Abstract for CNVC00242
Forest
Forêt
Betula papyrifera / Alnus incana
Paper Birch / Speckled Alder
Bouleau à papier / Aulne rugueux
CNVC00242 is a boreal hardwood forest Association that occurs in Quebec. It has a closed canopy dominated by paper birch (Betula papyrifera), often with a minor component of balsam fir (Abies balsamea). The dense tall shrub layer is dominated by speckled alder (Alnus incana), with lower abundance of balsam fir regeneration and mountain maple (Acer spicatum). Paper birch saplings, red raspberry (Rubus idaeus), American mountain-ash (Sorbus americana), skunk currant (Ribes glandulosum) and serviceberries (Amelanchier spp.) are also common in the shrub layer. The herb layer is well developed and commonly includes wood ferns (Dryopteris spp.), yellow clintonia (Clintonia borealis), bunchberry (Cornus canadensis), northern starflower (Lysimachia borealis), wild lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemum canadense), sedges (Carex spp.), wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis), goldthread (Coptis trifolia) and grasses (Poaceae). The forest floor cover is mainly broad-leaf litter, so the moss layer is sparse, with only minor cover of red-stemmed feathermoss (Pleurozium schreberi). CNVC00242 occurs in a region with a humid continental boreal climate, usually on mesic to moist, nutrient-rich sites that are some of the most productive sites in the region. It is an early seral condition that usually develops after fire or harvesting but can also result from spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) outbreak.
Factsheet