The Alaska Vegetation Classification - Alaska Geobotany Center ...

Distribution and site characteristics-Black spruce woodlands are found throughoutinterior, westem, and south-central Alaska, primarily on cold, wet, poorly drainedsoils, but occasionally on some cold, well-drained soils. They are found in severaltopographic positions including flood plains, slopes, and ridges. Permafrost may bepresent or absent. Soils are shallow lo permafrost, bedrock, or raw parent material.They are generally Cryaquepts or, more rarely, Cryochrepts, with a surface organiclayer 10 to 30 centimeters (4 to 12 in) thick.Successional status-Many black spruce woodlands seem to be a fire climax.When burned, these communities pass through several herb and shrub stagesbefore returning lo black spruce woodland.Closely related types-Black spruce woodlands often resemble open black spruceforest but have less than 25 percent tree cover. When tree canopy cover becomesless than 10 percent, the more open black spruce woodlands resemble various openscrub communities, such as mixed shrub-sedge tussock bog, shrub birch-ericaceousshrub bog, and mesic shrub birch-ericaceous shrub scrub. Stands containing whitespruce can resemble black spruce-white spruce woodland, but contain less whitespruce. Stunted trees on very poor sites may resemble black spruce dwarl treewoodland scrub.Photographs-Ftacine 1976, figure 22; figures 21 and 22, this publication.Prlmary references-Foote 1983, Racine 1976, Viereck and others 1983, Yarie1983.Communities-Picea mariana/Sphagnum spp.-Cladonia spp. (Heilman 1966;Viereck 1975, 1979). Picea mariana/Cladonia spp. (Foote 1983; Racine 1976;Viereck 1975, 1979). Picea mariana/Vaccinium spp.-Salix spp./Sphagnum spp.(Racine 1976, Webber and others 1978, Williamson and Peyton 1962). Piceamariana/Befula nana/€riophorum spp./Sphagnum spp. (Yarie 1983). Piceamariana/Sa/ix spp./Hylocomium splendens-Cladonia fangiferina (Yarie 1983). Piceamariana/€riophorum vaginatum (Jorgenson and others 1986). Picea mariana/Ledumdecumbens-Vacciniumspp. (Jorgenson and others 1986). Picea marianalsphagnumspp. (Jorgenson and others 1986).I.A.3.e. Black SpruceWhite Spruce WoodlandDescription-These communities are comprised 01 black spruce and white spruceas codominants. Although both species provide a significant amount of cover, theymay differ in size and age class. Trees tend lo be slow growing but occasionallygrow to relatively large sizes. The largest trees, usually white spruce, may reach32 centimeters (13 in) d.b.h. and over 10 meters (33 ft) in height. More typical sizesare 7 to 11 centimeters (3 to 4 in) d.b.h. and 3 to 7 meters (10 to 23 ft) in height.Regeneration of both species generally is present, though there is a tendency for alarger proportion of young trees to be black spruce rather than white spruce.