Michigan Forest Communities - Michigan Association of ...

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MICHIGAN FOREST COMMUNITY TYPES What is a forest community type? First of all, what is a forest? I define it as a community whose dominant plants—in size, not number—are trees. Trees may be dense and closely spaced, creating a continuous overstory canopy and deep shade at ground level (closed forest). In old, mature closed forests, several layers of subcanopy trees often are present under the overstory, along with a well-developed ground flora. On the other extreme, trees may be widely spaced or scattered, with a discontinuous canopy that permits lots of sun to reach the ground (open forest or savanna). In the spaces among the trees, a prairie or meadow flora flourishes. A more or less continuous gradation between these forest extremes exists. Forests also have a minimum size—usually large enough to completely eliminate environmental “edge effects” in the forest interior. However interesting, a fencerow, roadside strip of trees, or small patch of trees (less than 1 or 2 acres) in open land is not considered a forest in the context of this guidebook. Finally, forests are wild. Woodlands that are continually disturbed by livestock grazing, herbicide spraying, mowing, or trampling are not considered in this discussion. The community types described in this book are based on mature forest characteristics. 19
MICHIGAN FOREST COMMUNITY TYPES A forest community type is a broadly defined ecosystem—a varied and complex assemblage of plants, animals, and other organisms living together in a common habitat (Barnes et al. 1998). Fundamentally, naming and describing a community type is an attempt to put a segment of the natural world in a box, always a tenuous process fraught with many pitfalls. These pitfalls should be discussed before we proceed any further. Decay organisms are essential members of forest communities. How are forest communities defined? Forest community types are defined principally by their characteristic tree species. This practice does not imply that the organisms associated with these trees are somehow less important ecologically. Trees are large and structurally dominant, and they may have monetary value or aesthetic appeal; thus we focus on them. But in the natural world, every organism plays an important role. Forest communities are incredibly diverse, consisting of thousands—maybe even millions—of kinds of organisms, from one-celled microbes to huge, complex trees. Michigan contains approximately 1,800 native plants, with another 800 non-native (exotic) plants added to the mix. Unfortunately, only a few of the best known and most recognizable plants can be included in my description of each type. Furthermore, each person’s background and interests influence his or her choice of what organisms should be included in the description (e.g., see Hoffman 2002 and Kricher 1998). A second difficulty with forest typing concerns the inevitable variation that occurs in the field. Forested landscapes present a continuum of vegetation; the transition from one type to another is sometimes gradual, sometimes abrupt. How should we handle transition communities? In addition, microsites with an entirely different 20
Page 1 and 2: Michigan Forest Communities A Field
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS Acknowledgments . . . . .
Page 5 and 6: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS O ne does not trave
Page 7 and 8: INTRODUCTION Forests are continuall
Page 9 and 10: A SHORT HISTORY OF MICHIGAN FORESTS
Page 11: ECOLOGY OF MICHIGAN FORESTS • The
Page 15 and 16: MICHIGAN FOREST COMMUNITY TYPES ✔
Page 17 and 18: MICHIGAN FOREST COMMUNITY TYPES ✔
Page 19 and 20: 1 Southern Deciduous (Hardwood) Swa
Page 21 and 22: WETLAND FOREST COMMUNITIES Distribu
Page 23 and 24: WETLAND FOREST COMMUNITIES • Nort
Page 25 and 26: 3 Northern Hardwood-Conifer Swamps
Page 27 and 28: 4 Northern Rich Conifer (Cedar) Swa
Page 29 and 30: 6 Southern Mesic Deciduous (Maple-B
Page 31 and 32: CLOSED-CANOPY UPLAND FOREST COMMUNI
Page 33 and 34: Southern Dry-Mesic Oak Forests Sign
Page 35 and 36: 11 Northern Dry-Mesic Pine Forests
Page 37 and 38: Part III. Open-Canopy Upland Forest
Page 39 and 40: Southern Lakeplain Openings Many fo
Page 41 and 42: 18 Southern Oak Barrens R Habitat T
Page 43 and 44: Southern Oak Barrens Northern dewbe
Page 45 and 46: 19 Northern Pine and Oak Barrens R
Page 47 and 48: OPEN-CANOPY UPLAND FOREST COMMUNITI
Page 49 and 50: Great Lake Barrens Trees in barrens
Page 51 and 52: 21 Northern Balds, Cliffs, and Bedr
Page 53 and 54: Balds, Cliffs, and Glades Distribut
Page 55 and 56: OPEN-CANOPY UPLAND FOREST COMMUNITI
Page 57 and 58: BIRDS AND MAMMALS ASSOCIATED WITH F
Page 59 and 60: FIELD GUIDES TO SPECIES IDENTIFICAT
Page 61 and 62: ADDITIONAL REFERENCES Cleland, D.T.
Page 63 and 64:
LATIN NAMES OF SHRUBS, GROUND FLORA
Page 65 and 66:
LATIN NAMES OF SHRUBS, GROUND FLORA
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Michigan Forest Communities - Michigan Association of ...

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