Northern Ontario Plant Database

Northern Ontario Vegetation Type (V-type)

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NE-V11: Trembling Aspen - Black Spruce - Bush Honeysuckle - Herb Rich
Summary: A species-rich mixedwood stand dominated by trembling aspen (21-40% cover) and black spruce (11-20% cover), with balsam fir present in less than 2/3 of sample plots and providing less than 10% cover. Regeneration is primarily balsam fir (11-20% cover), with lesser amounts of black spruce and trembling aspen (2-5% cover), indicating succession to a balsam fir stand.

Bush honeysuckle (11-20% cover) and bristly wild rose (2-5% cover) provide the most cover in the understorey, but a moderate number of other shrub species occur in fewer than 2/3 of the sample plots, including speckled alder (6-10%), serviceberries, Canada fly honeysuckle, red osier dogwood, currants, squashberry, and wild red raspberry, each contributing no more than 5% cover.

The herb layer is dominated by largeleaf aster (11-20% cover), dwarf raspberry and wild sarsaparilla (6-10% cover), and naked mitrewort, bluebead lily, violets, sweet coltsfoot, and the characteristic boreal forest species, each providing 2-5% cover. A variety of other species may occur, but provide only 1% cover or occur on fewer than 2/3 of sample plots. A few pteridophytes occur occasionally, but when present, these provide only 1-5% cover.

The forest floor is predominantly of deciduous leaf litter, but a fair number of feathermosses are present, including shaggy moss (6-10% cover), Schreber's feathermoss (2-5% cover), and lesser amounts of plume moss and stairstep moss.

Soils and Ecosite Types: The Trembling Aspen-Black Spruce-Bush Honeysuckle-Herb Rich Vegetation Type (NE-V11) occurs mainly on rich, fresh to moist, fine loamy to clayey soils (S13, S14), as well as shallow, moist black organic soils (S15). This vegetation type may occur on ecosite types ES 6f (Black Spruce-Trembling Aspen-Fine Soil) and ES 6m (Trembling Aspen-Black Spruce-Balsam fir-medium soil), and ES 10 (Trembling Aspen-Black Spruce-Balsam Poplar-Moist Soil).

Trees:

overstorey

trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) [9]
black spruce (Picea mariana) [7]
balsam fir (Abies balsamea) [4]
balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera) [1]
jack pine (Pinus banksiana) [1]
white spruce (Picea glauca) [1]

regeneration

balsam fir (Abies balsamea)
black spruce (Picea mariana)
trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides)

Shrubs:

tall shrubs

speckled alder (Alnus incana subsp. rugosa)
serviceberries (Amelanchier spp.)
showy mountain ash (Sorbus decora)

low shrubs

bush honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera)
prickly wild rose (Rosa acicularis)
Canada fly honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis)
red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea)
bristly black currant (Ribes lacustre)
red swamp currant (Ribes triste)
squashberry (Viburnum edule)
wild red raspberry (Rubus idaeus)

Dwarf Shrubs & Herbs:

dwarf shrubs

dwarf raspberry (Rubus pubescens)
twinflower (Linnaea borealis)

forbs

largeleaf aster (Eurybia macrophylla)
wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)
bluebead lily (Clintonia borealis)
bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
naked mitrewort (Mitella nuda)
sweet coltsfoot (Petasites frigidus var. palmatus)
violets (Viola spp.)
wild lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemum canadense)
fragrant bedstraw (Galium triflorum)
rose twisted-stalk (Streptopus lanceolatus)
starflower (Trientalis borealis)
wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)
goldthread (Coptis trifolia)
fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium)
wood anemone (Anemone quinquefolia)
northern bluebells (Mertensia paniculata)

graminoids

sedges (Carex spp.)
drooping woodreed (Cinna latifolia)

Ferns & Fern Allies:

ferns

oak fern (Gymnocarpium dryopteris)
spinulose woodfern (Dryopteris carthusiana)

clubmosses

bristly (or interrupted) clubmoss (Lycopodium annotinum)

Bryophytes:

shaggy moss (or electrified cat's-tail) (Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus)
Schreber's feathermoss (Pleurozium schreberi)
plume moss (Ptilium crista-castrensis)
stairstep moss (Hylocomium splendens)
sickle moss (Sanionia uncinata)

Note: Species listed above are taken from the Vegetation type description and the Species Percentage Cover by Vegetation Type Tables (pg. D 34). Species are listed in order of most cover and abundance.