Abstract for CNVC00204

Forest
Forêt

Picea mariana / Rhododendron groenlandicum – Kalmia angustifolium / Cladina spp.

Black Spruce / Common Labrador Tea – Sheep Laurel / Reindeer Lichens
Épinette noire / Thé du Labrador – Kalmia à feuilles étroites / Cladonies

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CNVC00204 is a boreal coniferous forest Association that occurs in Quebec. It has an open tree layer of black spruce (Picea mariana) and a dense shrub layer comprising black spruce and abundant ericaceous species, including common Labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum), sheep laurel (Kalmia angustifolia), velvet-leaved blueberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides) and early lowbush blueberry (V. angustifolium). Willows (Salix spp.) are usually present but not abundant. The herb layer is virtually nonexistent. The moss and lichen layer is continuous and dominated by reindeer lichens (C. stellaris, C. rangiferina and C. mitis). Patches of red-stemmed feathermoss (Pleurozium schreberi) and Cladonia lichens are also present. CNVC00204 occurs mainly on mesic, nutrient-poor sites in a region with a humid continental boreal climate that becomes increasingly humid eastward. These are among the poorest sites capable of supporting tree-dominated vegetation in the region. The dynamics of CNVC00204 are closely tied to fire, but it can be a stable, self-perpetuating community. Two subassociations are distinguished, Cladina stellaris and Cladina mitis.

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