Abstract for CNVC00116

Wetland
Wetland

Larix laricina – Picea mariana / Betula pumila – B. glandulosa / Tomentypnum nitens

Tamarack – Black Spruce / Bog Birch – Glandular Birch / Golden Fuzzy Fen Moss
Mélèze laricin – Épinette noire / Bouleau nain boréal – Bouleau glanduleux / Tomenteuse à feuilles droites

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CNVC00116 is a boreal wetland coniferous woodland Association that ranges from Yukon to Manitoba. It has a sparse tree layer of tamarack (Larix laricina) and black spruce (Picea mariana) in varying proportions. The well-developed shrub layer has common Labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum) and bog birch (Betula pumila) or glandular birch (B. glandulosa) as dominant shrubs, along with black spruce and tamarack of various ages. The herb and dwarf shrub layer is moderately to well developed and typically includes three-leaved false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum trifolium), lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) and small cranberry (V. oxycoccos). Water sedge (Carex aquatilis) can be abundant when present. Ribbed bog moss (Aulacomnium palustre), golden fuzzy fen moss (Tomentypnum nitens) and peat mosses (Sphagnum spp.) constitute the well-developed to continuous moss layer. CNVC00116 occurs on wet, nutrient-medium to rich sites in a region with a subhumid boreal climate. Substrates are usually deep (>40cm) organic soils formed from slowly decomposing sedges, Sphagnum and brown mosses. Although fire can occasionally occur, this is typically a stable condition that is maintained by a persistently high water table. Local hydrology is the main driver of vegetation dynamics but insect disturbance can also play a role. Two subassociations are recognized, typic and Carex aquatilis.

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