The Alaska Vegetation Classification - Alaska Geobotany Center ...

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Because of the dense tree canopy, the tall shrub layer of alders and willows is onlysparsely developed and generally contributes little cover. Low shrubs and dwatishrubs, such as Vaccinium uliginosurn, Ledurngroenlandicum, Vaccinium vitis-idaea,Ernpetrum nigrum, and Betula nana, become common in older stands as the canopybegins to open.A well-developed moss layer consisting primarily of the feathermosses Hylocomiurnsplendens, Pleuroziurn schreberi, and less commonly, Rhytidialdelphus tfiquefrusis characteristic of these stands. Herbaceous grtswth is usually sparse but horsetails,primarily Equisetum sylvaticum and €. arvense. may provide as much as 50 percentcover in flood-plain stands. Other forbs include Pyrola spp., Linnaea borealis,Geocaulon lividurn, Merfensia paniculata, and Goodyera repens.Phases-A phase of this type, with lichens dominating the ground cover, has beenreported from southwestern Alaska (Wibbenmeyer and others 1982). In the PorcupineRiver area of northeastern Alaska, Shephefdia canadensis and Arctostaphylosrubra are important shrubs and subshrubs in this type on dryer sites.Distribution and site characteristics-This type is found on the most productivesites throughout the Alaska taiga. It occurs on young river terraces, especially wherepermafrost is lacking, and on low-elevation slopes with well-drained soils on south,west, or east aspects. The type is most extensive in central Alaska but occurs inisolated small stands along rivers and in warm upland sites nearly to the northernand western tree lines. The soils are usually moderately well drained and lackpermafrost or have a deep active layer.Successional status-The closed white spruce type is considered by many to bethe climax vegetation on the well-drained upland and flood-plain sites in much of theAlaska taiga. In the upland, white spruce stands occasionally may regenerate directlyafter fire, but more commonly white spruce replaces successional hardwood standsof aspen or birch. On the flood plain, white spruce stands usually develop after shruband balsam poplar stages, and there is considerable evidence that over long periods,perhaps one to two generations, the white spruce stands are replaced by blackspruce as permafrost develops on the site.Closely related types-The closed white spruce forest is similar to the open whitespruce type, except that the latter has more shrub cover and the moss layer maybe partially replaced by lichens. On some transitional sites in the upland and on theflood plain, a mixture of white and black spruce occurs but with much the sameunderstory vegetation as in the closed white spruce stands. In most publications,the type is referred to as the closed white spruce forest type or the white spruceforest type.Photographs-Figure 7, this publication.Primary references-Drury 1956, Foote 1983, Lutz 1956, Viereck and others 1983,Wibbenmeyer and others 1982, Yarie 1983.
Communities-Picea glaucahathermosses (Buckley and Libby 1957; Craigheadand others 1988; Drury 1956; Dyrness and others 1988; Viereck 1970a, 1975). Piceaglauca/Alnus fenuifolia/Hylocomium splendens (Dyrness and others 1988). Piceaglauca/Viburnum edule/€quisetum afvense (Foote 1983). Picea glauca/Linnaeaborealis-Equisetum sylvaticum (Foote 1983). Picea glauca/Rosa acicularisLinnaeaboreali~/Hylocomium splendens (Viereck 1989). Picea glauca/Rosa acicularis-Shepherdia canadensis/Linnaea borealis (Yarie 1983). Picea glauca/Alnus spp./Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Yarie 1983). Picea glaucallllertensia spp./Gramineae (Yarie1983). Picea glaucalSalix spp./Sbepherdia canadensis/Arcfosfaphylos spp./Peltigeraspp. (Yarie 1983). Picea glauca/Rosa acicularis/€quisetum spp. (Yarie 1983). Piceaglaucdshepherdia canadensis/€quisetum spp.-Arctostaphylos spp. (Yarie 1983).Picea glauca/Alnus crispdRosa acicularis/Arctostaphylos rubra (Yarie 1983). PiceaglaucdRosa acicularis-Shepherdia canadensislArctosfaphylos rubra-Linnaea borealis(Yarie 1983).1.A.i.k. Closed Black Spruce ForestDescription-These torest communities are dominated by black spruce (Piceamariana) (fig. 8). White spruce and paper birch may be present but are not veryimportant. Black spruce trees average 9 meters (30 ft) tall and 10 centimeters(4 in) d.b.h. Productivity is very low, trees often requiring 100 years or more toreach average size. Tree density is high with 12,000 to 15,000 stems per hectare(4,900 to 6,070 stems per acre), but volume is low at 177 cubic meters per hectare(2,529 R3/acre) and mean annual increment is, at best, only 1.7 cubic meter perhectare (24 ft3/acre). Black spruce regeneration is usually abundant, primarily fromlayering of lower branches.Figure 8-Closed needieleaf forest of black sprucewith a thick mat of Ihe feathermosses Hylocomiumsplendens and Pleurozium schreberi and folioselichens, primarily Pelfigera canina and P. aphrhosa,in the uplands in interior Alaska.65
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~~ ~rForest ServicePacific Northwes
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AbstractViereck, L.A.; Dyrness, C.T
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IntroductionThe first draft of this
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General Descriptionof theClassifica
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Northwest’. Tenltoryf-Figure I-Ma
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Arctic AlaskaInterior AlaskaAn exte
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Figure 2-Vegetation type map of Ala
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Table 1-Alaska vegetation classific
Page 17 and 18: II. Scrub8a. Vegetation with at lea
Page 19: mn15
Page 25: FQ221
Page 29: n aa25
Page 39: mP35
Page 48: .I44
Page 59 and 60: Descriptions ofLevel I, II, 111,and
Page 61 and 62: Communities-Picea sifchensis/Oplopa
Page 63 and 64: LA. 1.d. Closed Western Hemlock-Sit
Page 65 and 66: Figure 6-Closed needleleaf forest o
Page 67: Distrlbutlon and site characteristi
Page 71 and 72: LA. 1.1. Closed Black Spruce-White
Page 73 and 74: A lower well-developed shrub layer
Page 75 and 76: A layer of herbs and ferns provides
Page 77 and 78: Figure lS0pen needleleaf forest ofw
Page 79 and 80: Figure 1 64pen needleleaf forest of
Page 81 and 82: 1.A.2.h. Open Black Spruce-Tamarack
Page 83 and 84: A.3.b. Siika Spruce WoodlandDescrlp
Page 85 and 86: and others 1988). Picea glaucdAlnus
Page 87 and 88: A well-developed tall shrub layer,
Page 89 and 90: Figure 24-Closed broadleaf forest o
Page 91 and 92: Occasionally, small stands of balsa
Page 93 and 94: Mature birch can survive low-intens
Page 95 and 96: Distribution and Site characteristl
Page 97 and 98: Distributlon and site characteristi
Page 99 and 100: Figure 314pen broadleaf forest ofba
Page 101 and 102: I.B.3.b. Balsam Poplar WoodlandDesc
Page 103 and 104: stands reach 120 years of age. A ta
Page 105 and 106: 1.c.7.d. Closed Quaking Aspen-Spruc
Page 107 and 108: Figure 35-Closed mixed forest 01 ba
Page 109 and 110: I.C.2.b. Open Quaking Aspen-Spruce
Page 111 and 112: Distribution and site characteristi
