Lowland conifers
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.
Non-Forested Wetlands
Non-Forested Wetlands
Taxonomy Machine Name
sector_nonforested_ecosystems
Taxonomy Alias
nonforested_ecosystems
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Jack pine
Stands are generally dominated by jack pine, with some composed primarily of mixed pine species or occasionally Scotch pine. Oak species may be co-dominant in some stands.
Aspen-birch
Stands are dominated by quaking aspen, bigtooth aspen, paper birch, or balsam poplar. Some stands may have codominant tree species such as balsam fir or white spruce.
The mixed mesophytic and cove forest ecosystem is often already impacted by a number of anthropogenic stressors.
This forest ecosystem has been diminished by fragmentation and conversion to agriculture, coal mining, and logging. Especially in southeastern Ohio, remaining forest blocks occur in a highly fragmented mosaic of second growth forests and have reduced biodiversity.
Climate change may intensify interactions among multiple stressors in the mixed mesophytic and cove forest ecosystem.
Increases in invasive species could increase fire fuels in this type, leading to potentially more intense fire when it does occur. Drought would also lead to increased risk of wildfire, which this ecosystem would not tolerate well. Most species are fire-intolerant, although oak species would benefit from an increase in fire.
Many invasive plant species currently threaten the mixed mesophytic and cove forest ecosystem and are expected to be able to take advantage of climate change to outcompete native species.
Japanese stiltgrass, garlic mustard, ailanthus, and bush honeysuckles have already shifted understory species composition, and are expected to increase in response to warmer temperatures.
Increased drought conditions in the mixed mesophytic and cove forest ecosystem may increase susceptibility of trees in this system to hemlock woolly adelgid, forest tent caterpillar, beech bark disease, and other insect pests and diseases.
Eastern hemlock is currently susceptible to widespread mortality from hemlock woolly adelgid, which is expected to dramatically reduce eastern hemlock populations over the next few decades. Emerald ash borer infestations have already damaged and killed many ash trees.
Soil conditions will become even drier late in the growing season and the risk of drought will increase in the mixed mesophytic and cove forest ecosystem.
If drought becomes more frequent or widespread in late summer or fall, seedlings and saplings may be at risk of desiccation.
The complex topography in the Central Appalachians will potentially provide refugia for the mixed mesophytic and cove forest ecosystem where some disjunct populations may persist.
Even the relatively flat areas of the Central Appalachians contain complex ridge systems and associated soil moisture regimes that support a high diversity of species. Although climate will largely determine a species’ potential range, the complexity of landscape characteristics, such as geophysical setting, landscape complexity, and connectivity create areas of microhabitat offering refugia against the effects of climate change. In the mountains, species may be able to migrate upwards more easily than northwards to escape warming temperatures.
Suitable habitat for many common species is projected to decline in the mixed mesophytic and cove forest ecosystem.
Models project that American beech, eastern hemlock (considered a keystone species where it occurs), and sugar maple will remain relatively stable under low climate scenarios, but will lose suitable habitat, growth potential, and volume in the Central Appalachians under high climate scenarios (Chapter 5). These species are vulnerable to the direct changes in temperature and precipitation, and are susceptible to moisture stress, beech bark disease, mortality from hemlock woolly adelgid, and other stresses resulting from indirect impacts of climate change.