Legacy FAR1 strategy/approaches.
This system is intolerant of fire, and is characterized by long disturbance intervals. An increase in wildfire could promote transition to primarily fire-adapted species (e.g., oaks), changing the identity of this ecosystem.
Droughty conditions late in the growing season can negatively impact advance regeneration and newly established seedlings.
This forest occurs largely within the lake-effect zone of Lake Erie, where this forest’s position on glacial till floodplains, moraines, and plateaus promotes and preserves moist soil conditions, a critical feature which may help buffer the impacts of changing temperature and hydrologic regimes on mature trees.
Models project that American beech, sugar maple, and eastern hemlock (occurring locally Ohio) will remain relatively stable under low climate scenarios, but will lose suitable habitat, growth potential, and volume in the assessment area under high climate scenarios. These species are vulnerable to the direct changes in temperature and precipitation, and are susceptible to increased moisture stress and other indirect impacts of climate change.
Forested wetlands reflect the presence of saturated soils, which can be either mineral or organic. Various species may be present based on local conditions, such as black spruce, red spruce, tamarack, balsam fir, eastern hemlock, and red maple.
Diverse forested wetlands are found in depressions and low-lying areas, along waterways, and in floodplains. Dominant species may include ash, red or silver maple, swamp white oak, sycamore, American elm, and river birch.
Pine-oak forests are found on relatively xeric sites with moderate to nutrient-poor soils. Pine species, primarily white pine but also red and jack pine, are generally dominant. Sometimes forests are dominated by a mixture of pine and oak species. Codominant species vary based on local conditions and may include species such as northern red oak, red maple, eastern hemlock, paper birch, and quaking aspen.
These forests are found in dry to mesic conditions across a variety of sites in southern New England. Dominant species may include several oak species, especially red, white, black, or scarlet oak, and other hardwood species.
Northern hardwood forests are widely distributed over a variety of sites with dry-mesic to wet-mesic conditions and nutrient-poor to rich soils. This forest type is generally found at low to moderate elevations. Species that are commonly dominant include sugar maple, yellow birch, American beech, eastern hemlock, and red spruce.
Spruce-fir forests are dominated by boreal species that include red spruce, white spruce, and balsam fir. Spruce forests are dominated by conifers but may contain a number of associated northern hardwood species, such as yellow birch or sugar maple. This forest type can be found in at higher elevations (generally above 1500 feet) in the Appalachian mountains or at lower elevations in colder areas with acidic or nutrient-poor soils.