Page 113 and 114: Closely related types-Closed subalp
Page 115 and 116: ll.A.3.a. Black Spruce Dwarf Tree W
Page 117 and 118: Figure 38-Closed tall willow shrub
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hummocky substrate and usually are
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Primary references-Batten and other
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Figure 41-Open tall willow shrub of
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ll.B.2.c. Open Tall Shrub Birch Shr
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Distribution and site characteristi
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Figure 44-Closed low willow shrub o
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Communities-Betula nana-Salixplanif
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Successlonal status-Many of these c
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Primary referencecHanson 1951; Pega
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generally also have an abundance of
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Successional status-Communities on
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Communitles-Salix glauca/Arcfosfaph
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Primary references-Hogan and Tande
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Closely related types-Sagebrush-gra
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Figure 52-Oryas dwarf shrub tundraw
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ugosum (Hettinger and Janz 1974). D
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Oxyfropis nigrescens, Hierochlog al
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Closely related types-Vaccinium dwa
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ll.D.2.d. Mountain-Heath Dwarf Shru
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1984). Cassiope mertensiana-C. stel
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Figure SB--Dry graminoid herbaceous
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' , , .MA. 1.b. Dry FescueFigure 54
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Figure 60-Midgrass-shrub stand of t
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(Crow 1977b, Ritchie and others 198
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Successional status-In southwestern
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Primary references-Batten and other
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Primary reference-Hjeljord 1971.Com
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Closely related types-Sedge-birch t
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Figure 64-We1 sedge meadow tundraof
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Closely related types-Wet sedge mea
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Figure €.&Subarcticlowland sedge
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Closely related types-Halophytic gr
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Koppen 1977; del Moral and Watson 1
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Closely related types-These communi
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The sites themselves are covered wi
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Figure 70-A mesic forb herbaceous c
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Closely related types-These communi
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Closely related types-Herb wet mead
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Closely related types-Halophytic he
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III.C.1.6. Dly BryophyteFigure ? L
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lll.C.2.b. Foliose and Fruticose Li
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lll.D.I.b. Common MarestailFigure 7
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Photographs-Figure 79, this publica
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Communlties-Su~ularia aquafica-Call
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Figure 80(len)-A marine aquatic eel
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ReferencesWhile preparing the Alask
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Anderson, J.H. 1972. Phytocenology
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Brock, Steven; Burke, Ingrid. 1980.
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Crow, John Huber. 1968. Plant ecolo
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Fries, Janet A. 1977. The vascular
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Holowaychuk, N.; Smeck, Neil E. 197
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Kessler, Wlnlfred B. 1979. Bird pop
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Martin, Jon R.; Brady, Ward W.; Dow
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Neiland, Bonita J. 1971b. Survey of
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Raclne, Charles H.; Anderson, J.H.
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Selkregg, Lidla L. 1975a. Alaska re
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Stevens, M.E. 1965. Relation of veg
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Van Cleve, K.; Viereck, L.A. 1981.
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Walker, D.A.; Lederer, N.P. 1983. V
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Wiggins, Ira L. 1951. The distribut
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Table %Listof scientific and common
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Table &--List of scientific and com
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Table 3-Lis.t of scientific and com
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Table >Listof scientific and common
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Table %Listof scientific and common
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~~~ ~Table %Listof Scientific and c
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Assoclatlon, plant-A stand or group
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Bryold-(1) A moss, liverwort, or ho
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Ctyaquepts-Gray or olive soils with
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Edaphic-(adj.) Pertaining to the so
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Foliage cover-See cover.Foot slope-
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Herbaceous4n the Alaska vegetation
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Marsh-(1) A periodically wet or con
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Old-growth stand-Not synonymous wit
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Pioneer-Plant capable of invading b
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Sere-A sequence of plant communitie
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Submerged aquatic plant-Plant adapt
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~ y p + kind ~ of vegetation; for e
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Viereck, L.A.; Dymess, C.T.; Batten
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