Abstract for CNVC00310

Forest
Forêt

Abies balsamea / Dryopteris spp. / Hylocomiastrum umbratum

Balsam Fir / Wood Ferns / Shaded Wood Moss
Sapin baumier / Dryoptères / Hylocomie boréale

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CNVC00310 is a boreal coniferous forest Association that occurs in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and insular Newfoundland. It has a closed canopy dominated by balsam fir (Abies balsamea), often with minor presence of paper birch (Betula papyrifera). The shrub layer varies from poorly to moderately developed and consists mainly of regenerating balsam fir. A dense herb layer with abundant wood ferns (Dryopteris carthusiana, D. campyloptera and/or D. intermedia) characterizes this Association. The prominence of shaded wood moss (Hylocomiastrum umbratum) and greater broom moss (Dicranum majus) along with red-stemmed feathermoss (Pleurozium schreberi) and knight’s plume moss (Ptilium crista-castrensis) in the well-developed moss layer is also distinctive. CNVC00310 occurs in a region with a humid to very humid, maritime-influenced boreal climate. It is typically found on mesic to moist, nutrient-medium to rich sites. These are some of the most productive sites in the region. It is a late successional condition that occurs where fire has been absent for a long period. Windthrow and insect outbreaks are the primary natural disturbances. Canopy gaps or large patches that result from these disturbances promote self-replacement of this Association by the release of balsam fir regeneration. Four subassociations are recognized: Hylocomium splendens, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Cornus stolonifera and Oxalis montana.

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