Northern Ontario Plant Database

Northern Ontario Vegetation Type (V-type)

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NE-V6: Trembling Aspen - White Birch - Beaked Hazel - Bracken Fern
Summary: A mixedwood stand dominated by trembling aspen and white birch (up to 20% cover) in the canopy, with several conifer species occurring in fewer than 2/3 of the sample plots, including red pine (21-40% cover), white and jack pine (11-20% cover), white and black spruce and balsam fir (6-10% cover), but providing 6-40% cover. Regeneration is dominated by conifers, primarily balsam fir (11-20% cover), but black and white spruce occur in the understorey, as well as some trembling aspen, each providing less than 10% cover.

There are a moderate number of shrubs, with beaked hazel (11-20% cover) the most common species in the tall shrub layer. The low shrub layer includes bush honeysuckle, lowbush blueberry, and velvetleaf blueberry, each providing 2-5% cover. The herb layer is relatively poor and contains all the characteristic boreal forest species, as well as largeleaf aster, wild sarsaparilla, and bluebead lily, each providing less than 5% cover. Bracken fern is the most common pteridophyte, providing 11-20% cover; small colonies of running clubmoss and ground pine may also be found.

The forest floor has a mix of deciduous and coniferous litter. Schreber's feathermoss can be found in patches with 2-5% cover, along with lesser quantities of Dicranum mosses and occasional small patches of reindeer lichen.

Soil and Ecosite Types: The Trembling Aspen-White Birch-Beaked Hazel-Bracken Fern Vegetation Type (NE-V6) occurs on non-calcareous (acidic) soils, including dry to fresh sandy soils (S1), dry to fresh coarse loamy to silty soils (S5, S9), and shallow soils over bedrock (SS3). This vegetation type may be found on ecosite types ES 1r (White Spruce-White Birch-Very Shallow Soil-Species Rich), ES 3 (White Birch-Trembling Aspen-Black Spruce-Coarse Soil), ES 18 (Jack Pine-White Pine-Red Pine), and ES 19 (White Pine-Red Pine-Mixedwood).

Trees:

overstorey

trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) [8]
white birch (Betula papyrifera) [8]
jack pine (Pinus banksiana) [5]
white spruce (Picea glauca) [5]
black spruce (Picea mariana) [4]
balsam fir (Abies balsamea) [4]
red pine (Pinus resinosa) [3]
white pine (Pinus strobus) [2]
red maple (Acer rubrum) [1]
largetooth aspen (Populus grandidentata) [1]

regeneration

balsam fir (Abies balsamea)
black spruce (Picea mariana)
white birch (Betula papyrifera)
white spruce (Picea glauca)
trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides)

Shrubs:

tall shrubs

beaked hazel (Corylus cornuta)
mountain maple (Acer spicatum)
serviceberries (Amelanchier spp.)

low shrubs

bush honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera)
lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)
velvetleaf blueberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides)

Dwarf Shrubs & Herbs:

dwarf shrubs

twinflower (Linnaea borealis)

forbs

largeleaf aster (Eurybia macrophylla)
wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)
bluebead lily (Clintonia borealis)
bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
wild lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemum canadense)
starflower (Trientalis borealis)

Ferns:

ferns

bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum)

clubmosses

running (or wolf's-claw) clubmoss (Lycopodium clavatum)
ground pine (Lycopodium dendroideum or Lycopodium obscurum)

Bryophytes:

Schreber's feathermoss (Pleurozium schreberi)
dusky broom moss (or curly heron's-bill) (Dicranum fuscescens)
wavyleaf moss (Dicranum polysetum)
brachythecium moss (Brachythecium spp.)

Lichens:

gray reindeer lichen (Cladina rangiferina)
unspecified Cladonia spp.

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.