Michigan Forest Communities - Michigan Association of ...

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CLOSED-CANOPY UPLAND FOREST COMMUNITIES Sugar maple — Michigan’s most valuable tree. Sugar maple usually dominates in the richest mesic habitats, whereas beech is better adapted to sandy soils or those with somewhat poor internal drainage. But it is common to find both species growing together. Seedlings and saplings of sugar maple usually predominate in the understory. Other trees Several other trees, which can become quite large, also may occupy a major part of the overstory but rarely establish in the understory of mature forests unless wind or logging opens a gap in the canopy: • Red oak • White oak • Bur oak • Chinquapin oak • White ash • Tulip poplar • Basswood • Black cherry • Red maple • Bitternut hickory • Black walnut • Sassafras • White pine • Hemlock (this and the preceding species occasionally near Lake Michigan and in the Region I-II transition zone) Associated plants The richness of mesic habitats is reflected in a high understory diversity. Small trees, shrubs, and vines may include: • Blue beech • Hop hornbeam • Choke cherry 58
CLOSED-CANOPY UPLAND FOREST COMMUNITIES • Pokeweed • Blue cohosh • Blue-stem goldenrod • Beech drops • Hairy Solomon seal • False spikenard • Showy orchis • Fowl manna grass • Wide-leaved sedge • Lady fern Distribution and status Maple-beech forests are the most common forest type in southern Michigan. The largest area occurs in Van Buren, Calhoun, Allegan, Oakland, Kent, Barry, St. Clair, Ingham, and Sanilac counties, although extensive tracts are rare. Most of the land in southern Michigan that once supported this forest type has been converted to Forest Community Type 6 Southern Mesic Deciduous (Maple- Beech) Forests Jack-in-the-pulpit above wild ginger. agriculture—about 1.3 million fragmented acres remain. Farm woodlots are the major refuge for this type, although most have been heavily cut over. Because of the amazing vitality and reproductive power of the plants that make up these forests, those spared the ax or saw for a long period usually recover to a condition approaching what they were in pre- European settlement times, although some species may be lost. Key viewing areas • Stony Creek Metropark (Macomb County northeast of Rochester). • Indian Springs Metropark (Oakland County northwest of Pontiac). • Nan Weston Nature Preserve at Sharon Hollow, Michigan Nature 60
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 and 12: ECOLOGY OF MICHIGAN FORESTS • The
Page 13 and 14: MICHIGAN FOREST COMMUNITY TYPES A f
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: 6 Southern Mesic Deciduous (Maple-B
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

Michigan Forest Communities - Michigan Association of ...

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