Northern Ontario Plant Database

Northern Ontario Vegetation Type (V-type)

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NE-V1: White Birch - White Spruce
Summary: A mixedwood stand with white birch and white spruce equally dominant in the canopy, each providing up to 20% cover. White cedar and yellow birch occurred is less than half of the sample plots, but when present, provided a cover of up to 20% and 40% respectively. Less frequent tree species in NE-V1, with <20% occurrence and <10% cover, include balsam fir, white and red pine, trembling aspen, and sugar maple. Regeneration, dominated by balsam fir and white cedar, with lesser amounts of white spruce and white birch, indicates succession to a conifer-dominated stand.

The shrub layer is considered poor, with mountain maple as the most frequent species, but providing 10% cover. Ground hemlock and beaked hazel occur in less than 30% of the stands; when present, ground hemlock can occur in colonies with up to 40% cover, followed by beaked hazel providing <10% cover. Showy mountain ash and Canada honeysuckle are minor components of the understorey, with <1% cover.

The herb layer includes the characteristic boreal forest species as well as wild sarsaparilla, with none of the species providing more than 5% cover. Largeleaf aster, wood sorrel, goldthread, and sedges occur less frequently, also providing <5% cover. The most common pteridophytes are the spinulose shield fern and ground pine. In addition to the common Schreber’s feathermoss, also known as redstem feathermoss, the moss layer includes patches of a few acrocarpous mosses and the powder horn lichen.

Soil & Ecosite Types: The white birch-white spruce vegetation type (NE-V1) occurs on acidic (non-calcareous) soil types of dry to moist coarse loams (S5, S7) and fresh to moist loams to silty soils (S9, S11); it occurs less frequently on sandy soils or very sandy soils over acidic bedrock (S1, S3, SS1, SS3). This vegetation type can be found on ecosite types ES1r, ES7m and 7c, ES9r, ES16, ES17, ES20, and ES21.

Trees:

overstorey

white birch (Betula papyrifera) [7]
white spruce (Picea glauca) [7]
white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) [5]
yellow birch ( Betula alleghaniensis) [3]
trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) [2]
white pine (Pinus strobus) [2]
balsam fir (Abies balsamea) [2]
sugar maple (Acer saccharum) [1]
red pine (Pinus resinosa) [1]

regeneration

balsam fir (Abies balsamea)
white cedar (Thuja occidentalis)
white birch (Betula papyrifera)
white spruce (Picea glauca)

Shrubs:

tall shrubs

mountain maple (Acer spicatum)
beaked hazel (Corylus cornuta)
showy mountain ash (Sorbus decora)

low shrubs

ground hemlock (Taxus canadensis)
Canada honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis)

Dwarf Shrubs & Herbs:

dwarf shrubs

twinflower (Linnaea borealis)

forbs

wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)
bluebead lily (Clintonia borealis)
wild lily of the valley (Maianthemum canadense)
starflower (Trientalis borealis)
largeleaf aster (Eurybia macrophylla)
wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella subsp. montana)
bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
goldthread (Coptis trifolia)
violets (Viola spp.)

graminoids

sedges (Carex spp.)

Ferns and Fern Allies:

ferns

spinulose shield fern (Dryopteris carthusiana)

clubmosses

ground pine (Lycopodium dendroideum or Lycopodium obscurum)

Bryophytes:

Schreber's feathermoss (Pleurozium schreberi)
broom moss (Dicranum scoparium)
spiky dicranum (Dicranum flagellare)
wavyleaf moss (Dicranum polysetum)
dusky broom moss (or curly heron's-bill) (Dicranum fuscescens)
common four-tooth moss (Tetraphis pellucida)

Lichens:

mealy pixie cup (Cladonia chlorophaea)
common powderhorn (Cladonia coniocraea)

Note: Species listed above are taken from the Vegetation type description and the Species Percentage Cover by Vegetation Type Tables (pg. D 34). Species are listed in order of most cover and abundance.