Northern Ontario Plant Database

Northern Ontario Vegetation Type (V-type)

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NW-V17: Jack Pine Mixedwood / Shrub Rich

Summary: A mixedwood stand dominated by jack pine in the canopy, with trembling aspen and/white birch often occurring as associate species. Other conifers, such as black spruce and balsam fir occur in the canopy with low frequency, but are more common in the regeneration layer. The rich shrub layer contains a variety of low and tall shrubs. Low shrubs, including bush honeysuckle and blueberries, occur consistently. Cover of tall shrubs, including beaked hazel, balsam fir regen, and mountain alder, may range from open to very dense in sites across the northwest, with mountain maple abundant mainly in Site Regions 2W and 3W.

The herb layer is often dominated by wild sarsaparilla, but also contains the characteristic boreal forest species, largeleaf aster, and rose twisted-stalk. The forest floor is dominated by a combination of broadleaf and conifer litter, and patches of feathermoss.

This vegetation type is similar to the Jack Pine/Low Shrub (NW-V28) type, but the latter is an even-aged conifer stand with a pure canopy of jack pine.

Soil & Ecosite Types: The Jack Pine Mixedwood / Shrub Rich Vegetation Type (NW-V17) is found most commonly on Ecosite Type ES 14 (Pine-Spruce Mixedwood, sandy soil), but it may be found with other vegetation types on ES 16 (Hardwood-Fir-Spruce Mixedwood, sandy soil) and ES 20 (Spruce-Pine/Feathermoss, fresh, sandy-coarse loamy soil). It occurs on upland, rapidly-drained, fresh to dry, coarse-textured mineral soils (mainly S1, S2, and S3).

Note: The percentage of sample plots that contained overstorey tree species is given in square brackets after each scientific name. Other species are listed in order of frequency, according to the NW-FEC manual.

Trees:

overstorey:

jack pine (Pinus banksiana) [10]
trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) [7]
white birch (Betula papyrifera) [5]
black spruce (Picea mariana) [4]
balsam fir (Abies balsamea) [2]
white spruce (Picea glauca) [1]

regeneration:

balsam fir (Abies balsamea)
trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides)
black spruce (Picea mariana)

Shrubs:

tall shrubs:

beaked hazel (Corylus cornuta)
serviceberries (Amelanchier spp.)
mountain alder (Alnus viridis subsp. crispa)

low shrubs:

bush honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera)
lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)
velvetleaf blueberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides)
prickly wild rose (Rosa acicularis)

Dwarf Shrubs & Herbs:

dwarf shrubs:

twinflower (Linnaea borealis)
dwarf raspberry (Rubus pubescens)

forbs:

wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)
wild lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemum canadense)
bluebead lily (Clintonia borealis)
bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
largeleaf aster (Eurybia macrophylla)
starflower (Trientalis borealis)
rose twisted-stalk (Streptopus lanceolatus)
violets (Viola spp.)

Bryophytes:

Schreber's feathermoss (Pleurozium schreberi)
wavyleaf moss (Dicranum polysetum)
plume moss (Ptilium crista-castrensis)