Name:
Acer saccharum - Fagus grandifolia - Fraxinus americana / Arisaema triphyllum Forest
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This association, known commonly as "northern hardwood forest," is a widespread matrix forest in the Allegheny Plateau of Pennsylvania and New York, the adjacent Lake Ontario and Lake Erie plains and in Lower New England to northern New Jersey. This forest occurs most commonly on moderately acidic (pH 5.5-7), moderate to well-drained tills at elevations generally below 762 m (2500 feet). Slope and rolling topographic settings are common. The closed-canopy forest has sparse to moderate shrub and herb cover and may have local carpets of tree seedlings in the ground vegetation. Bryoids are a minor component of the forest floor. The closed-canopy forest has sparse to moderate shrub and herb cover and may have local carpets of tree seedlings in the ground vegetation. Bryoids are a minor component of the forest floor. The canopy is dominated by <i>Acer saccharum</i> mixed with variable amounts of <i>Fagus grandifolia</i> and/or <i>Fraxinus americana</i> Associated hardwood species include <i>Acer rubrum, Betula papyrifera</i>, and <i>Betula alleghaniensis</i>, and <i>Tilia americana</i>. <i>Betula lenta</i> may be present. Conifers are usually present at low abundance. Characteristic species include <i>Pinus strobus</i> and <i>Tsuga canadensis</i>. Oaks are generally not present, although <i>Quercus rubra</i> and <i>Quercus alba</i> are sometimes present in low numbers. The shrub layer is often dominated by saplings of canopy tree species Characteristic understory shrubs or small trees include <i>Acer pensylvanicum, Amelanchier laevis, Ostrya virginiana, Viburnum acerifolium</i> and, occasionally, <i>Lindera benzoin</i>. The patchy herbaceous layer is a mix of ferns, rhizomatous herbs and clubmosses. Characteristic species include <i>Dryopteris intermedia, Dryopteris carthusiana, Polystichum acrostichoides, Huperzia lucidula, Maianthemum canadense, Clintonia borealis, Trientalis borealis, Oclemena acuminata</i>, and <i>Uvularia sessilifolia</i>. Occasional species include <i>Aralia nudicaulis, Trillium erectum, Trillium grandiflorum, Dryopteris campyloptera, Streptopus lanceolatus, Cinna latifolia, Thelypteris noveboracensis, Mitchella repens, Solidago macrophylla</i>, and <i>Medeola virginiana</i>. The bryophyte layer may include <i>Dicranum</i> spp. and <i>Leucobryum glaucum</i>. Sugar maple leaf litter is high in nitrogen relative to lignin and thus decomposes rapidly, increasing the nutrient pool in the soil organic layer. Structure and composition of the forest are maintained primarily by single small tree-fall gaps. Yellow birch is maintained in the system by mineral soils on "tip-up mounds."
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:35248-{FF0E1D54-9989-4021-AD00-BE21CA2067E0}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
33
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