Name:
Betula alleghaniensis - Acer rubrum - (Tsuga canadensis, Abies balsamea) / Osmunda cinnamomea Swamp Forest
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This mixed forest type occurs in moist ecotonal areas between uplands and wetlands in New England and the Northern Appalachians. Settings include stream drainages, seepage channels, inactive river terraces, and slope bottoms, but not permanently saturated basins. Perennial seepage from upslope or an impervious soil layer keeps water near the surface. There is often pronounced hummock-and-hollow microtopography. The somewhat acidic to circumneutral mineral soils are typically saturated early in the season but may dry out as summer progresses. The canopy closure ranges from somewhat open to nearly closed. Shrubs are sparse; the herb layer is patchy and may be locally dense. The bryoid layer is typically fairly sparse. The canopy is codominated by <i>Tsuga canadensis</i> and mixed hardwoods such as <i>Betula alleghaniensis, Fraxinus americana</i>, and <i>Acer rubrum</i>. Less frequent species can include <i>Pinus strobus, Fraxinus pennsylvanica</i>, and <i>Fraxinus nigra</i>. <i>Picea rubens</i> may occur sporadically at the northern extent of this community, and <i>Nyssa sylvatica</i> may occur to the south. The shrub layer often includes <i>Lindera benzoin, Viburnum lantanoides</i>, and <i>Acer pensylvanicum</i>. The herb layer reflects the underlying moisture gradients, with <i>Osmunda cinnamomea, Osmunda claytoniana, Geum rivale, Impatiens capensis, Thelypteris palustris, Arisaema triphyllum, Symplocarpus foetidus, Hydrocotyle americana</i>, and <i>Cardamine pensylvanica</i> in the more moist areas, and <i>Coptis trifolia, Thelypteris noveboracensis, Athyrium filix-femina, Oclemena acuminata, Dryopteris intermedia, Cornus canadensis, Aralia nudicaulis</i>, and <i>Clintonia borealis</i> typical of the areas grading to upland. Bryophyte cover is variable and often includes <i>Sphagnum girgensohnii, Thuidium delicatulum, Bazzania trilobata</i>, and <i>Mnium</i> spp. These forests are somewhat similar to <i>~Tsuga canadensis - Betula alleghaniensis / Ilex verticillata / Sphagnum</i> spp. Swamp Forest (CEGL006226)$$ but occur on mineral soils, not in peaty basins, and have understory species that indicate somewhat more nutrient-enriched conditions.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:35024-{10FE73BC-394D-4C77-801A-6C57FFA0F503}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
1
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