Abstract for CNVC00096

Forest
Forêt

Picea glauca / Equisetum arvense – E. pratense

White Spruce / Field Horsetail – Meadow Horsetail
Épinette blanche / Prêle des champs – Prêle des prés

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CNVC00096 is a boreal coniferous forest Association that occurs in Alberta, British Columbia and Yukon. It has an open tree layer that is dominated by white spruce (Picea glauca) and a relatively diverse understory. Prickly rose (Rosa acicularis) and squashberry (Viburnum edule) are common species in the moderately developed shrub layer. A dense species-rich herb and dwarf shrub layer dominated by field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) and/or meadow horsetail (E. pratense) characterizes this Association. Other common species in this layer include twinflower (Linnaea borealis), tall bluebells (Mertensia paniculata), bunchberry (Cornus canadensis), naked mitrewort (Mitella nuda) and dwarf raspberry (Rubus pubescens). The moss layer is well developed, made up primarily of stairstep moss (Hylocomium splendens). CNVC00096 is a late successional condition that occurs on moist, nutrient-rich sites (often floodplains) in a region with a subhumid continental climate. Insect outbreaks, flooding and windthrow are the primary natural disturbances. Canopy gaps or large patches resulting from these disturbances promote self-replacement of this Association. Two subassociations are distinguished, typic and Alnus incana.

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