Abstract for CNVC00003

Forest
Forêt

Picea sitchensis - Tsuga heterophylla / Oplopanax horridus - Rubus spectabilis / Gymnocarpium dryopteris

Sitka Spruce - Western Hemlock / Devil's Club - Salmonberry / Common Oak Fern
Épinette de Sitka - Pruche de l'Ouest / Bois piquant - Ronce remarquable / Gymnocarpe du chêne

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CNVC00003 is a late-seral, conifer-dominated, floodplain association that occurs at low elevations along the Coast Mountains of British Columbia and on the windward slopes of Vancouver Island. It occurs on moist, fluvial high bench sites that are enriched by a seasonally fluctuating water table. The moderately closed overstory is codominated by Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla). The well-developed shrub layer is dominated by devil's club (Oplopanax horridus) and salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis). A well-developed herb layer is characterized by several fern species, including common oak fern (Gymnocarpium dryopteris), common lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina), and northern wood fern (Dryopteris expansa). High litterfall from the understory and occasional flooding inhibits the growth of mosses, and consequently this layer is relatively sparse, typically including low to moderate cover of lanky moss (Rhytidiadelphus loreus) and coastal leafy moss (Plagiomnium insigne).

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