FAR2
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.
Situated on the Atlantic coastal plain, this is a dry, fire-adapted forest with a variable canopy of pitch pine and scrub oak. Other oaks are sometimes present, including scarlet, blackjack, chestnut, black, white oak, and post oak. Composition and structure vary with fire frequency. In general, pines are more prevalent in stands with a fire-return interval of less than 10 years, while oaks are more prevalent in stands with a longer fire-return interval. Scrub oak stands may occur without pine cover, particularly in low-lying areas.
Situated on the Atlantic coastal plain, this type is limited to well-drained soils on flat to rolling hills and dunes. Relatively high rates of fine litter production and accumulation coupled with dry conditions foster periodic fire, which promotes several oak species, including white, southern red, chestnut, black, Shumard oak and scarlet oak. Numerous hardwood species may be present as co-dominants in mesic and early successional sites, including red maple, sassafras, gray birch, bigtooth and quaking aspen, and hazelnut.
Situated on the Atlantic coastal plain, this type is located within hummock-and-hollow microtopography characterized by short-term regular flooding of saline water from streams and estuaries that provide enough fresh water (i.e., saline <0.5 parts per thousand) to support trees and shrubs. Soils are poorly drained slightly acidic tidal muck consisting of variable amounts of silt, clay and fine sands mixed with root-rich peats. Many examples are dominated by baldcypress, or by pumpkin ash and red maple or green ash and red maple.
Situated on the Atlantic coastal plain in depressions, basins, along streams and rivers, and in low-lying areas. Includes a range of forested wetlands heavily influenced by local fresh-water hydrology, with plant communities that reflect the occurrence of seasonal or persistent flooding. Common species include red maple, sweetgum, blackgum, willow oak, and green ash; loblolly pine may occur in locations south of the Delaware Bay. Atlantic white-cedar is often dominant in peat-accumulating basins that are hydrologically isolated from rivers and streams.
These forests are transitional between central hardwood and northern hardwood forests. Common species may include sugar maple, yellow birch, American beech, eastern hemlock, white pine, red maple, and red oak.
Forests and barrens dominated by pitch pine and scrub oak forests are found on xeric sites with deep, sandy soils. This is a fire-dependent system, where more frequent fires will promote pines.
These forests occur at higher elevations (generally above 1500 feet) and are generally dominated by red spruce and balsam fir. They may also contain northern hardwood species, such as yellow birch or sugar maple.
These forests typically have saturated soils, which may also be acidic or nutrient-poor. Conifer or mixed conifer-hardwood species include black spruce, red spruce, tamarack, balsam fir, eastern hemlock, and red maple.
