High

A broad range of forested wetlands with a conifer or mixed conifer-hardwood overstory. These forested wetlands typically have saturated soils, which may also be seasonally flooded. Many of these forests are associated with limestone or other calcareous substrate and have acidic and nutrient-poor soils. Soils are primarily mineral, though there may be peat development or organic muck accumulation in headwater wetlands and depressions. Various conifer species may be present based on local conditions, such as black spruce, tamarack, and eastern hemlock.

Montane spruce-fir forests occur at the highest elevations (above 3,350 feet), and within the assessment area are found only in the Catskill Mountains of New York. These forests are dominated by boreal species, particularly red spruce and balsam fir. Although spruce-fir forests are dominated by conifers, they may contain a number of associated northern hardwood species, such as yellow birch, paper birch, mountain maple, striped maple, and mountain ash.

Situated on the Atlantic coastal plain, this is a forest-shrubland mosaic existing on barrier islands, coastal strands, and bluffs. Vegetation is species poor, with stunted trees in some combination of pines (pitch, Virginia, loblolly, shortleaf) and oaks (scarlet, black, scrub, post) and eastern redcedar, black cherry, American holly, sassafras, and red maple. Soils fine to coarse sand with some organic material mixing into top layers. Can include upland and lowland depression examples.

Stands are generally dominated by white spruce (occasionally black spruce or Norway spruce). Some stands may have co-dominant tree species such as balsam fir or quaking aspen.

Stands are in low-lying sites and are dominated primarily by black spruce, northern white-cedar, tamarack, or a mixture of these species. Quaking aspen, paper birch, and other species may be co-dominant in some stands.

This forest ecosystem consists of forests, woody wetlands, shrublands, and grasslands on a variety of landforms in the highest elevation zone of the Allegheny Mountains, ranging from 2400 to 4600 feet. It is dominated by combinations of red spruce and balsam fir, and can include yellow birch, eastern hemlock, red maple, sweet birch, cucumbertree, American mountain ash, black cherry, American beech, mountain magnolia, black ash, and sugar maple.

This forest ecosystem occurs as a complex of wetland and upland vegetation associated with medium to large rivers or streams where topography and alluvial processes have resulted in a well-developed floodplain. Common species include silver maple, eastern cottonwood, pin oak, red maple, black willow, sycamore, sweetgum, green ash, bur oak, American hornbeam, black walnut, American elm, boxelder, and black oak.

These ecosystems occur on gentle to steep slopes on soils that range from slightly acidic to very acidic with varying amounts of nutrients, depending on landscape position and parent material. These largely deciduous forests are sometimes mixed with hemlock. Common species include sugar maple, American basswood, American beech, white ash, black cherry, yellow birch, sweet birch, red maple, eastern hemlock, red spruce, and tulip tree.

Mesic upland forests are generally fire-intolerant with mesic, highly fertile soils and tend to occupy north and east facing slopes and ravines. Dominant species include sugar and red maple, northern red and white oak, tuliptree, bitternut hickory, American beech, American basswood, white ash, and black cherry.

This forest system occurs on nutrient-poor soils or glacial lake plains, and is often restricted to high snowfall areas with short growing seasons. Common tree species include balsam fir, white spruce, white pine, and other boreal species.