Name:
Populus tremuloides - Betula papyrifera / (Abies balsamea, Picea glauca) Forest
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This aspen - birch boreal hardwoods forest type is found in the boreal regions of the midwestern United States and in central Canada. Sites occupy a variety of topographic positions, including ridgetops and gentle to moderate upper, mid, and lower slopes. The soils are deep, well-drained to rapidly drained mineral soils (dry to mesic soils). Soil textures are usually clay loamy but can be silt or fine sand. This community is dominated by deciduous trees, with a moderate amount of conifers (<25%). The canopy is dominated by <i>Betula papyrifera</i> and <i>Populus tremuloides</i>, and occasionally <i>Populus grandidentata</i>. Conifer associates include <i>Abies balsamea</i> and <i>Picea glauca</i>, either in the canopy or, more characteristically, in the subcanopy. <i>Abies balsamea</i> and <i>Picea glauca</i> are abundant in the sapling layer. Common shrubs include <i>Acer spicatum, Corylus cornuta, Diervilla lonicera, Linnaea borealis, Lonicera canadensis, Rosa acicularis, Rubus pubescens, Sorbus decora</i>, and <i>Vaccinium myrtilloides</i>. The herbaceous stratum is sometimes dominated by <i>Eurybia macrophylla</i>, but can include a diversity of forbs, such as <i>Anemone quinquefolia, Aralia nudicaulis, Clintonia borealis, Cornus canadensis, Galium triflorum, Maianthemum canadense, Mitella nuda, Pteridium aquilinum, Streptopus lanceolatus var. longipes, Trientalis borealis</i>, and <i>Viola renifolia</i>. Mosses include <i>Plagiomnium cuspidatum, Pleurozium schreberi, Ptilium crista-castrensis</i>, and <i>Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus</i>. Diagnostic features of this type are the dominance by the combination of <i>Populus tremuloides</i> and <i>Betula papyrifera</i>, boreal conifer associates (but very little <i>Picea mariana</i> or <i>Pinus banksiana</i>), and lack of more southern hardwoods (such as <i>Acer saccharum</i>).
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:31374-{01210B59-470A-41F3-8B85-A2B2FA98252F}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
8
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