Abstract for CNVC00231

Forest
Forêt

Abies balsamea – Betula papyrifera – Populus tremuloides / Clintonia borealis

Balsam Fir – Paper Birch – Trembling Aspen / Yellow Clintonia
Sapin baumier – Bouleau à papier – Peuplier faux-tremble / Clintonie boréale

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CNVC00231 is a boreal mixedwood forest Association that ranges from Manitoba to Quebec. It has a closed canopy of balsam fir (Abies balsamea) and/or white spruce (Picea glauca) with paper birch (Betula papyrifera) and/or trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides). The shrub layer is well developed and dominated by balsam fir regeneration, although paper birch saplings can be abundant in larger canopy openings. The herb layer is moderately developed and commonly includes bunchberry (Cornus canadensis), wild lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemum canadense), wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis), yellow clintonia (Clintonia borealis), northern starflower (Lysimachia borealis) and twinflower (Linnaea borealis). 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). CNVC00231 is a mid-seral condition that typically succeeds an early seral, post-fire Association. It occurs in a region with a boreal climate that grades from subhumid continental in the western portion of its range to very humid and more maritime in the east. It is most frequently found on mesic, nutrient-medium sites. As the fire cycle lengthens in the eastern portion of its range, outbreaks of spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) play a greater role in the dynamics of this Association.

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