Northern Ontario Plant Database

Northern Ontario Vegetation Type (V-type)

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NE-V16: White Cedar - Spruce - Balsam Fir - Ferns
Summary: A conifer stand dominated by white cedar (21-40% cover), white spruce, black spruce, and balsam fir (each with 11-20% cover). The understorey is dominated by regeneration of white cedar (11-20% cover) and balsam fir (6-10% cover). White birch occurs in both the overstorey and understorey, but with less than 5% cover.

The shrub layer is moderately rich, though dominated by mountain maple (11-20% cover) and speckled alder (6-10% cover). Other species include showy mountain ash and Canada fly honeysuckle (each 2-5% cover). Lesser quantities of red osier dogwood, prickly wild rose, currants, squashberry, and serviceberry may also occur.

The herb layer is species-rich, with several species providing 2-5% cover, including dwarf raspberry, wild sarsaparilla, naked mitrewort, goldthread, violets, sedges, oak fern, and the characteristic boreal forest species. Numerous other herb and pteridophyte species provide similar cover, but on fewer than 2/3 of the sample plots, and several other species consistently provide a cover of up to 1%.

The forest floor is a patchwork of deciduous and coniferous leaf litter with scattered patches of feathermosses, including Schreber's feathermoss, stairstep moss, shaggy moss (each 11-20% cover), and plume moss (2-5% cover). In wet depressions, which are often ephemeral, clumps of peatmoss species may also be found.

Soil and Ecosite Types: The White Cedar-Spruce -Balsam Fir-Fern Vegetation Type (NE-V16) occurs on fresh to wet fine-textured or organic soil types, including fine loamy to clayey soils (S13), shallow organic soils (S15, S16), and deep organic soils (S17, S18). This vegetation type (NE-V16) occurs most commonly on ecosite types ES 13r (White Cedar-Black Spruce-Organic Soil-Species Rich) and ES 9r (White Spruce-Balsam Fir-White Cedar-Moist Soil-Species Rich), but may occur on ecosite types ES 1p (Black Sspruce-Jack Pine-Very Shallow Soil-Species Poor), ES 5f (Black Spruce-Fine Soil), ES 6f (Black Spruce-Trembling Aspen-Fine Soil), ES 7c (Trembling Aspen-White birch-Coarse Soil), ES 13p (Black Spruce-Larch-Speckled Alder-Organic Soil-Species Poor), and ES 18 (Jack Pine-White Pine-Red Pine).

Trees:

overstorey

white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) [6]
white spruce (Picea glauca) [6]
black spruce (Picea mariana) [6]
balsam fir (Abies balsamea) [4]
white birch (Betula papyrifera) [2]

regeneration

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

Shrubs:

tall shrubs

mountain maple (Acer spicatum)
speckled alder (Alnus incana subsp. rugosa)
showy mountain ash (Sorbus decora)
serviceberries (Amelanchier spp.)

low shrubs

Canada fly honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis)
red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea)
prickly wild rose (Rosa acicularis)
bristly black currant (Ribes lacustre)
swamp red currant (Ribes triste)
squashberry (Viburnum edule)

Dwarf Shrubs & Herbs:

dwarf shrubs

dwarf raspberry (Rubus pubescens)
twinflower (Linnaea borealis)
creeping snowberry (Gaultheria hispidula)

forbs

wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)
naked mitrewort (Mitella nuda)
goldthread (Coptis trifolia)
violets (Viola spp.)
bluebead lily (Clintonia borealis)
bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
fragrant bedstraw (Galium triflorum)
rose twisted-stalk (Streptopus lanceolatus)
wild lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemum canadense)
wood anemone (Anemone quinquefolia)
starflower (Trientalis borealis)
northern bluebells (Mertensia paniculata)
sweet coltsfoot (Petasites frigidus var. palmatus)

graminoids

sedges (Carex spp.)
drooping woodreed (Cinna latifolia)

Ferns & Fern Allies:

ferns

oak fern (Gymnocarpium dryopteris)
northern lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina)
spinulose woodfern (Dryopteris carthusiana)

clubmosses

bristly (or interrupted) clubmoss (Lycopodium annotinum)

horsetails

field horsetail (Equisetum arvense)
woodland horsetail (Equisetum sylvaticum)

Bryophytes:

Schreber's feathermoss (Pleurozium schreberi)
stairstep moss (Hylocomium splendens)
shaggy moss (or electrified cat's-tail) (Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus)
plume moss (Ptilium crista-castrensis)
brachythecium moss (Brachythecium spp.)
common fern moss (Thuidium delicatulum)
common green peatmoss (Sphagnum girgensohnii)
northern (or lady's tresses) peatmoss (Sphagnum capillifolium)
felt round moss (Rhizomnium pseudopunctatum)
sickle moss (Sanionia uncinata)
wavyleaf moss (Dicranum polysetum)
dusky broom moss (or curly heron's-bill) (Dicranum fuscescens)

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.