tamarack bog may imperceptibly grade into and form a mosaic with a dwarf shrub bog. As the peat substrate thins and the wetland transitions to terrestrial communities, the black spruce-tamarack bog may grade into spruce flats.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.28831.NYHERITAGEBLACK
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
3
|
