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Abies balsamea - Picea glauca - Acer spicatum Subboreal Forest Group | NatureServe Biotics 2019
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Name: Abies balsamea - Picea glauca - Acer spicatum Subboreal Forest Group
Reference: NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description: This group represents the mesic eastern subboreal forest, ranging from northwestern Ontario to eastern Canada's Atlantic provinces and extending into the U.S. in northeastern Minnesota, Isle Royale, and near-coastal areas of Lake Superior shores in northern Wisconsin and Michigan. The low- to moderate-elevation forests are dominated by <i>Picea glauca</i> and/or <i>Abies balsamea</i>. <i>Picea mariana</i> may be present, along with occasional <i>Pinus banksiana</i>. Codominant boreal hardwoods include <i>Populus tremuloides</i> and <i>Betula papyrifera</i>. Northern hardwoods, such as <i>Acer saccharum</i> and <i>Tilia americana</i> are relatively minor. The shrub and herb layers are variable, decreasing as the percent conifer cover increases. Common shrub species include <i>Acer spicatum, Alnus viridis, Corylus cornuta, Diervilla lonicera</i>, and <i>Lonicera canadensis</i>. The moss layer ranges from discontinuous to continuous. These upland forests typically occur on loamy soils over bedrock in scoured bedrock uplands and loamy, rocky, or sandy soils on glacial moraines, till plains and outwash plains, and moisture conditions range from well-drained to somewhat poorly drained. Wetter sites may contain <i>Alnus incana ssp. rugosa, Calamagrostis canadensis</i>, and <i>Equisetum</i> spp. This is the matrix forest type in many parts of its range. This group may include earlier-successional patches, in which <i>Populus</i> spp. and <i>Betula</i> spp. are dominant or mixed with <i>Picea</i> and <i>Abies</i>, which will develop into spruce-fir forests. Blowdown with subsequent gap regeneration is the most frequent form of natural disturbance, with large-scale fires important at longer return intervals. Insect infestations, in particular by <i>Choristoneura fumiferana</i> (spruce budworm), also can impact this group. In Quebec and in northern New Brunswick, the vegetation type is usually a mixedwood forest with <i>Abies balsamea</i> and <i>Betula alleghaniensis</i> or <i>Acer rubrum</i>. It also occupies the lower shoulders of the boreal plateau in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. 
Accession Code: urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:39771-{EE7BAB10-F727-4BC6-B56B-03753364BE1B}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 0
      Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization)
Perspective from: 21-May-2015 to: ongoing
      Names:   UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.833233 NatureServe ExplorerNatureServe Explorer logo
  Code: G048
  Scientific: Abies balsamea - Picea glauca - Acer spicatum Subboreal Forest Group